The main two characters are (we are told multiple times in the narrative) insufferable - never using their own words instead quoting anyone and everyone but themselves, cocooning themselves in the intelligence of others. Unfortunately this does make the writing of the novel.....well annoying at best. The plot is ok, the imagery a little overdone perhaps and the pacing uneven.

Nicky is invited by her penpal to his lavish mansion to write the life story of Sebastian Trapp. He is dy8ng and mysteries from his past need resolving. His wife and son disappeared years ago and many believe he killed them. The interviews begin but who is this author and what really happened to his family.

Enjoyable mystery novel, well written and narrated (I listened to the audiobook). Good characters and there will be twists and turns before the truth is unearthed.

Veryyy slow-paced book but still very enjoyable! I liked the premise - a mystery novel about a writer who writes mystery novels. Nicky, the main character is very relatable and likable. I always enjoy books with a lot of family drama, so this one was perfect haha.

I liked the ending and the plot twist about Cole even tho I guessed it a bit earlier in the book. All in all I found the story very entertaining.

I really disliked The Woman in the Window, so I had to give End of Story a try. I don't like to completely dismiss authors based on one book. However, I wish I had. This was such a drag. I love audiobooks. I can usually listen to them all day while hanging around at home. But I dreaded picking this up. Nothing seemed to be happening. For a thriller, you really need some entertaining scenes instead of just characters talking. I barely even knew who was talking at any given moment. I wanted to stop and listen to something else so many times. I even tried different reading speeds to help get into the story and give me a reason to keep going.
Nothing helped. at 45% and still close to 8 hours more, I called it. I read some spoilers and decided there was no reason to keep going. I did not care how this was going to play out, and the end sounded like it was going to be a disaster. Either way, I had to find out, so I skipped the audiobook ahead to the last 20%.

The narrator was good. If I was rating based on performance, I would rate higher.

Also, after looking into AJ Finn more, I have learned that this author has lied about having brain cancer. He has been accused of plagiarizing The Woman in the Window. I don't think I will ever pick up a book with any of his names on it. I'd honestly suggest dropping him from your publications

Will have you locking all the doors and flipping pages in order to find out what happened… Seriously one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read in a long time!… Your heart will be pounding! ‘Wow!!!!… Amazing…

Nicky Hunter has received an exciting invitation from famous mystery novelist Sebastian Trapp, to write his memoir. Trapp's wife and son went missing twenty years ago and Trapp's involvement in the disappearance has been speculated and examined by the public. Nicky accepts the invitation and goes to stay in Trapp's spooky mansion to interview him and perhaps uncover some answers

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I really enjoyed The Woman in the Window, so I was excited for this ARC opportunity. But I honestly found myself a bit bored and confused throughout this book. I really like Finn's writing style. I think it's unique and very poetic which can help to add to the suspense. However, at times it felt a bit too poetic and even a bit pretentious. I did enjoy the characters and their development. I also enjoyed the overall storyline, but I feel like it got covered up and muddled by the prose. Overall, an interesting read, but it wasn't my cup of tea. This would be good for those who like a more poetic writing style like Alice Feeney or Tana French.

Thank you HarperCollins UK Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I’m having a hard time following the story since it’s not told in the first person, but as a huge thriller fan, I really love the premise.

The plot seems truly intriguing, so I’d definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy third-person narration.

This isn’t my final review—I plan to give it another listen someday and see if my experience changes.

The only other time I’ve heard A.J. Finn is from The Woman in The Window which I’ve not read but watched.

So, when I got the opportunity to read his new book I jumped at the chance!

I did enjoy the story line but it was a very slow burn book, which had a good plot twist even if I did see it coming.

The main character did grate on me a bit towards the end, maybe because this was audio and his voice was a bit jarring!

The authors writing style was good throughout and the Trapp household certainly sounds like a crazy place to be in/ involved in.

The story felt a little too long for me and parts of it felt a bit stretched and could have been cut down a bit.

