# In 'The Ending Writes Itself,' a contest to complete a manuscript turns deadly

An episode of [NPR's Book of the Day](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1587369865), 12 May 2026, 8:35.

Audio: https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/play.podtrac.com/npr-510364/npr.simplecastaudio.com/c3f326c7-02ae-4df0-b95a-b35e58973e1a/episodes/1f7ff932-2a24-44ab-908a-a94006a41168/audio/128/default.mp3?awCollectionId=c3f326c7-02ae-4df0-b95a-b35e58973e1a&awEpisodeId=1f7ff932-2a24-44ab-908a-a94006a41168&feed=tZrJMl4P&t=podcast&e=nx-s1-5819130&p=510364&d=515&size=8248469

In a new mystery novel, a group of struggling writers lands on a private island belonging to bestselling author Arthur Fletch. But Fletch is dead and the authors, who come from a number of genres, must race to come up with the best ending to his unfinished manuscript. Then, the competition turns deadly. The Ending Writes Itself is by V.E. Schwab and Cat Clarke, who wrote the novel under the pen name Evelyn Clarke. In today’s episode, the co-authors and friends join NPR’s Scott Simon for a conversation about their collaboration. To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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