It Ends Here: A Novel

by Heidi Perks

Someone inside is a killer. Someone outside knows why.
One quiet morning in a small seaside town, a single gunshot brings everything to a standstill. Trapped inside the café where the shot was fired are five strangers. Outside is a growing crowd—and five loved ones desperate for answers.
As the police scramble to identify who is in the café and why one of them opened fire, time is running out. There are no demands. No warning. No escape plan. Nothing about the attack makes sense—except that one person isn't walking out.
For the families watching in horror, the nightmare is just beginning. Because when the shooter is revealed, each must ask the Could it really be them?
Taut and emotionally charged, It Ends Here is a ticking-clock thriller of buried secrets, fractured loyalties, and the devastating cost of finally knowing the truth.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Fiction, Crime

Audible Audio

First published October 6, 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

[Shelley's Book Nook · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

My Reviews Can Also Be Found On:
The Book Review Crew Blog


⭐⭐⭐1/2
It Ends Here
Heidi Perks
Publication Date: October 6th, 2026
Poisoned Pen Press
416 Pages
Amazon | Bookshop.org
Genre: General Fiction | Mystery & Thrillers

I really enjoy thrillers with multiple perspectives. This one was a locked-room type of story dealing with a hostage situation in a cafe. There are five people in the cafe. Their loved ones get the call letting them know someone they love is being held at gunpoint: the server, the author, a travelling man, and a mom who works as an influencer. I liked the twist with this one—one of these five people is the hostage taker. The other thing I really liked about this story was the fact that it was told from the point of view of the loved ones, the police officer, and the gunman.

I was quickly pulled into this one with all the suspects involved and trying to figure it out. There were so many people with motives for this crime. There were lots of tension-filled moments, and if you've read my reviews for a while, you'd know I love books with tension. This one kept me turning the pages because of the fast pace and the different perspectives. Heidi Perks writes the feeling of the atmosphere very well; it felt almost claustrophobic, and every single one of these characters has something to hide. The chapters were short, so I kept saying "just one more," which helped keep the pace moving with lots of momentum.

Some of the issues these people are dealing with made it hard to feel bad for them, while others weren't too over the top, so they felt somewhat believable. Of course, I figured out a few of the reveals ahead of time, but I felt more like, "Ha! I knew it," than bummed out. This would make a great beach read or something to take on a car or plane journey. You don't have to pay too much attention; it makes the time fly by, and it was engaging and entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.



Goodreads ratings reflect reader demographics and
popular enthusiasm rather than objective literary merit.

[Tina · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

I've enjoyed this author's writing in the past and this time was no different. This is a slow-burn, character-driven psychological thriller set on, The Isle of Wight. It kept me on my toes!

The premise is good but the way the story comes together is unique. A local hears a gun shot in the cafe by the water just after 7:30 am. He has seen 5 people enter the cafe. The police determine it's a hostage situation and so the story begins. We don't hear from inside the cafe until much later in the book. As the police learn who's inside and contact family members we begin to learn their stories. At first this was a little confusing as it was hard for me to keep track of who belonged to who. Although the book takes place in a span of 6 hours it does seem slow leading off to the final stand-off. I admit I wanted to keep reading because I wanted to know who was responsible. Several times I got it wrong! The final reveal is worth it!

This was good and I'll be looking forward to the next Heidi Perks novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the Advance Reader's Copy.

Published October 6, 2026

[L A · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Someone inside is a killer. Someone outside knows why."
In a small seaside town, sits a cafe at the marina. When a gunshot is heard, the townspeople, police and one eyewitness who saw who went inside, brings the town to a standstill. They must piece together the ones inside the cafe that are in a hostage situation. When the shooter is revealed, it becomes an emotional standoff for the loved ones on the outside piecing it together with scenes that become obvious how they are connected. A lot of secrets come to life leaving the guilty party exposed and one dead. It is more than a locked room mystery when you get to know the ones on the outside better than the ones on the inside. Well-done. I enjoyed the mystery and peeling all the layers back in this character study. One thing about this review, you cannot reveal details but leave it for others to find out what really happened inside and why.
Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

[Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

➡️ It's the end of this "ENDS" book....
that made it special.

➡️ Five strangers are trapped inside a café and taken hostage.
* Who is the perpetrator?
* Why are 4 people being held hostage?
Buckle your seatbelts for a fast-paced, twisty, and tumultuous ride.

