Grave Words by Gerri Lewis

 Grave Words by Gerri Lewis

Book Summary

In the second installment of the Deadly Deadlines mysteries, obituary writer Winter Snow faces her biggest challenge yet when the body of a homeless man is found in a burning building and her best friend is the main suspect, perfect for fans of Eva Gates and Kate Carlisle.

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.

My Thoughts

Grave Words by Gerri Lewis is the second A Deadly Deadline Mystery.  It can be read as a standalone for those new to the series. There is a lot going on in Grave Words, but it does not come together to form a cohesive story (it is all random).  I wish Winter Stone was portrayed differently.  She may be an adult, but she does not always act like one.  Winter is dating Kip, a local police detective, and she expected Kip to provide information on cases when she needed it.  Winter was irritated with Kip when he did not give up the goods. I wish the interactions had been playful.  Winter is told often to stay out of a case in which a friend is the prime suspect.  Winter is not going to stop investigating (she is like a dog with a bone), and I found the frequent mentions to be annoying (once or twice was enough).  

Winter took unnecessary risks which put her in danger because she was too stubborn to listen to anyone (this is what happens when you tell someone to stay out of something). The wrap up of the mystery had me rolling my eyes. There were many oddities throughout the story. Winter’s uncle has a new girlfriend whom he is ready to move in with, but Winter has never met her.  Since Winter and her uncle get together often, this seems off and I felt Winter should question it.  I was baffled as to why Scoop would turn himself in to the police (which was dumb) without a lawyer by his side. These were just a couple of the items that I noticed.  Grave Words seems to suffer from second book slump.  

Grave Words is available from Amazon*.  The first book in A Deadly Deadline Mysteries is The Last Word (and it is better than Grave Words).  While Grave Words did not appeal to me, I sugggest that you download a sample and check it out for yourself.  If  you follow Gerri Lewis on Amazon, they will notify you when she has a new book release. Thank you for stopping by today.  I hope you enjoyed the amusing obituaries that I included. Tomorrow I will be sharing my thoughts about Welcome to Murder Week by Karen Dukess.  Hopefully, my new carport will be installed tomorrow.  There have been delays.  First there was a permit delay and then the rains messed with their schedule.   I have my fingers crossed that they will show up (because I do not want to call the office again to explain).  I hope that you have a joyful day.  We need more joy in our lives.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book.  I am not required to leave a review.  The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

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