THE LAST WORD

A freelance obituary writer’s newest client isn’t dead…yet.

Winter Snow’s job as a chronicler of the recently deceased of Ridgefield, Connecticut, often puts her in touch with fond memories of lives well lived. But she’s truly shocked when she’s hired to write an obit by a woman who’s still alive. Leocadia Arlington is on a deadline that Winter doesn’t understand. Though she isn’t even sick, Mrs. Arlington wants her obituary written by the end of the week. It’s Winter’s job to memorialize her subjects by capturing all the important details of their lives, so despite her bewilderment, she dedicates herself to learning more about the wealthy philanthropist. She meets with Mrs. Arlington at her great estate, even getting to know her recently rescued dog, Diva, a puppy version of a Great Pyrenees. Not only does the meeting yield little information, but it marks the beginning of the end for Mrs. Arlington, who’s killed not long after, right on schedule. Now Winter knows that she really does need to learn more about Mrs. Arlington’s life, especially once she learns that the woman was about to release a tell-all book that might have told a little too much for some people. Along with her best friend, Kevin “Scoop” Blake, Winter starts to do what she must to learn the truth, arousing the suspicions of actual police officer Kip Michaels and Tom Bellini, his difficult partner. Will Winter find the real killer or be framed for the murder?

More likely to get readers to sleep like the dead than take an interest in them.