Run at the thing that frightens you.
The Last Murder at the End of the World
by Stuart Turton
Genre: Mystery
About: The world has ended. There's only one island left with a little over a hundred people to its population, and their survival depends on the barrier that protects them from the fog. The world destroying, species ending fog. But when a murder happens, that single death alters the barrier and unless they can piece together what happened, the fog will come and the world will end again.
Thoughts
Stuart Turton mysteries really have the most unexpected components to them. They require you to explore a world that is familiar and yet utterly bizarre. You have to be prepared for magic, science and/or a higher power. You cannot trust the perspectives you are given, and you're given many. Most crucially: don't expect to solve it. Unlike an Agatha Christie, you're not going to be able to write out a list of suspects and whittle them down. It isn't that Turton hides information from his readers or that he deceives you, it's that the game changes and you have to adapt to new rules, new truths.
Everything about this story is fun to read. We're isolated on an island. It's the end of the world. There's a deadly fog. People wake up with no memory of the night before. A murder has to be solved before the clock runs out... I'm perhaps misusing the word fun, but honestly that's what it was to me. I loved the short chapters, I loved the different perspectives, I loved all of the twists - even the ending, which hasn't been a personal highlight of the previous Turton books I've read. I loved both Seven Deaths and Devil in the Dark Water, but the endings weren't the memorable part of them. This one though - beginning, middle and end, every page of this had me hooked.
I think what I love the most about Turton's books, asides from how unique they are, is the way he crafts perspectives. He jumps you through multiple POVs in such an expert manner. In this book especially, there are some really complex characters that we see many different sides to and all of them feel believable.
Another great thing about his books is that they are begging to be re-read. I can't say the same for other contemporary murder mysteries out there as usually everything hangs on the twist. Once you know the killer, the story can't hold your interest again as you can't be fooled again. But with Turton's mysteries, there are so many components and so much intrigue that you almost want another go at the puzzle.
This is my favourite of the three, but I look forward to having it usurped by his next one.
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