The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke review

About The Book

Book: The Ending Writes Itself
Author: Evelyn Clarke = V.E. Schwab & Cat Clarke
Standalone or Series: Standalone
Publisher: HQ
Publication Date (UK): 7th April 2026

My Review

During the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, myself and five other book bloggers were lucky enough to be invited to brunch with HQ. Thankfully, unlike the invitation in the book, we weren’t whisked off to a secluded island and none of us were murdered! Though it had better not mean they think we’re midlist, like the authors who receiving the invites within The Ending Writes Itself.We were there to celebrate The Ending Writes Itself, a novel co-written by two authors whose identities are still under wraps. But, as HQ told us, “secrets don’t stay secret for long in publishing”. A few clues have been dropped: both authors have been publishing for over a decade, one is a New York Times bestseller, they’re the same gender and one of them has written scripts before.

We were there to celebrate The Ending Writes Itself, a novel co-written by two authors whose identities are still under wraps. But, as HQ told us, “secrets don’t stay secret for long in publishing”. A few clues have been dropped: both authors have been publishing for over a decade, one is a New York Times bestseller, they’re the same gender and one of them has written scripts before.Gifted a coveted proof copy at the event, we decided to team up for a buddy read. Six readers over six days. Throughout, we were all on high alert for clues to Evelyn Clarke’s true identity. Personally, I’m convinced one of them is American—the formatting leans heavily on em dashes—and there’s a moment where an English character is described as not much older than the legal drinking age, but she’s 22 and the legal age here is 18, not 21. I also suspect both authors are women due to the commentary within.

Gifted a coveted proof copy at the event, we decided to team up for a buddy read. Six readers over six days. Throughout, we were all on high alert for clues to Evelyn Clarke’s true identity. Personally, I’m convinced one of them is American—the formatting leans heavily on em dashes—and there’s a moment where an English character is described as not much older than the legal drinking age, but she’s 22 and the legal age here is 18, not 21. I also suspect both authors are women due to the commentary within.

Anyway! Let’s get to the book itself, shall we?

The set-up is familiar: a remote location, characters picked off one by one. It felt a little slow to get going, by the end of day five we were 87% through and there was still a lot to wrap up. But it delivers. The Ending Writes Itself is a fun, knowing romp with a sharp wink at the publishing world. By the time it’s released, the authors will  have been unmasked, so readers can just enjoy the ride and save their sleuthing for the murder mystery. For those paying close attention, one line in particular offers a huge clue…

Buddy read team: Kevin “The Horror Writer” @thefirstelevenminutes, Annie “The Romance Writer” @mylittlebookhome, Susie “The Young Adult Writer” @susiesbookreviews, Kelly “The Debut Writer” @kelly_thereadingmachine and Elizabeth “The Sci-Fi Writer” @elizabethsbooks.

Thank you to HQ Stories for the brunch invite and proof.

UPDATE: We now know that Evelyn Clarke stands for V.E. Schwab and Cat Clarke!