For anyone looking for a new thriller to read this publishes on the 29th February.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Thank you NetGalley for an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A.J. Finn’s approach to End of Story is one that takes its time to build character and atmosphere. With the sense of a golden age mystery, we have a family headed by a patriarch and many hidden secrets.
Sebastian Trapp is a well-known mystery novelist, albeit one who has not published a book in many years. Mystery surrounds Trapp; his wife Hope and son Cole disappeared over 20 years ago which accounts for his lack of publishing activity. There has been much speculation over what happened to them, including those who think Trapp played a part in their disappearance. Did Trapp commit the perfect crime?
Nicky Hunter is possibly his biggest fan. She has been corresponding with Trapp for years, and is such a big fan she has become an expert not just in his writing, but in crime fiction in general.
Now Trapp has finally invited Nicky to his home. He wants her to write his life story. He is, he tells Nicky, dying. With just three months to live he wants to tell his story. This is to be a private memoir/biography of his life, only available to his family and closest friends.
Nicky is thrilled. Not just at the opportunity to write this book, but also at the chance to live in Trapp’s house as one of the household; to be close to him on a daily basis and to ask many of the questions about the disappearance that have been begging for answers for two decades. So, she travels to San Francisco to live with Trapp, his second wife, Diana; his adult daughter, Madeleine and a French bulldog named Watson.
The house is straight out of an Agatha Christie Manor House mystery, Victorian, full of books and with a koi pond, in which the reader knows a dead body is floating, but which remains undiscovered until well into the book.
End of Story has dual narration. Nicky and Madeleine’s views are both articulated. Madeleine is by now middle aged. She has a cynical tone and can be bitingly funny in contrast to Nicky’s own wonder and sensible approach to everything she is learning.
Trapp himself is a great storyteller and his stories are peppered with literary references and his own commentary on detective fiction. He is, however, very reluctant to go anywhere near the disappearance of his wife and child.
So Nicky has to seek answers from Trapp’s relatives. Its fair to say that there really is very little in the way of suspense in this book. It is an extremely slow burn, concerned with scene setting, its own with literary references and the cleverness of Trapp as he plays with words and meaning.
Helen Lester's narration is very well done and made the listening experience very enjoyable.
Verdict: In truth, I think it takes a little too long building up the atmosphere and settings. But its also more than fair to say that this has a sting in the tale that I certainly did not see coming. It is very cleverly done and almost makes the whole story worthwhile.
I admired its cleverness, enjoyed the wordplay, but almost lost interest in the crux of the mystery, so long and meandering was the build-up. Make your own mind up, but for me, albeit that the ending is terrific, it is a little too clever for its own good.

What an amazing and thrilling story.
I enjoyed every moment. The beginning felt a little slow but it was imperative to a brilliant tale that keeps you begging for more.
The audio version was beautifully narrated and I highly recommend this book.

'Soon they'll find her.
Find her where she floats, fingers splayed wide in the marbling water, hair spread like a Japanese fan. Fish glide beneath it, push through it; skate along the line of her body. The filter hums. The pond simmers, shimmers. She trembles on the surface. Fog prowled the ground earlier this morning - San Francisco swirl, velvet- thick and chill - but now the last of it burns off, and the courtyard basks in light: paving stones, sundial, a chorus line of daffodils. And near the pond, that perfect circle sunk near the wall of the house, with its glowing fish, its lily pads like stars.
In a moment a scream will crack the air.
Until then, all is silent and all is still, except for the shiver of the water . . .'

A.J. Finn has a way with words that, for me at least, can tip a story from good to great. I thoroughly enjoyed End of Story, from the Watsons - I loved the present Watson, aka Goblin, her mere presence gave the tale a strange creepiness that I can't explain. Not because she was creepy (she wasn't), but because there is a central thread running through from start to finish, one of dead eyes that watch, a mausoleum of Watsons, a continuation of a theme that is both a comfort and a chilling reminder that 'wait! Don't go, here lies a mystery. Peek under the floorboards...'

So. The question is did he do it? Didn't he do it? I know this all sounds garbled and nonsensical, you'd have to read it to understand. Oh!!! And the butterflies... How I love the butterflies. When the cop says 'you seem to have an insect infestation', the play on words delighted me endlessly. And the way the dairy (sic) is portrayed is nothing short of wonderful. Every now and then a reference is made to the entries, and is so perfectly placed I could almost hear an audible 'click'. (Please don't read my dairy...). On a side note, and maybe why I enjoyed it so much, it reminds me of the old Inspector Morse TV series, which I adored as a child, dark and heavy as it was. To this day I love Wagner, and when I hear the swelling sounds of the Ride of the Valkyries, I picture the dead eyes of a murder victim. Anyway, the point is, it is beautifully written.

