The Final Problem
A Novel
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Feb 10, 2026
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
In this locked-room mystery set in 1960, a washed-up actor puts his on-camera detective skills to the test when a suspicious death shatters the quiet peace for a group of strangers staying at an isolated Greek island resort. Perfect for fans of Knives Out, Benjamin Stevenson, and Anthony Horowitz.
"Perfect. . . Like taking a warm bath in the best of the Golden Age."― Janice Hallett
June, 1960. Rough weather at sea leaves a group of strangers stranded on the idyllic Greek island of Utakos, all guests of the only local hotel. Nothing could prepare them for what happens next: Edith Mander, a quiet British tourist, is found dead inside a beach cabana. What appears at first glance to be a clear suicide reveals possible signs of foul play to Ormond Basil, an out-of-work but still well-known actor who in his glory days portrayed the most celebrated detective of all time. Accustomed to seeing him display Sherlock Holmes’ amazing powers of deduction on the big screen, the other guests believe that the actor is the best equipped to uncover the truth.
But when a second body is discovered, there is not a doubt in Basil’s mind: a murderer walks among them. What’s more, the killer is staging each crime as a performance, leaving complex clues that bear an eerie resemblance to those found in the pages of Conan Doyle stories. This is a criminal who knows every trick in the book and is playing a deadly literary game. As the storm rages, Basil must become the genius detective he has only pretended to be.
This clever, whip-smart, locked-room mystery from internationally bestselling author Arturo Pérez-Reverte is a love letter to golden-age detective novels. The Final Problem delights in exploring the tension between an investigator and his suspects, as well as a writer and his reader, delivering a revelatory twist that will shock even the sharpest of mystery fans.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Two murders, a storm-isolated hotel, and Hollywood gossip propel this irresistible homage to golden-age detective fiction from Pérez-Riverte (the Captain Alatriste novels). Debonair Shakespearian actor Osmond Basil has made a career of playing Sherlock Holmes in a series of successful films. The downside is that the 60-something thespian has been typecast out of the complex villain roles he longs to play. While vacationing at a luxury resort on the Greek island of Ukatos in 1960, Basil becomes stranded with a handful of other guests in the middle of a raging storm. When British vacationer Edith Mander is found hanged from a beach cabana, Basil quickly deduces that she died not by suicide but by murder, and reluctantly takes up the job of finding her killer. He's assisted by Paco Foxa, a dashing Spanish mystery novelist who serves as Basil's Dr. Watson, helping him navigate a series of red herrings as they interview their fellow guests, including an opera diva. Pérez-Riverte delights in the plot's meta conceit without letting it overwhelm the ingenious core mystery. This is a gift to whodunit fans.
