The new twisty and gripping locked room mystery crime thriller everyone is talking about for 2026

SELECTED FOR 2026 ONES TO WATCH: Daily Express, Daily Mirror, Radio Times, BBC News Online, Stylist, Scotland on Sunday, The Herald Scotland, My Weekly, The Scotsman, Muddy Stilettos Berkshire

''Secrets don''t stay secret for long in publishing'' Six authors. One private island. Seventy-two hours to write the ending that will change their lives. ''This is a house of novelists, not murderers. You dream up crimes. You don''t commit them.'' ''But a writer has. And so, who better than a writer to catch them?'' 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. Fletch''s publisher, Merriweather Press, has invited six authors to Fletch''s private island in Scotland. Authors whose books have never had the big marketing budgets or publicity opportunities. In other words, midlist . And they''re about to be presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. Whoever writes a worthy ending will receive one million dollars, and a further one million dollars for a new three-book contract. They have just seventy-two hours, with no access to the outside world, just 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. ''Smart, original and completely addictive... The Ending Writes Itself is both a great locked-room thriller and a brilliant satire on the publishing industry. An absolute must-read'' Karin Slaughter

Autorentext

Evelyn Clarke

Klappentext

**SELECTED FOR 2026 ONES TO WATCH:**Daily Express, Daily Mirror, Radio Times, BBC News Online, Stylist, Scotland on Sunday, The Herald Scotland, My Weekly, The Scotsman, Muddy Stilettos Berkshire

**'In the running for the best mystery of 2026'**STEPHEN KING

**'And Then There Were Nonemeets Yellowface'**KATE MOSSE

**'A cracking read'**VAL MCDERMID

**'Smart, original and completely addictive'**KARIN SLAUGHTER

**'You may be reminded of the "meta" mischief of Anthony Horowitz'**THE TIMES

**'There were so many things I loved about this intelligent crime novel'**REDMAGAZINE

'Suspenseful, mysterious and twisty - everything you want in a great book! I definitely recommend' **Reader review *******

'Agatha Christie meets Yellowface: clever, quick, entertaining' **Reader review *******

'What a collaboration and what an absolute cracker of a book. Perfectly plotted and exquisitely executed' **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.

Evelyn Clarke is the pseudonym for Number OneSunday Times bestselling author V.E. Schwab, and screenwriter and YA author Cat Clarke.

'Slick, sharp and wickedly fun, The Ending Writes Itself is a whip-smart addition to the locked room genre' Lucy Clarke

'The most fun I've had with a book in a very, very long time' A. J. Finn

'Hugely entertaining and thrilling' 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

'Funny, razor sharp and scarily relatable' Sarah Crossan

'A wonderfully twisty mystery that plays with all the tropes we know so well. An absolute delight to read!' Phoenicia Rogerson

'This is going to be huge!'FABULOUS

'Ambition turns dangerous in this clever, claustrophobic thriller' iNEWS