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The Ending Writes Itself

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The Ending Writes Itself

By: Evelyn Clarke
Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham
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The instant Sunday Times bestseller!

'My favourite book I've read this year' FIVE star reader review

'It’s great fun! A new spin on a classic mystery with plenty of humour' FIVE star reader review

'An absolute cracker of a book' FIVE star reader review

'This book had me squealing so much! I honestly could not put it down' FIVE star reader review

'I kept fighting the urge to speed through because I was having so much fun!' FIVE star reader review

* * * *

It’s the perfect plot. All it needs is a killer ending.

Six authors. One private island. Seventy-two hours to write the ending.

World-famous author Arthur Fletch is dead. His final novel, the most anticipated book in history, remains unfinished. But the ending won’t write itself.

When six struggling authors are invited to Fletch's private Scottish island and presented with the opportunity of a lifetime, the plot thickens: whoever writes a worthy ending will receive a game-changing book deal and two million dollars.

Why have they been chosen to attend? Who is behind the invitation? And just how far would they go to secure a place on the bestseller list?

They have just seventy-two hours, a typewriter and a blank page. All they have to do is write…

Starting is often the hardest part. But getting to the end could be murder.

Perfect if you love:

Murder/locked-room mysteries

Killer DEADlines

Amateur Sleuths

Deadly Competitions

Forced Proximity

Plot to Die For

* * * *

Praise for THE ENDING WRITES ITSELF:

‘In the running for the best mystery of 2026’ STEPHEN KING

‘A cracking read' VAL MCDERMID

‘Smart, original and completely addictive’ KARIN SLAUGHTER

‘There were so many things I loved about this intelligent crime novel’ RED MAGAZINE

‘Slick, sharp and wickedly fun’ LUCY CLARKE

©2026 Cat Clarke and Victoria Schwab (P)2026 HarperCollins Publishers
Crime Thrillers Literature & Fiction Psychological Satire Thriller & Suspense Scandinavia Highlander
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Critic reviews

'A cracking read' Val McDermid
‘Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None meets Yellowface… Great fun!’ Kate Mosse
‘A great locked-room thriller and a brilliant satire on the publishing industry’ Karin Slaughter
‘A hugely entertaining and thrilling locked-room thriller’ B A Paris
'Full of twists and turns … A must-read for any mystery fan!' G.T. Karber
‘Fiendishly clever and compulsively readable… An absolute must read’ Ellery Lloyd
‘I was absolutely hooked from the beginning and then practically inhaled the rest of the novel. It's funny, razor sharp and scarily relatable! I laughed and I winced. I hated and adored seeing my friends in publishing portrayed so cleverly/accurately/sardonically. The twists and turns are gorgeously unexpected and the characters brilliantly drawn. I just know readers will LOVE it as much as I did.’ Sarah Crossan
'A wonderfully twisty mystery that plays with all the tropes we know so well. An absolute delight to read!' Phoenicia Rogerson
All stars
Most relevant
I listened to the end but was not satisfied. The book felt like the author wasn't sure what she wanted to say and kept changing he mind.

Convaluted and not satisfactory

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somewhat slow for first quarter of exposition but gathers speed. complex and full of surprising turns. very much enjoyed this. could have done without last sentence.

enjoyable suprises

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The reader brought the characters to life, but an over emphasis on 'a' in most sentences became irritating to listen to.

Quite an interesting story idea.

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I loved the characters and plot. I really enjoyed this book. Narrator was really good and bought the book to life

Really enjoyed this book. Great story

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I liked the concept and the start was strong but it just didn’t stick the landing. The second half just didn’t hit and the final reveal was mid plus I don’t get the epilogue, it just made it more of a bad ending.

Good but didn’t stick the landing

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