Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
It is my pleasure to share my thoughts today
about Grave Words by Gerri Lewis!
Grave Words: A Deadly Deadlines Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Connecticut
Publisher : Crooked Lane Books
Publication date : June 10, 2025
Print length : 336 pages
Hardcover ISBN-13 : 979-8892421133
Paperback ISBN-13 : 979-8892422482
Kindle ASIN : B0DGPF9R8P
Audiobook ASIN B0F97G3PP3
Winter Snow has had it! With her business in a death drought, her best friend Scoop implicated in a string of arsons, and an obituary listing Winter herself as deceased, her life is heating up. But just as she’s trying to cool things down, she receives her newest assignment: an obituary for Chester, a homeless man found in a burning building.
Promising the local funeral home manager that she will have the obituary by the deadline, Winter is stonewalled at every turn, failing to discover Chester’s last name, or where he came from. When it is discovered that Chester was murdered and that the fire was set to cover it up, all fingers immediately point to Scoop. Not only is Scoop a person of interest in the arsons, he was also the last person to see Chester alive.
As more nails are pounded into Scoop’s coffin, Winter’s uncle Richard hopes to help by inviting the notorious town gossips, The Nosy Parkers, to a neighborhood food fest. Unfortunately, the breadcrumbs they toss set murder in motion.
More determined than ever, Winter must figure out the twists and turns of the case to clear Scoop’s name, putting her on a deadly deadline to solve the murder and avoid meeting the same grave consequences.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
In this second Deadly Deadline Mystery, Winter Snow is wondering if her obituary business is going to make it, especially when a current obituary lists her as deceased. Getting that error fixed is not going to be fun, but having her best friend, Scoop, in the hot seat as the top suspect in a series of arsons requires her full attention. A homeless man was found in the last fire. When his death becomes classified as a murder, with the fire as a literal smoke screen, all eyes on truly on Scoop. He was the last person known to see Chester alive.
Under a deadline from the funeral home, Winter needs a lot more information about the man who died. He was known around town as just Chester, no last name. She is having a devil of a time getting information from anyone.
As the evidence starts to accumulate, Winter knows she needs to get the scoop on the real killer to clear her BFF of the crime. This is one deadly deadline that she can’t miss, or both she and Scoop could face dire repercussions.
All the characters I enjoyed in the first book, The Last Word, are back. Winter and Detective Kip Michaels are now “a thing”. Winter’s Uncle Richard and her neighbor Horace want to help Winter in any way they can with everything in her life, including solving the murder. Her friend Carla works at the local funeral home. She sometimes sends Winter some obituary business and helps with her murder investigations. The Parker sisters, Gabby and Abby, aka the Nosy Parkers, usually have some information to share or some drama to stir up. Winter has adopted Diva, the Great Pyrenees puppy, after her person was killed in book one. She does get along with Horance’s German Shepherd, Max, but true to her name, she can be a bit of a DIVA. I liked getting to know this core group of characters better. We got a little more information about Winter’s sister, Summer, and her death, but I feel we have just scratched the surface, and more will be revealed in the next book.
The mystery was a little meandering at times, but when another death was connected and more clues were revealed, it began to even out. Scoop knew more than he should, but he refused to reveal his source. Winter and Carla took on the task to find out. They make a great team as amateur sleuths. Winter was upset with Kip for not sharing details with her, but he was just trying to keep her safe. It didn’t deter her; she and Carla kept digging. Winter took a lot of risks, and she and Carla got into some dangerous situations. One that had a humorous rescue and led to a huge clue. A clue that helped things start to fall into place for me before they did for Winter. That clue also led Carla and Winter into a deadly situation with a serious deadline. That being said, I was only partially right and needed more information to understand all the whys, hows, and people that entered the story late in the plot.
Grave Words had a few bumps for me, but I was satisfied when all was wrapped up in the final chapter. The characters are strong, interesting, and are developing depth, so I am looking forward to seeing what Ms. Lewis has planned for them next.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
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About the Author
Gerri Lewis started her career as a freelance writer and has published over 1,400 features, news stories, obituaries, and columns. Along with writing her novels, she continues to write magazine features for O68 Magazine. Her cover features appear regularly, and her HOW WE MET column was a popular staple of the magazine for many years. Her accolades include feature-writing awards from the New England Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists, among others. Beyond journalism, Gerri works as a public information officer for the Ridgefield Office of Emergency Management. A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Gerri lives with her husband in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and the setting for her obituary writer mystery series.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.” I am also an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.”
