Reviews
An eerie, deeply atmospheric tale of hidden treasure and trauma
The Times
Cleverly plotted and elegantly crafted, The Man on the Endless Stair is an impressive and compelling debut
Sunday Post
An exceptional debut novel. Chris brings his sharp deft writing, addressing heavy matters with impressively balanced wit. The novel is an astute observation of people and family. My goodness, the reveal will arrest you. Here is a book to read and return to
Theresa Lola, author of Ceremony for the Nameless
Stylish, assured writing, and a story that wonderfully engages both heart and head. An accomplished, classy debut
Doug Johnstone
Blown away by this. The isolation and claustrophobia creeps off the page. Compelling, dark and complex. Extraordinary'
Rachel Wolf, author of Five Nights and Sun Trap
[a] fantastical, page-turning locked room mystery
The Scotsman
A twist on the classic locked-room mystery
LoveReading
a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable read... the genre itself is warped in a truly innovative way
Undiscovered Scotland
Close, claustrophobic, evocative. It feels like an unearthed classic
Hugo Rifkind
An intoxicating mystery and a clever study of familial relationships
Scottish Field
The Man On The Endless Stair sees the beautiful Scottish Isles as remote, picturesque and the perfect backdrop for a murder mystery
The List - shortlisted for the Best rising Scottish author award
a scintillating debut novel... It slow-creeps to a truly revelatory climax, one that manages to be emotionally satisfying, thrilling in terms of plot, and mind-bending in its implications
Big Issue
The Edinburgh-based Barkley... has produced such a confident debut novel – its air of mystery so pervasive, its prose so elegant and well-crafted... This mysterious Hebridean whodunnit deserves to be a hit
The Herald
Well-regarded debut set on a secluded island in a labyrinthine mansion
Gumshoe Review
Barkley’s debut novel is a potent brew of classic tropes and modern psychodrama. His characters are vividly drawn, and he succeeds in creating a claustrophobic atmosphere that envelops both them and us until it feels like we all have a tainted past that cannot be shirked
Historical Novels Society
Barkley's engaging prose transports readers to a different time and place, one laden with urgency and imminent danger. The beauty of this book is the delicate narrative balance that Barkley strike. . . The conclusion is a humdinger, a mind-blowing fever dream that will leave readers' heads spinning
BookPage (US)
At once a locked-room mystery that is a psychodrama and a literary work of great ambition... The book does atmosphere without inhibition, whether in terms of the relationships between the small cast of characters, and the mansion, or, more particularly, both grounds and surrounding waters
The Critic
About the Book
A secluded island. A murdered genius. A missing masterpiece.
When troubled but talented young author Euan meets decorated novelist Malcolm Furnivall, he feels his luck has finally changed. Malcolm takes Euan as a protégé, vouching for him in the rarefied literary scene in the 1950s. But lately, Malcolm has not been himself. Consumed by his work, he cuts an increasingly isolated figure and has become convinced that something terrible will befall him. He summons his loved ones to his secluded island in the Hebrides and – to everyone's surprise – entrusts Euan with the task of completing his masterpiece.
Malcolm's suspicions soon prove well-founded; he is discovered brutally murdered in his study, and his invaluable unfinished novel has vanished. Cut off from the mainland, with the killer on the loose and the island's inhabitants circling, Euan feels both his mentor's legacy and his only chance at greatness slipping away. He must venture deep into Malcolm's labyrinthine mansion to find the manuscript before it falls into the wrong hands.
But what he doesn't yet know is that the closer he comes to solving the mystery, the tighter he will bind himself to a fate sealed in time . . .
Longlisted for The Saltire Awards 2026 Fiction Book of the Year
The Author
Chris Barkley
Chris Barkley was appointed Writer in Residence by the Edinburgh International Book Festival in 2022, working at an Alternative School in North Edinburgh. He has won the Oxford University Kellogg Writing Competition, the Bedford International Writing Prize, and has spoken at the Oxford Centre for Creative Writing. Edinburgh is where he stays.
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