Final Cut

by Tom Willems

"Final Cut" is a gripping psychological thriller that explores the blurred line between what we see and what is real. It is a love letter to the art of cinema and a biting satire of the reality TV machine.Max Hoffmann creates lies for a living. [cite_start]A veteran reality TV editor, he has spent twenty-two years twisting the truth to manufacture entertainment . When he takes a job salvaging a disaster of a show about amateur magicians, he expects the fake drama, cheap props, and cringe-worthy failures. Then he sees Roman. Buried in hours of useless footage is a shy young man performing in dive bars. But Roman isn't doing tricks. On Max’s screen, cards turn blank in a single frame, and coins transform into living butterflies . Max knows every illusion in the book, and he knows what he’s seeing is impossible. It is raw, unedited magic. But Max isn’t the only one watching. A shadowy organization hunts people like Roman, silencing them to keep the impossible hidden. Faced with a choice between exposing the truth or saving a life, Max decides to pull off the ultimate deception. He won’t hide Roman in the shadows; he’ll hide him on national television. [cite_start]Using every trick of his trade, Max sets out to edit the most miraculous footage ever captured into something completely unremarkable .

Will Max’s deception hold? Can he use the lies of his industry to protect a beautiful, dangerous truth? Or will the final cut cost them both their lives?

Suspenseful, intelligent, and deeply moving, "Final Cut" asks the ultimate In a world obsessed with exposure, is the only way to save magic to make it boring?

110 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 13, 2025