When a scientist is murdered in the last outpost of humanity left in the world, the villagers must seek justice or all face death.
I read Turton’s debut The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle several years ago, and while I enjoyed piecing together the mystery and the science fiction underpinnings of the story, I though the solution got too convoluted in the end. This book has a similar problem, but as the focus for much of the story is the science fiction setting and ethical questions it raises, I enjoyed this much more.
Turton creates a unique world set in the far future. The killer fog and the advanced technology may be futuristic, but humans behave just as they’ve always done. I enjoyed exploring the island and the society that the villagers built, and the revelations about Blackhaven were suitably mindboggling while also making perfect sense. I was invested in the village and the stakes, and enjoyed following Emory’s investigation.
However, as said before, I thought the ending began to collapse in on itself under the weight of its many twists and turns – toward the end I found myself getting confused about who did what and why and who undid that action and then what happened because of that and so on. I don’t mind a complicated solution, since Emory did not necessarily pick up all those pieces herself on screen, it just wasn’t as clear as I wish it’d been.
I kind of wish Turton would write up a straight-up science fiction novel – I think it would an excellent read!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
