I really enjoyed Murder at the End of the World. The story was intriguing, beautifully written, and had me gripped from the very beginning. The book follows a young woman navigating life at the end of the world while still trying to pass her driving test — commitment or what?! I really resonated with the MFC, as many of her character traits at the beginning of the book I feel are very similar to my own, which made it easy to connect with her.

However, this story was about so much more than that. The writing explores serious themes surrounding human nature, trust, and friendship, which adds real depth to the plot. I also found the cultural nuances especially interesting, as the story is set in Japan, a place I’ve always wanted to visit. Perhaps not during an impending apocalypse, but fascinating all the same.

The pacing felt just right, balancing suspense with character development perfectly. I found myself genuinely rooting for my favourite character, and I really enjoyed following each character’s journey throughout the story.

As much of a mystery freak as I am, I think the mystery aspect is the least notable thing about this book. Not that there's not some impressive deductions in the end, but the question of who was going around killing people when the world is just about to end didn't really matter that much for me. I was much more enthralled by the depiction of said world, and how people react and change to what will be their inevitable doom, be it engaging in the mundanities of life such as the protagonist trying to get her driver's license, or desperately trying to survive for as long as they can in any way possible. The characters were definitely the highlight of the book for me, my favourite is the detective-character Isagawa, the narrator's driving instructor, who is awesome lmao, and I really liked the interactions between her and the narrator Haru. There's some more people who join the party of investigators later, but to say too much about that would be spoilers, I think. But in short, very highly recommended.

"The last bestseller in the world had been a suicide manual."

As an asteroid hurtles inexorably toward Earth, Haru remains in her small hometown, near enough to the projected impact point to assume death will be instantaneous. While those around her flee, panic, or fall to suicide, Haru attends driving lessons. When a mutilated corpse is placed in the driving school's car, Haru and her ex-cop driving instructor have only two months to see that justice is done.


If you're planning on reading MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD by Akane Araki, I suggest you block out a whole evening because you won't want to put it down. I devoured it. Although the general premise of one character standing for law and order in the face of utter chaos brought on by the end of the world is not new or unique in itself, this felt like a fresh take on the trope.

The translation was effortless. If I didn't know, I'd assume this book had originally been written in English by someone intimately familiar with Japanese culture. There's none of the stilted turns of phrase that sometimes hamper translated works. The crime itself, and the resulting social fallout, are tightly intertwined with Japanese cultural norms. If you enjoy reading books that offer insight to worldviews not often represented in Western thrillers, then you'll enjoy this.

Don't let the speculative/apocalyptic aspect fool you into thinking this has nothing to say that is relevant to today; MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD is a pacy crime novel that poses surprisingly poignant questions about the human experience. 4.5 stars!