Pun Salad

A science-fiction mystery! I heard good things! Specifically, from Katherine Mangu-Ward at Reason.

The setup is intriguing: humanity has been wiped out by "the fog", which has (um, allegedly) enveloped the entire planet except for one small island, with about 125 inhabitants, including three "scientists", the remainder being "villagers". All is idyllic, although you'll note some early-on strangeness. There's a first-person narrator, "Abi", who can talk to everyone, but doesn't seem to be actually present. And when a new villager arrives, it means an older villager must die. Tsk!

So, it's bizarre. Gradually, details, hidden secrets, and lies are revealed about the nature of the villagers, the scientists, and Abi. And that titular murder happens, which also happens to turn off the island's defense against that deadly fog, which starts its inexorable creep forward. And tech has wiped everyone's memory of what happened during the murder window. One villager, Emory, is tasked with solving the mystery; she's an Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle fan, so it could work out.

There are a lot of characters. A lot of red herrings and investigative dead ends. The reviews are laudatory, but it mostly wasn't my cup of tea. Like that guy who wrote "Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd", I found it difficult to care about identifying the perp here.