Publication: 30th October 2025 – Viking
Cornwall, 1910. On a remote tidal island, the Viscount of Tithe Hall is absorbed in feverish preparations for the apocalypse that he believes will accompany the passing of Halley’s Comet. The Hall must be sealed from top to bottom – every window, chimney and keyhole closed off before night falls. But what the pompous, dishonest Viscount has failed to take into account is the danger that lies within… By morning, he will be dead in his sealed study, murdered by his own ancestral crossbow.
All eyes turn to Stephen Pike, Tithe Hall’s newest under-butler. Fresh out of Borstal for a crime he didn’t commit, he is the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time. His unlikely ally? Miss Decima Stockingham, the foul-mouthed, sharp as a tack, 80-year-old family matriarch. Fearless and unconventional, she relishes chaos and puzzles alike, and a murder is just the thrill she’s been waiting for.
Together, this mismatched duo must navigate secret passages, buried grudges and rising terror to unmask the killer before it’s too late…
I can’t recommend this book enough! The Murder at World’s End is such a fun and intriguing story, I read it one sitting, completely entertained by the characters and immersed in the story.
The Murder at World’s End is set in a remote island off the coast of Cornwall in April 1910, when the comet Halley passed over the earth and was visible to the naked eye. After a difficult upbringing, the protagonist, Stephen Pike, thinks to have finally found his luck in landing a job as an under-butler at Tithe Hall, the home of the eccentric Viscount, Lord Conrad Stockingham-Welt, who is convinced that the passing of the comet will bring the end of the world and that by sealing themselves into the house, they will be able to survive and start a new world. Stephen’s job, during the night, is to keep an eye on Miss Decima Stockingham, the offensive and difficult lady relegated to a distant room of the house, who no one wants to deal with, but Stephen seems to get along with. In the morning, the world is still there, but as everyone unseals their own rooms, they find Lord Conrad murdered in his study, the room locked from the inside. As the members of the family start thinking about the inheritance and an inept detective of Scotland Yard is determined to accuse Stephen of the murder, because of his past in prison, Stephen and Miss Decima team up to investigate on their own.
I really enjoyed this novel. There is a gripping locked-room murder mystery, lots of humor and twists, and original and quirky characters. I really liked the character of Stephen, a young man raised in East London who ended up in prison for a crime he didn’t commit and now he is trying to start afresh. Miss Decima Stockingham is a fascinating character: astute and feisty, she loves to enter a room, create chaos among her family, and then leave. The Murder at World’s End was such an excellent and addictive read and I was delighted to learn that it’s the first in a series. I can’t wait for more of Stephen and Miss Decima’s adventures!
A huge thank you to Viking and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this brilliant novel.
Ross Montgomery is the author of award-winning books for children. His novels have been twice shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book of the Year and twice selected for the Waterstones’ Children’s Book of the Month, as well as chosen for the Sunday Times ‘Top 100 Modern Children’s Classics’. His latest, I Am Rebel, was an immediate bestseller, chosen by Waterstones as their Children’s Book of the Year 2024.
He lives in London with his wife, a baby, and a cat named Fun Bobby. The Murder at World’s End is his first adult novel.
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