➡️ Not your "typical" hostage thriller.
Author Heidi Perks puts a clever spin on the traditional hostage storyline by flipping the script and keeping the tension focused on the turmoil outside, instead of the hostage takeover inside the café. Readers learn about the captives' families and friends, while piecing together who among them could be responsible.

➡️ TWs: Mean Girls, Mean Boys.
Not a fan of "Mean Girls, Mean Boys" books, and this cost the author a star.

➡️ I listened to the audiobook, expertly narrated by Jaye Jacobs.
This was a difficult book to narrate, and the performance was outstanding.

That said, the book unfolded from multiple POVs and a multi-cast narration would have been preferred.

[Kaceey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five people enter a cafe at the marina on the Isle of Wight. A shot rings out…then complete silence.
Who are the hostages? Who is the captor? The families are in shock and denial.

Will the police put it all together before it’s too late?

This thriller had a very different feel. It was mainly told from the perspective of the families and detectives. We don’t get to see inside the cafe until much later. This gave a fresh perspective.

There were no jaw-dropping moments. Just a deep dive into the characters and the situation they all find themselves in.
Can you figure out who is behind the standoff?

My only niggle is I had a bit of trouble keeping a few of the characters apart. But that may have just been a ME thing!💁🏻‍♀️

The page count closes in on 400 but truly it read very fast!

✍️ Heidi Perks
📄 384 pages
🗓️ Anticipated release date: October 6, 2026
📈 4/5🌟🌟🌟🌟
👉 Thriller, suspense

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press

[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

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something undeniably irresistible about this premise: five people trapped inside a seaside café after a gunshot, one of them holding the weapon, and an entire town gathered outside trying to convince themselves, "No, not my person."

Needless to say, I was hooked immediately.

It Ends Here is less of a traditional adrenaline-fueled thriller and more of an emotional puzzle box. If you're expecting nonstop action inside the café, this may not be the book you think it is. Instead, Heidi Perks turns her attention to the people waiting outside—the spouses, siblings, grandparents, and friends desperately trying to reconcile the people they know with the possibility that one of them could be capable of something terrible.

And honestly? That's where the book shines.

I loved the central question: How well do we ever know anyone? It's uncomfortable, fascinating, and made me pause more than once. Every character seems to be carrying their own baggage, and as their stories slowly unfold, the picture becomes murkier and murkier.

That said, I found myself wanting a little more urgency at times. The premise promises a ticking-clock hostage situation, but the narrative takes a quieter, more reflective route. There were moments where I was completely invested, and others where I caught myself impatiently whispering to my Kindle, "Respectfully... can we get back to the person with the gun?"

Still, the multiple perspectives kept me engaged, and I appreciated how the author gradually revealed pieces of the puzzle without making it feel overly manipulative. Even when I suspected where things were heading, I remained curious enough to keep turning the pages.

The ending was satisfying and emotionally grounded, though I wished for a bit more of a punch after all that delicious buildup. It wrapped things up thoughtfully rather than explosively—which, in hindsight, fits the overall tone of the novel.

Overall, It Ends Here is an engaging, character-focused suspense novel that asks difficult questions about loyalty, family, and the secrets people carry behind closed doors. It may not be the edge-of-your-seat thriller I initially expected, but it was still a compelling read that kept me guessing and occasionally side-eyeing every person who walks into a café.

And let's be honest: after reading this, if someone drops a spoon too loudly at Starbucks, I'm probably leaving.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for sharing this highly delicious mystery's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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[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

[The Bookish Elf · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

At 7.26 on a Monday morning in March, a boat owner sitting on deck with his tea and bacon sandwich hears a gunshot from The Boatyard, the café on Port Marina outside Newport on the Isle of Wight. Then a scream. Then nothing. When the police ring him back he can describe, in unsettling detail, the five people who walked in after opening: the waitress who unlocked at seven, a jogger in shiny multicoloured leggings, a man in a blazer from a black BMW, a woman in a calf-length puffa coat who came on foot, and a tall man he half recognises from television. It Ends Here by Heidi Perks makes that witness statement its first move, and every chapter after it is a game played with those five pieces.