Maddy is a conundrum, I cannot decide if I like her or not (for the most part not), but she's a good, solid character. I like Nicky Hunter, a lot. I like Diana. Sebastian is an amazing character, for the most part thoroughly unpleasant, but scratch a little beneath the surface and see what comes up... and besides, he loves Watson. Rat Tat Trapp. As for Hope... ai, that is a sad state of affairs. She was someone I would love to meet, I think the world needs more people like her. Cole is the central figure in the story, and so much hinges on who he is, and isn't. Where he is (and isn't). It's cleverly written and is a breath of fresh air in what is becoming a bit of a stale genre. Read it. You may find that something exiting is happening.

4 and a half stars.

This book definitely works better as an audiobook, I originally read the book last year and struggled with it a bit but wanted to give the audiobook a try. I quite enjoyed the audiobook version and found I could get into the characters a bit more. Glad I was able to listen to the audiobook.

End of story is a riveting, propulsive thriller with ingenious twists and turns. The plot revolves around the mysteries and suspense string to curiosity and compelling anticipation.

The story follows Nicky Hunter who is asked by the reclusive author Sebastian Trapp, a mystery novelist himself to write his life's story that encapsulates a baffling mystery. Nicky who is an exemplary enthusiast of mystery novels believes that there's more to what seems to the eye.

Twenty years ago, his first wife, Hope and son, Cole disappeared in different locations. There were theories and thoughts but the mystery was never solved until now. And presently another murder in the family's koi pond rattles the past and the present. As the mysteries deepen, buried secrets and truths are revealed.

AJ Finn is a master of well crafted mysteries with unexpected twists and turns. This book has three perplexing mysteries that keep you glued to its pages. With a masterful plot execution and the characters who have secrets of their own, this jaw- dropping thriller seamlessly creates a compulsive page-tuner. One can say that "End of story" is designed to shock and surprise the readers.

This was a really long audiobook. The narrator did a fantastic job, but the story, for me, was far too slow and descriptive. The characters got confusing and the plot I felt was unnecessarily bogged down in literary descriptions. The twist at the very end of the book made me glad I persevered but it wouldn’t be one I would recommend if you enjoy a fast paced mystery. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this audio book. I

The story was very slow paced to start with and takes a lot of getting into.. I found the authors voices for characters sometimes merged into one making it slightly difficult to decipher who was talking. When the revelations came about, they didn't seem fitting with the story.

I have read multiple mysteries that revolve around this exact theme: a young writer is hired by an old, dying celebrity to write their biography. Usually, this is a trope I love and one that rarely goes wrong, but in this case, I was unfortunately disappointed. The story is slow, and not much happens along the way. This often made me lose focus and get bored through large parts of the book. There are also many jumps between multiple points of view, and not only are the character switches confusing, but there are also jumps back and forth in time. Although the ending of the story was okay, it wasn't enough to give this book more than 2 stars.

However, the narration of the audiobook was well done, and I liked the narrator's voices and pacing.

n a race against time, acclaimed author Sebastian Trapp, facing a terminal diagnosis, enlists the help of writer Nicky Hunter to chronicle his life story. Their collaboration unearths a haunting mystery: the disappearance of Trapp's wife and son two decades prior. As Nicky delves deeper into Trapp's past, she uncovers secrets that may hold the key to solving this cold case.

While the premise is intriguing, the narrative unfolds at a languid pace, creating a sense of anticipation that isn't fully satisfied. The complex plot, while compelling, could benefit from clearer exposition, especially in the audiobook format.

Despite these challenges, the novel offers a thought-provoking exploration of memory, loss, and the enduring power of the past. It's a story that lingers in the mind, even if its execution doesn't fully live up to its potential.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

Sebastian Trapp, a successful author has been given a few months to live. He invites Nicky Hunter to come and write his life story.
20 years ago, Sebastian's wife and son disappeared on New Years Eve without a trace. Could this cold case now be solved with Nicky writing his story?

This book was very slow, the idea of the book is strong, and I'd hoped for more, but on audio it was all very confusing.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 23% I can’t even begin to describe how slow and confusing this book is! The main character is very underdeveloped and I couldn’t care a jot about her. All the other characters were strange and obtuse and just ???? I really am not sure what went wrong here I loved ‘The woman in the window’ but I would never guess this is the same author! The pace was far too slow and none of the characters were remotely
Likeable and as much as I hate not finishing a book I just couldn’t push through. 1 star is pushing it!

I found this audio book very hard to get into, very slow and definitely a slow burn but felt something was still missing. Normally I fly through audio books as I can't get enough but it took me ages to listen to this one. The story it self was good but didn't grab my attention enough. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this audio arc.