| DROOD | End of novel 5 across never completed, so died cross (5) |
| WORDS | "It is finished"... so died Christ, for this dismissive expression down to any doubting Thomas? (6,4,5) |
| WHEEL | Instrument of torture the 16 Across never had (5) |
| FAMOUSLAST | "It is finished"... so died Christ, for this dismissive expression down to any doubting Thomas? (6,4,5) |
| LOSER | Utter failure's resolution half completed, then given up (5) |
| STEPHEN | With 23-Down, author of the new novel 5-Across |
| PRESIDED | Exercised authority, power, plus inordinate desire, and then died (8) |
| APED | Copied sample regularly ... and then died (4) |
| JAMES | Writer gets stuck about penultimate section of novel (5) |
| OVER | The bowler's session is completed then? (4) |
| SOD | Therefore died, lying under it |
| STATEOFTHEART | Country regularly centre of novel (5-2-3-3) |
| FRESH | Not tired of novel (5) |
| BRAVE | Work of author concealed end of novel in daring neologism (5,3,5) |
| SUSAN | Forename of the author of the Dark Is Rising sequence of novels (5) |
| BROWN | Dan -; author of the Robert Langdon series of novels (5) |
| CHILD | Lee --, author of the Jack Reacher series of novels (5) |
| NAKED | 'The --- ---', second of Isaac Asimov's Robot series of novels (5) |
| GOGOL | Author to progress repeatedly, reaching end of novel |
| GROAN | Titus ___, first in Mervyn Peake's trilogy of novels (5) |