How it works

The rules arrive cleanly within the first quarter. The café's shutters are down, the landline rings out and three of the five phones are switched off. Detective Inspector Aaron Field, running the case from Southampton, makes the call to treat it as a hostage situation and catches the nine o'clock ferry from Lymington. Then the marina owners reveal cameras at the back that even the staff do not know about, and the footage settles it: nobody else came in or went out. Whoever fired the shot walked in with the others. That locked-room logic is the whole premise of It Ends Here by Heidi Perks, and Perks states it early so that you start profiling the five at the same moment the police do.

From there the book runs on three tracks:

The siege clock. Field's chapters are stamped in police time, 07.30 hours onwards, so you always know how long the room has been silent.
The relatives. Ede, the waitress's ailing grandmother; Rosa, wife of the crime novelist Daniel Williams; Liv, whose City husband Jacob told her he had a meeting "on the south coast"; and Gareth, married to an Instagram mother of two. Each gets a run of chapters, and each is asked the question nobody wants to hear.
The voice inside. Short first-person sections, dated Monday morning and afternoon, come from the person holding the gun, addressed throughout to an unnamed "you" waiting somewhere outside.
Where Heidi Perks Hides the Gun

The cleverness of It Ends Here by Heidi Perks is that it hands you the gunholder's thoughts on page one and still keeps the name back. The confessional voice is warm, frightened and full of love, which is exactly what makes it hard to place. It could belong to almost any of the five, and Perks writes the relatives so that each one could be the person it is speaking to. She also uses those sections as a pacing device: each arrives just after a relative's chapter has built a case against someone, and each quietly nudges your suspicion somewhere else.

That is the real engine. The police ask every spouse the same thing: has your husband or wife ever suffered from depression? Each one says no, and then the book follows them home to watch the denial wear thin. The procedural is there to keep the clock honest. The suspense lives in the kitchens and car seats of people discovering how little they knew about a Monday-morning routine.

Field's negotiator, Sarah Connelly, frames the puzzle with the textbook logic of crisis negotiation: hostage-takers act for political, criminal or psychological reasons, and silence rules out the first two. The longer nobody picks up, the more personal it looks. By the halfway mark It Ends Here by Heidi Perks has shifted from "who" to "why these five, and why this café", and the second question is the better one.

What Heidi Perks gets right
The fairness. The solution is seeded early and in plain sight. Readers who track the timestamps, the cars in the car park and who walked rather than drove will have a real chance, and the reveal reframes earlier chapters rather than contradicting them.
Aaron Field. A refreshingly undramatic detective, twenty-six years in, managing a boss who wants certainty every hour and chewing on the fake cigarettes his wife made him carry after he quit. His decency gives the final chapters their weight.
The witness. Franklin Henderson, ex-military and far too observant, is a superb piece of misdirection-in-plain-sight, a man whose helpfulness becomes its own question.
The landing. The ending refuses to let anybody off cleanly, and a short coda set a month later lets the damage settle in a way most siege thrillers skip.
Where It Gives Ground

For all its control, It Ends Here by Heidi Perks has soft spots, and most of them sit in the middle hours.

The middle circles. Between roughly the second and fourth hours, the relative chapters repeat one beat: a phone call, a lie discovered, the mental-health question, a flare of doubt. Each is well written; together they slow the clock.
Some doors open on cue. A key witness sits on what he knows for hours, and a records search that cracks the case comes back in fifteen minutes. Both feel arranged.
The backstory arrives as monologue. When the motive surfaces, much of it comes through long speeches in the café rather than scenes, and one of the people inside is drawn as little more than a sneer.
Copy slips. Late on, the café is briefly called The Boathouse, and a remembered encounter is dated a year ago in one chapter and a couple of years in another.
Read it if / Skip it if

Read it if you:

Like a closed-room puzzle where the suspects are also the victims.
Enjoy multiple-viewpoint domestic suspense with a ticking clock.
Want a thriller whose ending leaves you arguing about fault.

Skip it if you:

Want tactical, guns-drawn siege action. This one stays outside the door.
Lose patience with repeated scenes of characters doubting their partners.
Need a single sympathetic hero to root for.
Content notes
Gun violence and a death on the page.
A parent's alcoholism, remembered in detail.
Terminal illness; assisted dying discussed.
Bullying and fat-shaming.
Infertility and pregnancy.
Self-harm and child sexual abuse referenced in a subplot.

