Who doesn't love a plot like this? A famous--like famous of famous--author dies and his wife and editor put together a contest for talented, unknown authors to take over his series, his position. Whaaaaaat? Awesome! I absolutely needed to know what was going to happen . . . Well, of course, the contest goes absolutely haywire and turns into a murder mystery with a surprising twist.

I liked that the book skipped long intros I've seen way too much of that bog down the beginning of stories and instead started in the action. I was immediately hooked. I knew enough about the characters to enjoy their roles in the mystery and wonder who in the world could have committed the murder. The pacing was pretty fast which I loved. I wanted less telling and more showing. I also wanted less story that didn't move the plot forward and more red herrings and twists.

All in all, this was an entertaining book I absolutely recommend--especially in these winter months as it provides a wonderful tropical get away.

A bunch of authors are brought to remote island as a competition to finish a successful writer's book series.
In Agatha Christie-like style, each contestant begins to be killed off and the remaining turn on each other.

I didn't love this book. I felt it needed some editing and it was too Lord of the Flies/Agatha Christie mashup without the fresh perspective.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Level Best Books and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I had.a difficult time finding my groove with this one.

This is one of the most unusual mysteries I've read lately. There's lots to love — the Agatha Christie-esque plot, the gorgeous tropical setting, the multiple suspects — but I have mixed feelings about the ending. I don't want to spoil anything, but it felt like there were a lot of loose ends and aspects of the plot that could have been resolved in a neater way. However, the middle of the book had a few big turns that really made this story stand out.

Risa is hoping that she will win this contest to finish the deceased writer's final book and the prize money will enable her to provide a better life for her daughter. Instead trapped on Key Island with the four other contestants (one of whom is an ex-boyfriend), the widow of the dead author, his editor, and a cook, events take a gruesome turn, and Risa wonders if she will even get to see her daughter again, Who can she trust? An enjoyable read.

When bestselling author Wyatt DeMay unexpectedly dies, his widow devises a plan to find a ghostwriter for his famous Colton Key series. Five finalists will be transported to her private island where they'll read Wyatt's unfinished manuscript and write an appropriate ending for the book. Whoever writes the best ending will be crowned the winner. And the prize....well it's worth dying for!
Not only will the winner score a lucrative publishing contract to continue the Colton Key series, he/she will also win a million dollars. This is a chance of a lifetime, and the competition is fierce.
But not everybody is who they say they are. When one of the contestants ends up dead, it's clear that they're trapped on an island with a killer. Somebody on this island doesn't belong there. And somebody is willing to do anything to win the grand prize.

I love the tropical setting-that was definitely the highlight for me. I wish some of the characters had been fleshed out more, but I still enjoyed them. Their interactions with each other and reactions to the events that unfolded were realistic.
The book was a quick read with a nice flow until around Chapter 26. It went downhill from there IMO. There were pacing issues and it took too long to get to the point. The ending was good, but I didn't like how it played out. With all the suspense/mystery writers on the island, I was expecting someone to figure out who was behind it and why as opposed to needing it narrated to them. It's a classic case of telling instead of showing which is always a disappointment for me.

This isn't the most thrilling book out there but there's decent suspense, relatable characters and a great setting. It's certainly a fun beach read for this summer.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Five suspense books go compete on a desert island - does The Finalist make it off alive?

I’m a sucker for suspense thrillers and I loved the premise of this one - five authors are chosen to ghostwrite the last 25 pages of a recently deceased author’s unfinished manuscript. They are whisked to a private island for their competition, but there’s trouble in paradise when one of the finalists turns up dead.

The writing was a little heavy-handed and the story took a little longer than I’d like to really get going - but I enjoyed the story once I was in it.

I generally prefer my mysteries a little more twisty and with a few more red herrings, but I kind of liked that it was something I could reasonably figure out based on clues in the book.

All in all, it was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours. I’d keep this book around if I was the culprit.

Of all the characters in this book (the participants of the contest, the editor, the widow), Risa was a very nice point of view to tell this story. Almost the only one without a hidden agenda, if you can call sucking up to those in charge of the decision who will be winning the contest, and with a gentle temperament. She didn't mind being kind, and yet... don't let me tell too much ;-)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, And a great whodunit! This book also had a bunch of twists and turns! The story line was very interesting, All in all it was a really great read! I will definitely recommend this book! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!