The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

I'm not sure if I'm more impressed with the audacity of the concept of this story or the skill with which it's told. 

A small Greek island is home to 122 villagers and 3 scientists. Outside the island is a deadly fog that has swept the earth and is only kept at bay by a barrier designed by the scientists. Now one of the scientists, Niema, has been murdered and everyone's memory has been wiped of the events of the last 12 hours. The AI controlling the barrier has been instructed to turn off the barrier if the murder isn't solved by the time the clock runs out. And not even the murderer knows who it is.

The villagers are happy to go about their assigned daily tasks, listening to the AI voice, ABI, in their head that directs them and even makes them go to sleep every night at 8:45 pm, whether they've made it to their bed or not. Emory is a bit different. She has lots of questions and doesn't know what her role is. That makes her the perfect person to conduct the investigation. But what she discovers are some uncomfortable truths. And truths that upend what everyone believes are the hardest ones to get people to accept.

This book defies easy categorization. It's part dystopian novel, part post-apocalyptic thriller, and part murder mystery. All of it works. An AI narrator guides you along. Emory is a wonderful character who is easy to identify with. Many of the other characters are wonderful in their stubbornness and unwillingness to let go of the beliefs on which their lives have been based, even with the end of the world staring them in the face. The mystery of the island and the murder are both beautifully layered and intertwined. Spooling out in a way that keeps you both one step ahead and still in the dark. 

I was spellbound by this book and the wonderful narration of James Cameron Stewart, who captured the various voices of the characters and the AI. A truly wonderful experience.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.