It Ends Here

by Heidi Perks

'I couldn't stop turning the pages' Andrea Mara
'A pulse-pounding thriller' Lucy Clarke
'Keeps you guessing right until the end' TM Logan

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You are one of five strangers whose day will start with the worst phone call imaginable.

Your loved one is in danger.

They are part of a group trapped in a café in a sleepy marina town.




The young barista on the early shiftThe bestselling novelist looking for a writing spotThe husband on his way back from a work tripThe influencer mum whose picture-perfect life isn’t the whole truthThe woman starting her birthday with a quiet coffee
As the hours tick by it will soon become clear that one of them has a secret they would kill to keep.

How well do you know the person closest to you?

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MORE PRAISE FOR IT ENDS HERE:

'Original, nail-biting and compulsive, It Ends Here is a stunning psychological thriller... the plot is terrific but it's Perks' vividly drawn characters and emotional acuity that make this a truly thrilling read.' Gilly Macmillan

'Such a refreshing take on the ‘whodunnit’. Emotional, tense and twisty, as we’ve come to expect from the brilliant Heidi Perks. This is definitely her best yet. An absolute must-read!' Caz Frear

‘Makes you question how well we ever really know those closest to us. Tense, twisty and unputdownable’ Asia Mackay

‘I’m blown away by Heidi’s plotting. It Ends Here is so compulsive and gripping, brilliantly constructed. She’s at the top of her game, an absolute superhero of the genre – so impressive’ Sabine Durrant

‘A gripping exploration of how well we know the people we love. You'll immediately want to discuss this book with all of your friends’ Kelly Mullen

'‘A story chock full of secrets, lies and doubt. It kept me up way past my bedtime!’ Emylia Hall
‘Heidi Perks combines taut suspense with an extraordinary understanding of human nature and high-stakes relationships. Every page tightens the grip on an utterly propulsive plot. It Ends Here is immersive, insightful, and impossible to put down. I was hooked from the very first page!’ Amanda Cassidy

'I loved this book.' Jane Corry
‘A tense, compulsive, deeply emotive thriller whose intriguing cast of characters had me invested from the first page... An utter triumph and totally unmissable!’ A.A. Chaudhuri

'A multi-layered, hugely intriguing story with jump off the page characters – I couldn’t stop turning the pages to find out what was going on, loved it!' Andrea Mara

‘Packed with secrets, twists, and smart reveals, this pulse-pounding thriller kept me guessing until the final page’ Lucy Clarke

‘An intense, immersive thriller filled with enough secrets and lies to keep you guessing right to the very end’ TM Logan
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Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Book Club, Audiobook

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2026

About the author

Heidi Perks lives on the south coast, spending her time writing by the sea. She gets all her inspiration for her books from the beautiful towns on the coast, imagining dark things happening in the most prettiest of places. Apart from one all her books are set along the south of England.

Heidi's seventh books, SOMEONE IS LYING is out March 2025. Her other six books include three Sunday Times bestsellers, Now You See Her, Come Back For Me and The Whispers, and two Richard and Judy picks including The Last Resort.

She is currently writing book eight which will be out in 2026.

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say this was not the book I was expecting to read. When I read the synopsis of this one, what was not to love? A hostage situation in a sleepy marina town. Five people in the small café but who is the hostage taker and, more importantly, why? All set up for a thrilling novel.

However, despite the fact there are thrills and action within this book, it is very much character-driven and we actually spend very little time in the cafe with the hostages (and hostage taker) until the final chapters of the book. Instead, the book is told from the perspective of the husband, wife, partner, grandparents of those inside and the affect that the situation has on them too. Why were there loved ones in there? Do they really know the ones they love the most? And the largely unspoken truth, four of their loved ones are victims but one is perpetrator.

Like I say, not the novel I was expecting but in a way the drama was almost secondary to the investigation and the examination of relationships which was a completely different take on this type of book. I really enjoyed the ending too which is always satisfying

Thanks to Netgalley and Random Housing UK Cornerstone/Penguin for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this to be equal parts intriguing and kinda long tbh, a good start but lots of characters involved in the story, 2 of which I kept mixing up throughout

The hostage situation in the cafe at the IOW was tense but for me too much time was given to family/partner’s of those being held hostage and their 100% unmoving determination to argue the toss with the Police who were just trying to solve the situation but had to spend a lot of time with offended at being questioned family/partners…..saying that there was interesting back story to some of them

