I have come to terms with the fact that this author’s writing is just not for me. I knew as soon as I read that the dog was untethered on a walk because she never strays far that I wasn’t going to like it (this is a HUGE pet peeve of mine). Winter Snow (again, terrible name) has an interesting job and a cute town but the story itself dragged and I lost interest in the myriad of characters who busily did nothing all day. I flipped to the end just to figure out who did it and why, and though the reasoning behind the murders was fascinating, that’s about all that was. I will not be continuing with this series.

Enjoyed it: well written, funny, good storytelling. A solid andt witty mystery
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The cozy mystery is my favorite genre. I like engaging mysteries and fascinating characters. I will read more books by this author.

Another fine cozy mystery! This one had about as many twists and turns as the first one, which made it fun to figure out whodunnit. Winter Snow is a great character and the concept of a professional obituary writer is a perfect basis for a mystery series.

The Deadly Deadlines books are rather unique in the world Cozy Mystery in that the main character/amateur sleuth is an obituary writer. Winter is the perfect person to go around asking questions about murdered victims.
This second volume in the series centers around Winter trying to clear her reporter best friend's name after he knows too many details about a string of arsons. At times the plot felt a little drawn out and circular but the mystery and the great cast of characters definitely made up for it. I truly enjoyed reading about Winter, her uncle, her neighbor, friends, and townsfolk. I definitely would read more books in this series!
One of my biggest complaints about the first book was Winter's complete disregard for crime scenes. While she is still definitely an amateur sleuth she does seem to be naturally getting better with each case or at least acknowledges the things she really shouldn't be doing which is all I can ask for!

I missed the first book in this series, but when I learned of this one, the concept was interesting just because the main character - a woman named, believe it or not, Winter Snow - is by profession a writer of obituaries. And as a former journalist a bit familiar with that process, I simply couldn't pass it by. My verdict? An interesting plot and a book I'd unhesitatingly call a good beach read, but way too many continuity slips and grammatical errors plus a heroine who simply refuses to listen to reason took this one down a notch or two in my eyes.

The whole thing begins as Winter, resident of Ridgefield, Connecticut, and owner of a slobbering Great Pyrenees rather appropriately named Diva, learns that somehow one of her client's paid-for obits ended up published with her name on top - but of course she's very much alive. As she tries to have the name corrected before the local newspaper is published - more so people won't think she's dead than to make sure the deceased person gets proper notice, it seemed to me - a popular local businesses catches fire and the body of a reportedly homeless man was found inside. To make matters worse, her newspaper reporter friend Kevin ("Scoop") Blake has become the prime suspect since he reportedly was the last to see the guy alive.

As she's exhausting attempts to learn the deceased man's last name, she becomes frustrated and irritated that her detective boyfriend Kip Michaels refuses to share details from the police investigation with her - never mind that he could lose his job if he did. And he's frustrated and irritated that she continues her unauthorized sleuthing in the case, even involving her uncle Richard - the man who is like a father to her - and his good friend Horace, who lives nearby. Also in the mix is her friend Carla, a gum-chewing funeral home employee who seems to have the inside scoop on much of the town's goings-on.

As the story progresses, other arsons take place, as does the murder of a man known to be the homeless guy's friend. The latter death gives Winter a bit of an information boost, in that she's been hired to write the guy's obit and (this time legitimately) needs to get details on his life. As for more details, I won't tell, except to note that they include at least one uplifting experience and fodder for what I expect to be the next book in the series. Overall, it's an enjoyable book, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Grave Words by Gerri Lewis is the second in the series, but it can be read as a standalone book. I loved the name, Winter Storm, for the main character. She works as an obituary writer which I found interesting. I liked the main cast of characters. I did not guess the killer at all. There seemed to be such a disconnect between Winter and her boyfriend Kip. Hopefully that will get better with the next book. Overall, I did enjoy the book and will definitely read more of this series. Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

It may be summertime, but readers should grab Grave Words, book two in the Deadly Deadlines cozy mystery series by Gerri Lewis, for an escape to the town of Ridgefield, CT during the crisp October days leading up to Halloween. While this is book two in the series, the plot reads well as a standalone.

Obituary writer Winter Snow has been tasked to write the obituary of a local homeless man who died under suspicious circumstances in a burning building. This isn’t the first arson in town, and unfortunately Winter’s best friend, Scoop (a local reporter) tops the suspect list. And what makes this obituary harder to write than normal is that no one has information on the victim – not even a last name. When Winter approaches Kip, her boyfriend and detective for the Ridgefield Police Department, he refuses to share any information and warns Winter not to investigate.

Winter does not let those warnings deter her from investigating – she pulls at all possible threads to see how the victim, the fires and her best friend could possibly be related. This mystery is well-paced and detailed. I had to remind myself to slow down as I was reading so that I would be sure to capture all the possible clues.

I enjoyed the characters the most – each so well developed that they each added to the plot in their unique way. The Nosy Parkers were perfect town gossips, and I wish I had an Uncle Richard who would come and cook such delicious meals for me. Carla, Winter’s best friend, is a layered character, and I hope future books in the series reveal more of her back story and show her and Winter working together more. And while I enjoyed all the human characters, Diva, the Great Pyrenees puppy that Winter adopted is an especially adorable canine companion.

An atmospheric read that can be enjoyed now as an escape from the summer heat or saved for pumpkin season!

