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Table of Contents
About The Book
"A canny, double-layered literary puzzle...boasting tantalizing narrative twists." —The Boston Globe
"C.B. Everett is a master of fiendishly-plotted, intelligent mysteries." —Mark Edwards, internationally bestselling author of The Wasp Trap
A missing bestselling author. A final manuscript encoded with clues to his fate. And a best friend racing to get to the final chapter...
From the author of the “blackly funny” (John Connolly, New York Times bestselling author) The Other People, a gripping book-within-a-book thriller that is perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz and Janice Hallett.
Ten years ago, a bestselling, critically acclaimed literary author disappeared without a trace…and without a final novel. In recent days, that missing manuscript has surfaced, but strangely enough, it’s not another genius work of literary fiction, but an espionage novel full of all-too-stereotypical spycraft and James Bond-like twists.
His former publisher has asked the author’s best friend—and fellow author named C.B. Everett—to annotate the novel with details from real life to give the strange novel context within his larger oeuvre. But as C.B. reads, he finds the espionage thriller is filled with references to events and people who feel a little too familiar, and soon he’s wondering if the novel might in fact be a key to his missing friend’s disappearance. There’s text and subtext aplenty, and C.B. is determined to learn once and for all what happened to his friend through solving the mystery woven into the pages. But the final chapter may hold secrets darker and more threatening than anyone anticipated.
An unputdownable, twisty thriller, The Final Chapter asks us: how well do we really know our closest friends? And how well do we know ourselves?
"C.B. Everett is a master of fiendishly-plotted, intelligent mysteries." —Mark Edwards, internationally bestselling author of The Wasp Trap
A missing bestselling author. A final manuscript encoded with clues to his fate. And a best friend racing to get to the final chapter...
From the author of the “blackly funny” (John Connolly, New York Times bestselling author) The Other People, a gripping book-within-a-book thriller that is perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz and Janice Hallett.
Ten years ago, a bestselling, critically acclaimed literary author disappeared without a trace…and without a final novel. In recent days, that missing manuscript has surfaced, but strangely enough, it’s not another genius work of literary fiction, but an espionage novel full of all-too-stereotypical spycraft and James Bond-like twists.
His former publisher has asked the author’s best friend—and fellow author named C.B. Everett—to annotate the novel with details from real life to give the strange novel context within his larger oeuvre. But as C.B. reads, he finds the espionage thriller is filled with references to events and people who feel a little too familiar, and soon he’s wondering if the novel might in fact be a key to his missing friend’s disappearance. There’s text and subtext aplenty, and C.B. is determined to learn once and for all what happened to his friend through solving the mystery woven into the pages. But the final chapter may hold secrets darker and more threatening than anyone anticipated.
An unputdownable, twisty thriller, The Final Chapter asks us: how well do we really know our closest friends? And how well do we know ourselves?
About The Author
Steve Best
C.B. Everett is the pen name for author Martyn Waites. He trained at the Birmingham School and worked as an actor for many years before becoming a writer. His novels include the critically acclaimed Joe Donovan series, The Old Religion, and The White Room. In 2013, he was chosen to write Angel of Death, the official sequel to Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black, and in 2014 won the Grand Prix for Born Under Punches. He has been nominated for every major British and French crime fiction award and has also enjoyed international commercial success with eight novels written under the name Tania Carver.
Product Details
- Publisher: Atria Books (June 2, 2026)
- Length: 384 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668058350
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Raves and Reviews
"A canny, double-layered literary puzzle emerges—boasting tantalizing narrative twists and James Bond-ish turns — when an espionage-thriller manuscript by long-missing best-selling author Jon Durward surfaces, along with a request for his frenemy, C.B. Everett, to help prepare it for publication."
– The Boston Globe
"CB Everett is a master of fiendishly-plotted, intelligent mysteries."
– Mark Edwards, internationally bestselling author of THE WASP TRAP
"A metafictional tour de force...Buckle up for a darkly funny mystery about friendship, rivalry, ambition and - wannabe novelists look away now - the more soul-destroying aspects of authorship."
– The Guardian, "Best Recent Crime and Thrillers"
"[A] slyly entertaining metafictional mystery...Adventurous mystery fans are likely to enjoy this one."
– Publishers Weekly
"A clever piece of crime-fiction crime is concealed within this intriguing novel within a novel."
– The Times (London)
*Praise for the other novels of CB Everett/Martyn Waites*
"Spectacular."
– Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series
"A deftly plotted, gripping, pulse-racing rollercoaster of a thriller. . . Stunning."
– Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author of I WILL FIND YOU
"Mesmerising."
– Ian Rankin, #1 internationally bestselling author of the John Rebus series
"Chilling . . . Great stuff."
– Mick Herron, CWA Award-winning author of SLOW HORSES
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
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Book Cover Image (jpg): The Final Chapter
eBook 9781668058350
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Author Photo (jpg): C. B. Everett Steve Best(0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit
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