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It’s some point in the future, we’re not sure how far. A catastrophe has struck the planet, a man-made catastrophe we’re led to believe. A fog has gradually covered the planet, inhabited by insects that destroyed every living thing in its wake. There was only one place spared, a small Greek island, and ninety years after the devastation, a hundred or more people lived here. The leaders � referred to as the ‘elders� - are three scientists. There’s also an AI system in play called Abi.

It’s not clear why the fog didn’t reach this island, but it does hover in the distance, a constant threat. The people here are a mild, friendly group, and it seems that there is no violence, no disruption to their tranquil lives. But there are also secrets, and soon there will be a murder � a death that will threaten the future of these people. They will learn that they must identify and execute the perpetrator of this act, or the fog will descend upon them. And they will have very little time in which to do this.

Turton writes carefully constructed, unconventional and complex crime thrillers; The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is, I think, a masterpiece. But what of this one? Well, it’s certainly complex, and its premise does seem to offer plenty of mystery. It took me a while to get my head around the set-up on the island and, unsurprisingly, quite a bit of information is held back and carefully parcelled out as the story unfolds. The world he constructs here is an interesting one, too. Yet I found myself strangely unengaged by the whole scenario.

One issue for me is that I struggle with stories that include the opportunity for scientific and technological developments or inventions that don’t currently exist to suddenly crop up and surprise me. This obviously offers the author the opportunity to introduce all sorts of strange twists that I couldn’t possibly have envisaged. I just find this exasperating; I like to use my wits to try to solve any puzzle I’m faced with and therefore a mystery set in a time when this vehicle exists is always likely to frustrate me.

I enjoyed the story, but I didn’t love it. It is surprising, and it is inventive, and yet I never found myself fully engaged with the fate of these people. That said, the ending is frantic and exciting, and it did keep me urgently turning each page to see how things would finally play out. I’m pretty sure many others will love this one more than I did, but it’s a three star offering for me.

My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for providing an early copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.