I was pleased when the book came to the crux of the matter and the situation was resolved and sighed a sigh of relief on a few fronts

Not a bad read by any means but lacked the thrill and punch packing had expected maybe, great setting on the IOW that used to visit for holidays as a child

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about a hostage situation in a cafe.
The book concentrates on the family of the people involved in the situation and on their family circumstances. At first you don’t know which one is holding the others hostage.
I found the book slow but it had twist and turns to keep me interested.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Liv Abrams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Literally nothing happens for the first 70%

[Cynth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great thriller! We follow a hostage situation from the outside and I thought it was so original. The not really knowing what was going on inside the hostage situation made it even more edge of your seat! Loved the twist, loved the ending! Overall a brilliant thriller that I would highly recommend you add to your TBRs!

[Diane Elizabeth Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taut tense and totally unmissable! ​
In "It Ends Here", Heidi Perks delivers a masterclass in psychological suspense.
When a suspected hostage situation paralyzes a quiet Isle of Wight cafe, Inspector Aaron follows a gut instinct that sets a frantic, high-stakes pace. ​The narrative brilliance lies in its structure, the first half meticulously builds a sense of dread, focusing on the victims while leaving the "why" shrouded in mystery.
Perks captures the raw anxiety of the families outside with agonizing precision. As the pieces of the puzzle align, the tension becomes almost unbearable.
I found myself constantly shifting my suspicions until the final, heart-wrenching reveal tied everything together in a perfectly executed, emotional conclusion.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. My review is voluntary and my own opinion.

[Helen Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good closed room thriller and this definitely rates up there with the best. I loved the way the characters were slowly built up first and the situation was alluded to rather than explored until much later. This gave us a deeper understanding of the main characters without the earlier incident muddying the waters.
The premise of a group of teenagers with a shared secret coming together much later in life with retribution the theme certainly isn’t a new one but this felt new and original in its own right.
The tension and uncertainties grew beautifully and the narrative was nail biting and engaging. I liked how I was torn between my respective loyalties and the answers weren’t as black and white as they could’ve been. Recommend.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loads of this author's work in my wishlist but the price never drops sufficiently, and I can't afford to throw away a fiver on an author unknown to me...it is what it is. However, this one dropped so I bought it quick !! It really appealed to me. NOW I've read this I won't mind paying full-price next time as, going off this, she's worth it. I really enjoyed it. Just my sort of story. I guessed at a couple of the 5 people involved and I still got it wrong, which is also very satisfying !!
Oooh, but the secrets and lies abound so you just know they'll be in trouble either way with their families or spouses, which is most satisfying, too !! Hehehe......
And there were hardly any errors throughout, something always guaranteed to make my heart happy !! I did get irritated at the name Ede as I would write it Edie so that made me roll my eyes a lot, then she dropped the odd question mark, but they're all at it these days......
Brie should be capitalised and she keeps writing inquiry like an American as opposed to enquiry and this sentence speaks for itself, "....she waits for him to finally to leave" and this one had the words round the wrong way, "And all in honesty, it might be"" but that was it for mistakes which is really good going these days !!
I enjoyed the IOW setting as well as I used to live across the Solent in Gosport then Waterlooville for some years so recognised all the places she was writing about, too.
I look forward to plucking another of hers from my wishlist very soon !

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of a hostage situation told through the hostage’s family’s stories. Well written with a fast paced finish. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Published today 26th March.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tense and twisty read I couldn’t put down! It Ends Here kept me on edge the whole way through, never quite sure how things were going to play out. The story unravels slowly and clearly, and while the ending wasn’t a big surprise, I really enjoyed how everything came together. Loved it

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heidi Perks is one of my goes to authors and her books never disappoint. Her new book It ends here is no exception.
When a gunshot is heard at 7.30am coming from The Boatside café at the marina on the isle of Wight. They know that it is a hostage situation. With five people in there due to Jennie that works there, and some cars parked in the carpark. But what they don’t know who they are and who is holding them hostage and why?
Detective Aaron field oversees the situation and must gather information from the relatives of the victims and decide who is the hostage taker and why the other four people are being held hostage? The relations claim that each person doesn’t know each other. But there must be some link. As it can’t be a coincidence that they are there.
Thank you for the publisher for a copy of It Ends here. At first, I be honest with you I found this to be quite slow I felt a bit overwhelmed with the backstory of each character and wondered the relevance. But then the tension ramped up a notch, that kept me guessing who the hostage taker and the story had finally come together. This turned out to be a great read with its original storyline. 4 stars from me.

[Aleesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book I first encountered on NetGalley, but got elsewhere.

It's the concept that hooked me, and the novel idea of telling this story not through the hostages' POVs, but through the POVs of their families that actually made me pick this up.

A lot of people aren't going to like this because a lot of this book is just uninvolved people wandering around fretting about their loved ones and being entirely unhelpful because they don't know what's going on.

The mystery is built around the fact that none of these family members really know much about the people stuck in the coffee shop. They're filled with doubt and paranoia and suspicions that otherwise wouldn't have rung any bells or cropped up as red flags in any way.

To a point, it sort of frustrated me - especially with a couple of them. The police ask all these people - repeatedly - if there's anything they can tell them about their loved-ones. If there's anything odd or weird that has changed about their routines. And ALL of these people refuse to be honest.

I guess it's understandable that nobody wants to believe their loved one is capable of pulling a gun on others and holding people hostage. Every single family member is in denial about whether or not it could be their person who's done it.

However. This denial gets in the way as the story begins to unfold. A lot of time is wasted, just because we have people who have information who aren't telling the authorities what they know for fear THEIR loved one is the bad guy.

For example:
Rosa withholds the fact her husband has been emailing another hostage and that he's abruptly decided to quit writing this book he's been excited about randomly. Liv doesn't explain that her husband used to live on the Isle, and that she didn't think he would ever go there because he always claimed to hate the place. She also doesn't explain about the woman her husband claimed was an ex also lived there, and that she had some suspicion about the two of them still being involved.

I can't imagine ever being this person.

If my loved one was being held hostage, I'd be giving the police their entire life's story. Every pimple, every period, every loose runny shit would be on the 5 o'clock news if I thought it could help get my loved one home safe and sound. Even if I suspected they were the shooter, I'd be trying to get everybody out alive, not clamming up and keeping vital information from the authorities.

But maybe that's just me.

For the first 70% or so of this story, there's no real context for who the shooter could be or why they're doing what they're doing. And then, very quickly, everything comes pouring out.

The reveal didn't really surprise me, it's a revenge sort of scenario dating back decades. And it's obviously no coincidence that some of those people in the shop all showed up at the same time. It also wasn't a surprise that most knew one another before that fateful morning.

I've seen this setup executed better in other stories - but this wasn't a bad reveal in general. I just wish there'd been a bit more context leading up to the shooter's grand explanation.

All in all, if you enjoy paranoia and dramatics, people making assumptions and being suspicious of people they thought they knew and could trust, this might interest you. I do think the psychological aspect of this thriller is handled well. But if you're here for the action and tension and high-stakes...if you like to be in the trenches with the characters going through the dilemma, then I don't think this will be your jam.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heidi Perks is an author I have heard of before, but I have never read any of her books before.
The blurb for this one really drew me in as it sounded like it featured my favourite trope in thriller books: people being stranded/trapped somewhere.
I thought this was going to be right up my alley.
However I was a bit wary before I started this as I saw it was 400 pages. which in my opinion is WAY too long for a book in this genre. I feared it would be slow going and would lose any tension.
Going in I was expecting multiple POV's however my heart sank when the first POV we get is from a Detective. There was no mention at all on the blurb about this character and as someone who really dislikes Detectives in my thriller books, if I had known this going in, I probably wouldn't have even picked this one up. So unfortunately right away this really did make me lose interest in the entire book. In my opinion the entire blurb needs to be changed because it gave me completely the wrong expectation for what this was going to before I even started it.
Another BIG problem I had with this book was that the story is told through family members (of the people being held captive) and the Detective. NOT the actual people involved in the story. I hated this.
It made me feel so distanced from the characters and made it hard to get through. I was bored throughout.
I felt like most of the book is pure padding and the plot felt very repetitive with no progression. I would have DNF'd this, but I had an arc copy so I felt like I had to finish the book.
I found the whole story unbelievably dull, lacking any tension. This is not a thriller in any way.
Was there anything I liked? I liked the setting of Isle Of Wight (even though this had zero impact on the plot and it could have been set literally anywhere).
It did get slightly more interesting by the 70% mark but by then I had lost all interest and was simply wanting the whole thing to be over.
Maybe I went into this with the wrong expectations, but this really didn't work for me.

