The standard remedy in detective novels, when characters had been "painted into a corner", was the infamous, "...and then two guys with guns entered the room."
It can be called the "52-card pick up" ending. Something happens that changes everything. End the book with maximum chaos.
The heroine announces that she's pregnant.
The hero is recalled to active duty.
A character removes their disguise.
The lights go out and a gun is fired.
The slow-acting poison starts to take effect.
The disaster happens and everyone must scatter, to never meet again...
Probably because I've posted part of the story on sites that critique writing.
Anyway. I've hit a wall. A large brick wall. I've since stopped editing my own stuff, but try as I might, I can't write another chapter that I'm okay with. How do you, in your experience, get past it? I'll appreciate any help anyone can offer.
Hell, edit some of that and it's an opening to the first chapter.