Worth Your Shelf

Perks writes plain, quick prose built for turning pages, and her chapters rarely run long enough to lose you. What lifts this above a routine siege thriller is its interest in the people standing at the barrier, each one auditing a marriage or a family in real time. The island setting earns its place too: one lane down to the water, a river the marine unit has to close, a ferry timetable that decides when the lead detective can even arrive, and a population small enough that a surname from twenty years ago still rings a bell. The middle could lose thirty pages and the mechanics creak in places, but the puzzle is honest and the payoff earns its title.

It Ends Here by Heidi Perks is a morning-long squeeze of a book, best read in a sitting with the phone switched off, which is, after all, what everyone inside the café did.

[Liv Abrams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Literally nothing happens for the first 70%

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, It Ends Here, by Heidi Perks, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a long read, too long in my opinion This book is about people being held hostage. I thought it was ok, a bit dull and boring.

[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.

[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!

[cursedb · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

What initially drew me into this book was how captivating it was and how well it portrayed different points of view. I really enjoyed learning about the characters through the people in their lives and getting glimpses of their backgrounds, everyday routines, and personal experiences. It made the story feel layered, and I was genuinely curious to find out what was going to happen and who the gunman was. However, I wasn’t nearly as impressed by the plot reveal. By that point, I had built up certain expectations, and the explanation felt a little clichéd. I kept thinking there was going to be something more unexpected or original, but the reason behind everything that happened didn’t quite live up to that expectation. In a way, it felt like watching a thriller movie that keeps you hooked until the very end, only for the reveal to leave you a little disappointed. I also found the way everything unfolded rather unconvincing. The idea that all these people ended up in the café without knowing the plan didn’t really work for me. I had expected the gunman to have deliberately brought them together by telling each of them different things, so the actual sequence of events felt a bit difficult to buy. Overall, I enjoyed the build-up and the multiple perspectives, but the resolution didn’t have the impact I was hoping for.

[Brittni Whitesell · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Thank you to Poisoned Pen, NetGalley, and Heidi Perks for an ARC copy of It Ends Here!

I’m always on board for a locked door thriller where you’re suspicious of everyone! It Ends Here delivered on that! I had no idea who to trust here!

I really enjoyed the multiple POVs in this book because it allowed us to see the story from every angle. Each POV was for someone close to our characters at the marina, so we got to know them through the eyes of someone they loved. I enjoyed how unique this was!

I didn’t see the connections and the twists coming at all. I was excited to see how everything was going to play out! With that said, I feel like I still wanted a little more from the reveals? I’m not sure exactly what though. I did really enjoy the epilogue and the very end. It definitely left me saying “wtf?!”

I would definitely recommend if you’re looking for an easy to read, locked door thriller!

[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.

[Mandy Harrell · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

This was definitely an outside looking in sort of book and I wanted more of the inside. Long winded, repetitive, and the end wasn’t an OMG moment for me, so a 2.5 it is.

[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 !

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Angela Y (yangelareads) ♡ · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by Poisoned Pen Press.

Someone inside is a killer. Someone outside knows why.

One quiet morning in a small seaside town, a single gunshot brings everything to a standstill. Trapped inside the café where the shot was fired are five strangers. Outside is a growing crowd—and five loved ones desperate for answers.

As the police scramble to identify who is in the café and why one of them opened fire, time is running out. There are no demands. No warning. No escape plan. Nothing about the attack makes sense—except that one person is not walking out.

For the families watching in horror, the nightmare is just beginning. Because when the shooter is revealed, each must ask the unthinkable: Could it really be them?

It Ends Here is a ticking-clock thriller of buried secrets, fractured loyalties, and the devastating cost of finally knowing the truth. Rather than delivering a fast-paced, action-heavy story, Perks creates something that feels more like an emotional mystery slowly being pieced together.

If you go into this expecting most of the suspense to unfold inside the café, the story may surprise you. Much of the focus is instead placed on the people waiting outside—the partners, siblings, grandparents, and friends who are forced to question everything they thought they knew about the people closest to them. Watching those relationships and connections gradually come together became one of the most compelling parts of the book for me.

As more of the truth was revealed, the story became much more emotional than I had anticipated. The motivation behind everything is heartbreaking and complicated, and by the end, I found myself questioning who the victims really were. That emotional element gave the final revelations more weight and stayed with me after I finished reading.

