Grave Words

Deadly Deadlines Mystery, #2

by

Gerri Lewis

A delightful mix of mystery and lively banter from the former reporter turned obituary writer.

Grave Words is the second book in author Gerri Lewis’s fresh and fun new cozy Deadly Deadlines Mystery series, and it is a delightful mix of mystery, lively banter, and astute observations from the former reporter turned obituary writer main character. Winter Snow has developed a niche market business based on her ability to write warm and engaging obituaries that accurately memorialize her subjects, and is slowly starting to gain attention and achieve some success. But when the third in a string of suspicious fires also claims the life of Wandering Chester, a local character, she and everyone else have questions. However, the police, including Winter’s love interest, Detective Kip Michaels, refuse to release any information about the dead man, and rumors start to fly. When Scoop, the local reporter and Winter’s best friend, refuses to reveal the name of his source, someone who knows a little too much about the facts of the fires, he becomes a person of interest, and Winter steps in to clear his name without breaking his bonds of confidentiality. 

Winter Snow is an endearing character, loyal to her friends and family, yet she walks a delicate line between following her curiosity and maintaining a harmonious relationship with her new beau. Still, she crosses that line when Scoop becomes a suspect in the arson cases. I enjoyed her clever and lively banter with everyone, and the dialogue really sparkles throughout. 

The story explores the reporters’ dilemma of keeping an informant’s name confidential versus identifying a potentially critical witness with information that could break a case wide open. Of course, leading the official investigation is Winter’s tight-lipped, significant other, Kip, who is adamant she stays out of his business. She begins to question whether a relationship with someone who keeps disappointing her is even right for her. You’ll have to read the book to discover if she answers that question or not. 

I recommend GRAVE WORDS to readers of cozy mysteries. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.