This book is the first I’ve read that features an example of the fear that occurs in humans (aka me) when hearing a fox scream, at night, outside your bedroom window. For that alone, it deserves all the praise. Luckily, it’s also a pretty good story beyond that.

I received an advance reader’s copy (ARC) of The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

In The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke (a pseudonym for writer duo V. E. Schwab and Cat Clarke), several authors are invited to an exclusive writing retreat with renowned mystery writer Arthur Fletch at his isolated home on a tiny Scottish island. Once there, however, they learn from the agent and editor that Arthur has died a month ago, leaving his final manuscript unfinished. Therefore, it’s up to these authors to write an ending worthy of Arthur’s legacy, and the winner will not only get one million dollars for that anonymous ending, but another million in the form of a book deal under their own name. All these writers are struggling—in the midlist, as debuts, or as semi-failed writers of series—and so all want to win. So they settle in, seventy-two hours of no phones or contact with the outside world. But death might not stay on the page this time…

As you probably know, I like V. E. Schwab’s writing, so I was excited to learn that now we have a Schwab mystery book! I don’t know Cat Clarke (though I’m given to understand she was a screenwriter and only has a few books for young readers thus far), but I’m happy to say that I can tell she’s also a great writer.

This book definitely follows a format I’ve seen before: several relative strangers on a remote private island with no contact with anyone else, and strange things start happening. I’ve even read at least one book about a writing retreat gone wrong. So the modern day Agatha Christie vibes were familiar, but in a good way.

The setting definitely feels very And Then There Were None, certainly deliberately so. You get the sense that everything Cat Clarke has put on the page is intentional. It’s clear that they understand the ins-and-outs of the murder mystery genre and are thrilled to be using the typical foundation as their playground. And Arthur Fletch’s house is a fantastic playground, full of secrets and shadows, and the grounds around it—typical of the rugged, wilder parts of Scotland—add to the danger. It’s such a cool place to explore through the character’s eyes, and serves as a brilliant way to explain Arthur’s character, even though he’s dead before the events of the book start.

And then there’s the ticking clock of the writers’ deadline. I’m absolutely positive that this is what it feels like for writers (novelists or screenwriters or any other kind). I’m sure that, when you’re in it, with your career on the line, it does feel like life and death. So to see Cat Clarke elevate the stakes to this degree is pretty brilliant. And it also puts the characters in a tense situation, often bringing out the worst in them.

Speaking of the characters, it’s a great assortment of people that Cat Clarke has crafted. While often I’m sure they’re somewhat proxies or caricatures of genre writers, they also have some decent layers to them. All of them are dislikable sometimes, and sympathetic other times. Their dynamics are super interesting, and I loved the scenes where a group of them gather to talk. The moments when we’re left alone with one writer’s thoughts are also fascinating, but the conversations between writers were my favorite parts.

Further, the conversations the characters have allow for a lot of discussion of the publishing industry in general. And this is what sets this book apart from a lot of murder mysteries in an isolated place: this book is a biting meta-commentary on the world in which Cat Clarke (well, mostly Schwab, though I’m sure Clarke’s experience with film contributes) must dwell. As non-authors, we readers get to see how difficult and often toxic and unfair the world of traditional publishing is. It’s a fascinating look behind the curtain to the un-glamorous side of this business, and I honestly loved it. I work closely with publishers, and from what I can tell from my side of this industry, a lot of what Cat Clarke is writing about rings true. From anecdotes the characters share about advances or deadlines, about editors and marketing plans, everything feels realistic. Maybe slightly exaggerated, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if every single story was based on something Clarke or Schwab has experienced or heard about from a fellow author.

As for the plot itself, I’m not entirely surprised about how things progressed. It’s almost a necessity when you start with such a classic Christie-esque setup. However, there were some decent twists, some I predicted and some I definitely didn’t, and I was very invested the entire time. It’s a quick read, full of excitement and tension especially toward the end, and I had a really good time—even if the characters didn’t. I don’t know that it really broke entirely new ground in this tried and true format, but there were still some elements I hadn’t seen before. And the entire book has this sense of these co-writers having so much (slightly vindictive) fun.

In the end, The Ending Writes Itself is an enjoyable murder mystery, but an even more enjoyable commentary/satire on the publishing industry at large. The characters are decent, and both the plot and the setting feel classic and fresh at the same time. It’s great to see Schwab trying out new genres, and wonderful to find a good new writer in Cat Clarke. This is certainly good for fans of Agatha Christie, but also of R. F. Kuang (especially Katabasis and likely Yellowface, though I haven’t read that one yet). If you like those writers, I recommend this!

The Ending Writes Itself will be published on April 7th, 2026!