Novel Idea

Matt & Mollie kick off Novel Idea with a brilliantly ill-advised challenge: write a novel together, one chapter at a time, with no planning, alternating weekly. Steffan Powell joins as narrator, referee and professional reader-out-louder, steering them away from Mollie’s romcom instincts and Matt’s action fantasies and into what “everybody loves”: murder.

A coin toss crowns Matt as Chapter One author, and he introduces us to...

Mollie takes over Chapter Two and wastes no time giving Matt exactly what he asked for: less meandering, more dialogue, and a sharper sense of scandal. We rejoin the guests at Willow Manor huddled around the body of Augustus Smythe, as D.I. Brie Roquefort attempts to seize control of the room and formally declares that Smythe was murdered — to the horror of everyone who realises they’re now trapped in the house and (even worse) mig...

Matt takes back the pen for Chapter Three and promises to steer the story back on course. We return to Willow Manor moments after Mollie’s dramatic revelations, where the guests are still gathered around the mysterious death of Augustus Smythe and tensions in the house are beginning to rise.

Detective Ian Chalk finally re-enters the story — and it quickly becomes clear that more has been going on behind the scenes than anyone re...

In chapter four, Mollie picks up the story again and this time leans fully into romance, secrets and fallout. With Augustus Smythe’s death still hanging over Willow Manor, the latest chapter shifts focus to one of the house’s most intriguing residents and begins to explore the emotional mess sitting beneath all the glamour, money and suspicion.

As the guests reel from the detectives’ latest revelations, attention turns to a rela...

In Chapter 5, the aftermath of the dramatic revelations at Willow Manor begins to unfold. As the guests attempt to process everything that has happened, Detectives Ian Chalk and D.I. Brie Rockfort quietly compare notes and start piecing together the growing list of suspicious details surrounding Augustus Smythe’s life — and the people closest to him.

With tensions rising and several new leads emerging, the detectives decide it’s...

In Chapter 6, Mollie lets the investigation take a back seat as something much more personal comes to light for Chalk. A secret he's been keeping threatens to unravel not just the case, but his entire life.

Back at Willow Manor, not everyone is playing nice. A tense encounter between two of the house's residents shows just how high the stakes really are, and just how far someone will go when they feel cornered. It turns out that...

In Chapter 7, Matt takes us all the way back to where it really began and answers a question that's been hanging over the story since the very first mention of Neil Chalk: what actually happened between the twins?

What starts as a simple favour for his brother spirals into something much bigger — a secret that will follow both of them for years and eventually blow apart everything they thought they knew about their family.

Th...

In Chapter 8, it's Mollie's turn — and she delivers what might be the most important chapter yet. With Chalk still processing everything that happened with his brother, a new face arrives on the scene: a legendary retired detective, pulled out of retirement to help crack the case.

The two meet for the first time and it's immediately clear this is exactly the kind of partnership Chalk needs right now. Over coffee and donuts, they...

In Chapter 9, Matt takes the reins for his penultimate chapter — and he's come armed with a plan. Three things were requested: a fight scene, an arrest, and an animal.

Whether all three actually turn up is another matter entirely.

The chapter opens with a chilling glimpse into the mind behind the murder. But before we can dwell on that, Chalk is pulled back to the event that's haunted him since the very first chapter. What a...

After an explosive chapter nine, Mollie's back in the chair and she's brought the heat. A flashback to the All England Club reveals a relationship that changes everything we thought we knew about the case. Lord Liddell has something to say about it, and it's not pretty. Meanwhile, Chalk is asked some very uncomfortable questions about those Boy Scouts, and a familiar piece of fabric might just blow the case wide open. Oh, and there...

Matt's back for his final chapter, and he's chosen violence. It opens with four words that'll stop your heart — and then immediately takes them back. Neil Chalk visits the scene of Timmy's trauma, sees some very concerning wall messages, and has an unlikely encounter with nature. Meanwhile Lord Ledal gets a midnight phone call that suggests he's in far deeper than anyone realised, and Chalk and Bones are working the case from the w...

It's the grand finale. Matt and Mollie's masterpiece reaches its explosive conclusion, with Mollie at the helm — and nothing is quite what it seems. After last chapter's jaw-dropping cliffhanger, Chapter twelve opens with a twist that will have you screaming into the abyss, or punching the air with joy, depending on how you feel about Neil Chalk. Neil, Timmy, Joanna, Terence, Delilah — every thread gets its moment. And when the act...