"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 ...
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"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."--
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New. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 304 p. A Deadly Deadlines Mystery. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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The Last Word by Gerri Lewis has a main character with a unique occupation. Winter Snow is a freelance obituary writer. I did find it a little odd that the victim, Mrs. Arlington, a writer, hired someone else to write her obituary (maybe she thought it would be morbid). The main character was underdeveloped and a tad cliched (another clumsy protagonist). More information is provided about Diva, the victim�s dog, than about Winter. Diva easily outshines Winter. I liked Winter�s Uncle Richard as well as her neighbor, Horace. I did not understand why Winter would go driving across town with a hurricane bearing down on the town. Winter said she needed to get the information from Leocadia Arlington in order to write the obituary, but this is a digital age. I know it was needed for the mystery, but it did not make sense. There are numerous contradictions in the book (they should have been caught in editing). The mystery is straightforward. Winter did several things that had me rolling my eyes. Her antics would not be appreciated by real cops (and, in a court of law, her meddling would allow a killer to go free). I know it is fiction, but Winter did things that were illegal and inane. The crime can easily be solved. There are overly detailed descriptions (do we really need to all the details of a room) as well as repetitive bits of information (I got it the first time). The story does contain mild bad language. The best part of The Last Word is Diva, the clever and playful Great Pyrenees. Her antics made me smile.
Lori
Mar 1, 2024
Unique Theme and Characters
Dollycas's Thoughts
Winter Snow makes her living writing obituaries for the good people of Ridgefield, Connecticut. Having dealt with grief herself she knows obituaries are not just notifications and tributes. They "facilitate acceptance", "immortalize a person for their earthly accomplishments" and are pieces of history "that will live in genealogy research and community memory" and they bring comfort to those left behind. Winter takes great care with each obituary she writes.
Winter is usually contacted after a person dies so when she gets a call from the very alive Mrs. Roth Arlington, a well-known philanthropist, stating she needs an obituary right away for herself, Winter agrees to meet with her, even if it means traveling in a what is sure to be a hurricane. Mrs. Arlington is a formidable woman who knows what she wants. She gives Winter a folder full of information and they visit for a while but Winter leaves concerned for the woman. The next day she returns to see how Mrs. Arlington fared the storm, instead she finds the woman's Great Pyrenees puppy, Diva, in distress and her client dead at the bottom of the stairs.
If only the dog could talk. Officer Kip Michaels and his partner Tom Bellini arrive on the scene and let Winter know that she is a suspect in Mrs. Arlington's death. Knowing she is innocent she sets out to find the real killer and her Uncle Richard, his friend and her octogenarian neighbor Horace, her BFF Scoop, and Mrs. Arlington's dog Diva, are on board to help her in any way that they can. She just hopes she isn't the next victim because she is definitely not ready for her short life to be immortalized.
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Ms. Lewis introduces a cast of unique characters in her first Deadly Deadlines Mystery. Winter Snow is 29 and is using her journalism degree to open a freelance obituary business. She is thrown into a murder investigation to clear her name and makes some mistakes. Her father died when she was young but now she is very close to her Uncle Richard. He spends a lot of time at her cottage on Mamanasco Lake. He has a huge heart and loves helping people. Her elderly neighbor Horace stops by often too. He's a feisty man in his 80's with a twinkle in his eye with a willingness to help as well.
We also meet Winter's friend Kevin Blake, aka Scoop. He was one of a few reporters who kept their jobs when the local weekly newspaper was bought. Kip Micheals is a new hire for the Ridgefield police department. He has been paired with Tom Bellini for training. Winter met Tom in her reporter days and she was not impressed. His leering looks show her he hasn't changed a bit. Our victim, Mrs. Arlington (Lottie) lives alone with her new puppy and a helper who lives in a cottage on the property. She had been working on her memoirs at the time of her death. I can't forget the Nosy Parkers. The Parker sisters, Gabby and Abby. They eavesdrop and people watch to pick up on "juiciest of stories" and right things they feel are wrong.
I felt all the characters were fleshed out well for the first book in the series. The author has left plenty of room for growth as the series continues. Ms. Lewis puts more focus on the mystery and it was a doozy. While Winter wasn't the best amateur sleuth she had good instincts. Kip realized that even though she continued to put herself in danger working together may not be a bad decision. He tries to keep her out of the fray but she is pretty stubborn. As they followed the clues a huge secret came to light. Then key people went missing. That leads up to a scary showdown when even more secrets are revealed. I enjoyed the way the author twisted everything together and made my heart race at the end.
Ms. Lewis plotted this mystery out so well. I thought I had figured out the guilty party but it was much more entailed than I imagined.Ã? Ã? Yes, there were flaws in police procedures but I chalked it up to a very new amateur sleuth and a new cop.
The Last Word has given this series a marvelous start. The author's attention to detail, her realistic characters, an unusual theme, the hint of romance, humor in all the right places, and a top-notch mystery made for a very entertaining read. I am hoping book two is well in the works because I am looking forward to visiting these characters and Ridgefield, Connecticut again soon.
