It Ends Here - five people are in a café, and no one knows which one is holding four of them hostage.

It's early on a Monday in March when the police receive a report of a gunshot heard from The Boatyard, a marina café on the Isle of Wight. Five people are inside. Soon, the police are able to figure out who they are. They include Jennie, an employee at the café; Daniel, a local, successful author of thriller books; Eleanor, a popular social media influencer and mother of two; and Jacob, an insurance executive. The families of those in the café are contacted by the police, and they start to congregate outside. As each person's story unfolds, it becomes increasingly unclear who is holding the others hostage. Family members, initially fearful, come to the realization that their loved one could be a possible killer. It turns out that each person in the café has something to hide. 

It Ends Here by Heidi Perks is a unique twist on the locked-room mystery thriller. The majority of the story takes place outside the café and is mainly told by the family members, a husband, two wives, a grandmother, and a sister. Although the reader wants to be inside the café to know what is happening, Perks keep us outside too. Once the backstories are told, the pieces of the puzzle start coming together, leading to the reveal of who is holding the gun. And why. This was a solid read that kept me guessing.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Mystery Thriller.

Publication Date: October 6, 2026.

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