Hand signed by the author

A missing author. A lost manuscript. A final chapter that could reveal the truth.

Ten years ago, bestselling literary novelist Jonathan Durward vanished without a trace – leaving behind no body, no answers, and no final book. Now that missing manuscript has finally surfaced. But it isn’t the masterpiece anyone expected.

It’s a spy novel: pulpy, outlandish, and packed with clichés, tradecraft and Bond-style twists. Jonathan’s former publisher asks his closest friend, fellow author C. B. Everett, to annotate the novel and separate fact from fiction. But as C. B. reads, he begins to spot unsettling echoes of real people, real events – and perhaps the truth about Jonathan’s disappearance. Because hidden inside this strange, slippery thriller may be a confession. Or a clue. Or a trap. As C. B. is drawn deeper into the mystery, one question becomes impossible to ignore: did Jonathan vanish – or was he written out of the story?