The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke (Audiobook)

 

When the author of a world-famous crime series dies before completing the last novel in the series, the publisher decides to gather a group of mid-list authors together and set a challenge. Are any of them good enough to complete the book? If they can, an amazing prize awaits.

If you are part of the online book community, you would have to have been living in a cave for the past eight months not to have seen the buzz about The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke (the pseudonym of V. E. Schwab and Cat Clarke). I'm unfamiliar with the work of both of these authors, but I was intrigued enough to want to know more about this highly anticipated collaboration.

World-famous crime writer Arthur Fletch has died before completing the fifth and final book in his best-selling Petrarch series. Keeping the news of the author's death secret, the publisher gathers together seven writers in the hope that one of them will be able to complete the final book. All of the authors are from different genres and have never quite made it big in the publishing world. Everyone is a little sceptical about why they've been gathered together, but soon becomes invested in the details when they learn of the task and the reward: $2 million and a publishing deal.

Sequestered on a remote Scottish island, with their phones locked in a safe for 72 hours, this is a classic locked-room mystery, and you just know that the body count will soon begin to rise. With such high stakes and the remoteness of the setting, I was quite surprised at how long it took for the first murder to actually happen. The author takes time to really flesh out all of the different characters, ably narrated by Fiona Hardingham. As we get to know each individual, we discover how snobby the writing world is, the way in which certain genres are considered inferior to others, and how relentless the industry is.

As you would expect, there are lots of twists: hidden treasure, hidden passageways, mysterious figures, and people lying about their true identity. And once the first murder takes place, the rest of the characters begin to fall like a stack of dominoes. Accusations fly, and the satire level is high. No one wants to be alone, but everyone is a suspect, and having seen lots of horror movies, they all know that you shouldn't wander off alone.

While the "whodunit" element of the story isn't earth-shattering, I did enjoy the story and loved the twist at the very end.

The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke will be published on 9th April 2026 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy.

Author Details

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

VICTORIA “V. E.” SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series, the Villains series, the Cassidy Blake series and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Her work has received critical acclaim, translated into over two dozen languages, and optioned for television and film. First Kill – a YA vampire series based on Schwab’s short story of the same name – is currently in the works at Netflix with Emma Roberts’ Belletrist Productions producing. When she's not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.

Cat Clarke is the bestselling, award-winning author of six YA novels. She was born in Zambia and brought up in Edinburgh and Yorkshire, which has given her an accent that tends to confuse people. Cat lives in Edinburgh with her partner, two ninja cats and two decidedly non-ninja cocker spaniels. She likes cheese A LOT, especially baked camembert.