Waiting on Wednesday – The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this latest post I highlight an outstanding upcoming murder mystery novel with a fun science fiction twist that I am extremely keen to check out in 2024 with The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton.

The Last Murder at the End of the World Cover

Amazon

2024 is already shaping up to be an excellent year for books and I am even more excited because there is a new Stuart Turton novel coming out in the next few months. Turton is an outstanding author whose debut novel, The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (also released as The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle) deeply impressed me back in 2018. Featuring an elaborate murder mystery plot enhanced by clever science fiction elements, this great novel forced a protagonist to jump across the bodies of several different suspects to figure out who was behind a mysterious death. This was honestly such a brilliant and highly unique read that ended up being one of my favourite books of 2018.

While I unfortunately haven’t had the chance to read his second novel, The Devil and the Dark Water (maybe a good book to check out this Christmas), I am still very keen for any additional content from Turton and I was excited when I saw he had a new book coming out in May 2024. This new novel is The Last Murder at the End of the World and it looks like Turton is going to present another compelling murder mystery/science fiction hybrid.

Plot Synopsis:

Solve the murder to save what’s left of the world.

Outside the island there is the world destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched. On the island it is idyllic. 122 villagers and 3 scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they’re told by the scientists.

Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And they learn the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay.

If the murder isn’t solved within 92 hours, the fog will smother the island – and everyone on it.

But the security system has also wiped everyone’s memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer – and they don’t even know it…

The outstanding new high concept murder mystery from the Sunday Times bestselling and Costa Book Award winning author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle . An ingenious puzzle, an extraordinary backdrop, an audacious solution.

I love the sound of the epic plot above and I reminds me a lot of The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle in terms of it having a complicated scenario serving as the compelling background to a murder investigation. The idea of a murder taking place in a post-apocalyptic society is pretty solid on its own, but throw in a mysterious fog, elaborate security systems and the fact that everyone, including the killer has forgotten the events of the night in question, and you have all the components for a highly compelling read. I cannot wait to see how Turton works all these elements into his new mystery and I’m sure it will make for quite a compelling and intense novel.

I am also quite intrigued by the cool setting the book is taking place in. A remote island that survived a world-ending event is pretty interesting and it will be fun if we get some history about how that came about. I’m getting some major The Island or The Village vibes from the sounds of this scenario (it’s totally going to be some form of experiment or social study), and I am quite intrigued to see if I’m right about that.

Overall, I am very excited for The Last Murder at the End of the World and I have some very high hopes for it when it comes out in May next year. Turton already has a proven skill of combining elaborate science fiction scenarios with murder mysteries and The Last Murder at the End of the World should turn out to be pretty epic as a result. I am fully expecting this upcoming book to be pretty damn exceptional and I cannot wait to see how Turton messes with my mind this time.