The Last Word by Gerri Lewis Book Review

About the Book:

Obituary writer Winter Snow is no stranger to grief, and writing obituaries for the citizens of Ridgefield, Connecticut, is her way of providing comfort to those who have been in her shoes. But funerals and eulogies are meant for the dead, so when the very much alive Leocadia Arlington requests her own obituary by the end of the week, Winter’s curiosity is piqued. Even more so when she finds Mrs. Arlington dead soon after. Officer Kip Michaels and his relentless partner Tom Bellini make it clear that Winter is under suspicion for the death.

Drafting an obituary for someone who hadn’t died yet certainly looks bad, but Winter knows that it wasn’t her, and she becomes obsessed with trying to figure out the real killer. She dives headfirst into the investigation to give Mrs. Arlington and herself some peace. When Winter realizes Mrs. Arlington was working on a revealing memoir that has now gone missing, Winter begins to wonder if the death wasn’t exactly random–accident or otherwise.

With the help of her foodie Uncle Richard, her wise octogenarian neighbor Horace, her best friend Scoop, and Diva, the Great Pyrenees puppy she inherited from Mrs. Arlington, Winter must uncover the killer before the next obituary written is her own.

My Review:

I was pleasantly surprised with this debut effort from Lewis. I had no idea making a living by writing obituaries was even a thing. Winter is an amateur sleuth who feels compelled to solve the death of a client. She is a bit too bold in that she often breaks the law, such as hiding evidence. There are a number of good support characters, including some quirky ones.

Lewis' writing style is clear and a pleasure to read. The murder plot was a little complex and took lots of explaining at the end. There was a little suspense near the end too.

I generally liked this cozy mystery and will be watching for more from Lewis.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Gerri Lewis started her writing career as a newspaper columnist, feature writer, reporter and obituary writer. If she were to write her own obit, it would go something like this with a little wishful thinking thrown in: Author of the popular Obituary Writer Series, The Last Word, A Deadly Deadlines Mystery, Gerri Lewis died at the age of 100, at the Ridgefield home she loved and the setting for many of her books. Gerri started her career as a freelance writer, reporter and newspaper columnist for seven syndicated weeklies and won numerous awards for her writing including from the Society of Professional Journalists, the New England Press Association and Writer’s Digest. Throughout her career she remained a go-to person in the community for obituaries, especially sensitive ones, because she said, “Capturing a loved one’s personality in an obituary is one of the greatest gifts you can give to the grieving.”

Crooked Lane Book, 304 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)