Overall, It Ends Here is an engaging, character-driven suspense book that explores loyalty, family, grief, and the secrets people keep hidden behind closed doors. There is plenty of tension throughout, and even though the pacing is definitely more of a slow burn, I never found the story boring. It was not quite the edge-of-your-seat thriller, but it still kept me invested and ended up being a thoughtful and compelling read.

[Catherine (catisbookedup) · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

This is a book of 2 parts:
1st 75% of the book not much happens. We get the premise set up, there is a hostage situation in a cafe on the Isle of White but the police don't even know who the hostage taker is or why they are doing it, just who is in the cafe. We are introduced to each of the characters and their significant others (wives, husbands, grandmother, sister). We have a lot of background storyline covering each character painting a detailed picture of who they each are from their significant other's POV. Here in lies the problrm for me. There were too many characters to keep track of between the cafe people, their partners and the several Detectives. I literally had to write a glossary and im particularly good usually in remembering characters, but this was too much. My other issue is, I found myself not actually caring about any kf these people and hence not invested in the why's.
2nd part the plot reveals and the connections made. Yes it all made sense and was well pieced together logically, the pace picks up also thank God with a satisfying conclusion and a sense of justice.
However on this occasion was a little bit too late in the game for me to particularly care and since I am a vibes reader that is reflected in the rating.
Overall not a bad book at all, solid read for those with more patience perhaps.

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen press for providing me with a copy of the book for review via NetGalley.

[The Calm Chapter Mandi Wiencek · Rating 4 out of 5]

☠️ It Ends Here ☠️
(( SPOILER-FREE ARC REVIEW))

Title- It Ends Here
Author- Heidi Perks
Genre- Psychological Thriller/ Mystery
Series- Standalone

Trope City-
☠️ Deep Seated Secrets
☠️ Multiple POVs
☠️ Unknown Aggressor
☠️ Hostage Situation
☠️ Do you know your loved one?

Trigger Warnings-
⚠️ Hostage Situation
⚠️ Gun Violence
⚠️ Mental and Emotional Abuse
⚠️ Grief and Loss
⚠️ Bullying and Past Trauma

I was so invested in this book! I can’t even really do justice in identifying the main characters for you. This writing style keeps you guessing the entire read. This is a gut wrenching story down to its core. Bullying is so life altering. More often than not, the bullies and aggressors are excused from their behaviors because “they’re just kids being kids.” Rafferty was also just a kid. His “accidental” death has left so many people reeling all these years. One person who loved him in particular has investigated to the point of rage. Is this revenge plot going to work for this character? Can this character prove that Raff’s death wasn’t an accident? Will other’s die in the quest to admissions?

READ THIS BOOK! I can’t possibly be it enough in to my review without spoiling endings. I don’t want to do that. It absolutely worth the read. I loved the structure. It was bouncing all over enough to the point where focus is paramount to stay on track. This is such a good read!

Thank you Poisoned Press for sharing this with me!! ☠️🫶🏻

[Sharon M · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press who granted my wish to read the latest book from Heidi Perks. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

In a quiet seaside town, a shot rings out early in the morning from a small cafe. A witness is able to describe the people inside but not all of the people are able to be identified quickly. There are no demands and no word from inside. Nothing about the scene makes sense and it's up to the detectives to figure it all out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this creative thriller. Five people inside, one the shooter. The story is told from the points of view of the detective, the gunman, and the loved ones waiting outside. We learn each of their stories and secrets while they wait, each convinced that their loved one couldn't be the gunman. But one of them is wrong. It was fast-paced and tense, while also maintaining an emotional punch throughout. It's a totally different twist on a typical locked-room type thriller, being privy to some private thoughts of the gunman, but not knowing the identity. I raced through it and thought that the ending was satisfying as well.

[Charlene (pageandplace) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, Heidi Perks, Publisher Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. I received a gifted copy and am leaving my review voluntarily.

An emotional roller coaster for a small seaside town as one quiet morning, a single gunshot brings everything to a standstill!

When all is said and done, long buried secrets will be revealed and the devastation of knowing the truth will come to the forefront.

This was such an interesting read as we pieced together who was inside the cafe and how the lives of those involved tied together. Fast paced and full of tension from those inside the cafe, their loved ones on the outside and the law enforcement called to investigate.

This one was a slow drip as info came in unlike the faucet being turned on full blast which I felt was a good way to ingest this story. In the end my emotional heartstrings had been tugged!

[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

[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

[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.