Thanks to Penguin for the ARC I received in exchange for an honest review

[Charlie Morris (Read, Watch & Drink Coffee) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually like my thrillers darker, but occasionally I'm in the mood for a gripping domestic thriller, and Perks can always deliver on that!

It Ends Here has a great premise. A gunshot has been heard in a small town cafe. 5 people have gone in, but no one has come out.

The police assume it's a hostage situation as they begin to find out whose inside and to talk to their loved ones.

It's a little frustrating at the start as you don't see any communication with the police and the cafe so you feel like they should be doing more, but it is later implied that this was going on in the background.

Instead, we focus on the families outside as they begin to question if their wife/husband/relative could be the one holding the gun.

Because of those view points, it's a very engaging thriller that will keep you guessing whose to blame.

And with short chapters, a fast pace, and lots of suspense, it's a very enjoyable read. I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for an easy but exciting read.

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

It Ends Here was another great Heidi Perks thriller. I really liked the concept and the plot with the hostage situation. The pacing was good, I always wanted to read just one more chapter and ended up bingeing it in 3 days! I thought telling the story from the POV of the loved ones so you follow the situation in the cafe from the outside along with them created a lot of intrigue, and their denial that it could be their loved one. The only thing I would add is to have all rather than some of the characters taken hostage having more to hide which is discovered by their loved ones as the day goes on, as it could build added pressure or intrigue for the true reason someone is holding everyone else hostage. As for the who and why, I really enjoyed that part of the plot and thought that it was really interesting and good as it all unfolded. And lastly there were also a few little twists which were quite effective! I definitely recommend this as a fast paced book with an intriguing plot.

[Trina Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gunshot rings out at a cafe in a marina in the Isle of Wight. Five people were witnessed to have gone inside. DI Aaron Field has the task of finding out who's in the cafe and which one is the hostage taker. The story is told through the voices of the relatives of the five. We are given snippets from the hostage takers point of view towards the end.
The novel is a tense, fast-paced thriller that keeps you guessing right to the end. The story is full of secrets, twists, and uneasy relationships, with suspense building chapter by chapter. Heidi Perks does a great job of creating drama and emotional tension.

[Julie Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This is a good read, but it took me a while to get into the story.
A gunshot is heard in a cafe near the marina and the Police aren’t really sure what they’re dealing with at first.
With only one eyewitness, they are reliant on his view and they soon establish there are five people in the cafe. What they don’t know is, which one of them has the gun.
We then discover who they are from chapters from their family’s perspective but we don’t find out why these people are together until the last part of the book.
This was a bit frustrating as whilst it was interesting to hear about their current relationships, the reason of why they were all together was what I really wanted to know.
This is a good read but not as gripping as other books by this author.
Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone for the opportunity to read this book.

[Vicki (chaptersofvicki) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read, the opening chapter had me invested. A group of people are trapped in a café on the marina and gunshot is heard.

Told from multiple POV of those closest to each person trapped inside the café, rather than the hostages. I personally really liked it written from these perspectives, it made a change to be reading from the outside of the situation.

The clock is ticking and no one knows what is happening inside or who is the person behind it. Each relative is certain it couldn’t be their partner or sibling. How well do you know your partner or sibling?

Lots of twists, I recommend this one.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy.

[Abbeigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! A fast paced ‘who dunnit’ with plenty to keep you guessing throughout. I loved the different character POVs and the way the story unraveled just a little more with each chapter.

[Sammy Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a while this one but only because I was reading other books round it, as usual Heidi didn't disappoint a decent thriller as always

[Camilla Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit slow and anticlimactic but easy read

[Mel Williamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not particularly inspiring, but an easy read. Lots of characters to get your head round, but it all made sense in the end

[Madeleine Lynchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too slow for my liking, picked up at the end but wasn’t the book I was hoping for

[Thanusha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75, really enjoy the writing style, didnt love the ending.

[Goodreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. We didn't really get anywhere with the plot until over halfway through. The secondary cop character that had a well-rounded introduction in the first few pages was barely mentioned at all after about 50 pages. The supporting characters started to feel tedious towards the end and the very ending fell flat. It started really strong so I'm rounding this up from a 2.5 to a 3.

[EG · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Carefully plotted with some nice surprises along the way.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Ify Isibor &#x1faf6;&#x1f3fe; · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Samantha Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish we could give 1/2 stars. Great plot. Inevitability in the twist. It is still a great read.

[Grace Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4✨✨✨✨The hook was great, the characters felt fleshed out and it was such a unique premise