The Ending Writes Itself and Other Recent Reads

 

This past weekend I devoured the acclaimed new mystery The Ending Writes Itself  by Evelyn Clarke. (The author’s name is a pseudonym for the noted writers V.E. Schwab and Cat Clark.) I can, without reservation, proclaim that this was a fun read. I loved the premise—6 authors invited to the Scottish island home of the famed mystery author Arthur Fletch. (The only thing missing from the setting was a blockbuster snowstorm.) Some dull spots three-quarters of the way through, however, but a brilliant epilogue woke me up. As mentioned, I enjoyed it, but I don’t believe it was as superlative a mystery as some of the reviewers have exclaimed. I think that one of the reasons this whodunit caused such a buzz was its full-blown satirical treatment of the current state of the publishing industry and the way it treats authors. I admired this aspect of the mystery, and thought it was well done and properly skewered the powers that be in publishing. The novel received a glowing review in the New York Times, and a starred review from Library Journal, and I believe Publisher’s Weekly.

I also gulped down another mystery last week. Over the last 8-9 years, I've been a fan of the Lake District Mysteries by Martin Edwards. I recently realized that my last dip into this series was in 2022, and I've not read another one since. So! My Nook held within its clutches the sixth in the series, The Frozen Shroud, which I hadn't read. So off I went. 

Frankly, I thought the mystery itself was perfectly fine. But, (and this is a very big but), Daniel Kind, the lead series character who is a historian, and DCI Hannah Scarlett, although they're on the scene, do NOT figure prominently in this case. Not at all! In fact, Daniel Kind, who has been a wonderful character all through the series, has no more than a shadow role. A disappointment. Two more books are in the series, and I hope Daniel and Hannah appear more robustly because they are wonderful characters.   

Have you read anything by Martin Edwards? 

Much more has been on my reading plate, but I will need another post to describe all of that.