I enjoyed the characters and the setting. The mystery kept me guessing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Grave Words” is the second book in Gerri Lewis’s Deadly Deadlines Cozy mystery series and I am still figuring out if I like this series. I do like the characters – obituary writer Winter Snow is a good main character (even with the quirky name), and I like her relationship with her Uncle Richard and her friends, neighbor Horace, best friend Scoop, friend Carla, and even boyfriend Kip. However, her relationship with Kip highlights what, for me at least, is the biggest flaw in this book – none of these characters seem to really talk with each other. Instead they leave cryptic clues and in one case resort to something that I don’t want to spoil for readers but seemed unnecessary (although it did add some suspense to the book). The mystery involved arson and murder and had some interesting moments with one surprise but a bit convoluted and not enough suspects for armchair sleuths/readers to guess the solution. I’ll probably read the next book in the series just to find out what is going on with some of the characters but not sure how much time I want to invest in this series.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Gerri Lewis' Grave Words is a charming and intriguing cozy mystery.
Lewis skillfully weaves a suspenseful plot with intriguing twists, endearing characters, and a charming setting.
The story is well-written and plotted and reads at a nice pace. The characters are well-developed and very believable.
I can't wait for book three.

This is the second book in the Deadly Deadlines Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone, but fans of series reading will want to start at the beginning. There are things I liked about the book and things I didn’t. I think Winter’s career as an obituary writer is unique and adds something a little different to the cozy mystery genre. There’s emphasis on friendship and family which is a cozy staple. I really like Winter’s neighbor Horace., who calls her out on her trust issues and double standard when it comes to sharing information. (She expects people to share information with her but doesn’t always reciprocate.) This double standard of information sharing is one of the things I didn’t like. There were many instances where it seemed like people were keeping secrets from one another and some of that just made no sense. The mystery itself was a bit convoluted and tried too hard to blend the arsons and the murder. All in all this isn’t a bad story, but i don’t think it was as good as the first installment. Hopefully this is just a bit of a bump in the road and the next installment finds its focus because there really is much to like about the series.

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.

This book was not as good as the first one and I found the plot to be a bit on the far-fetched side. This book takes a lot of cozy tropes and ties them into the plot. Unfortunately, it just did not work for me as a cozy and I doubt I'd continue the series.

It is so refreshing to have a unique occupation for the amateur sleuth. An obituary writer opens up many avenues to follow in chasing down clues to the crimes. I only wish cozies had less preoccupation with romance with law enforcement. Good choice of book title..Thanks to #NetGalley and #GraveWords for advanced digital copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Graves Words is the second book in the Deadly Deadlines Mystery series. The main character, Winter Snow, is a professional obituary writer. Not only does she have to deal with a false obituary saying that she is dead, she faces difficulties in writing an obituary for the local homeless man who was found dead. Her best friend, Scoop, is the last person who saw the dead man alive, which makes him look suspicious. Winter must investigate in order to clear his name. Grave Words was my introduction to the series, and I had a great time reading it. The characters are quite colorful, and the storyline was gripping. I definitely enjoyed this cozy mystery, as it stands out among other books in the genre. I definitely recommend Grave Words for readers who are looking for a cozy mystery that has character.

Grave Words is book #2 in the A Deadly Deadlines Mystery series by Gerri Lewis.

It’s not good for your obituary writing business to publish your own obituary. That’s how Winter’s day starts off. Then she finds out that the local homeless man, Chester, has been found in a burned building. This is one in a series of arsons, and now her friend, Scoop, is a prime suspect. Making it all the more challenging for Winter is that everyone is concerned about her safety and won’t tell her anything. I enjoyed this book. I like the characters, love the dogs. The mystery was interesting. I like the premise that she’s an obituary writer, which is different than what you usually find cozy mysteries. Is everyone correct and Winter’s digging is putting her life in danger?

Thank you to the author, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

When the local homeless resident dies, Winter agrees to write his obituary. After all, that’s her job, it’s what she does. But when it turns out the man was murdered, and isn’t quite what everyone thought, and a second local man is murdered? Winter puts on her sleuthing hat.

When she starts to question the involvement of two of her closest friends, Winter knows it’s bad. Is one of her friends a murderer? Can she solve the case before she become the third victim? And then who will write her obituary?

The second entry in the series was a bit more convoluted than the first, but it delivered in the end. Looking forward to the next entry in the series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Gerri Lewis for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Grave Words coming out June 10, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I definitely love cozy mysteries. I thought the plot was really interesting. I love that Winter enjoys her job as writer for obituaries. It may seem a bit morbid to some people, but someone has to do it. The setting and dialogue were really good. I enjoyed the side characters. The mystery was written really well. I loved it. I would definitely read more books in the series.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries!

Winter Snow has just about had all she can take. Her business is anything but booming, her own obituary has been published, and her friend Scoop is suspected in a string of arsons. Then she is asked to write the obituary for a man found in one of the burned buildings, but when the death is determined to be murder and not an accident, Scoop moves up even higher on the list of suspects. Winter is determined to clear Scoop’s name – and find out who is responsible for the crimes.

This is the second book from this series, and I actually liked that it addressed one of my main issues with the first book – how does anyone who writes *only obituaries get enough customers to sustain a business? Although I like Winter, her friends and her family, I didn’t like that she got so upset with Kip, her detective boyfriend, when he wouldn’t share details of the cases with her. Maybe it was meant to be playful, but it didn’t read that way to me.

There weren’t many suspects at first, but as the police changed the focus of their investigation, more possibilities popped up. There were some unexpected twists that made me change my mind several times about the person behind everything, but I didn’t work it out for sure until it became obvious in the book.

I hope this series continues, as I’d like to revisit Ridgefield, Winter and her friends to see what adventure waits for them.