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.

I just love Richard and Horace's characters! Richard, her uncle, raised Winter and her sister and Horace was like another uncle to her. Horace was always good for some comic relief but Carla and Winter did a pretty good job of that themselves while hiding from a possible killer at the funeral home. They never planned the showdown with the actual killer, but to save their own lives their ingenuity kicked in plus they had a little help from a friend.

Food and friendship was enjoyed by all at the cottage while Kip filled everyone in on what they didn’t already know. I love that he and Winter are pretty close but they both seem to have a little problem in the trust department, so maybe next time they can work that out.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Crooked Lane via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Winter Snow has a unique job - she writes Obituaries. When she is commissioned to write one for a local seemingly homeless man who died mysteriously she tries to gather useful information, but runs into dead ends and no one wants to talk to her about Chester. She begins digging deeper and discovers there was more to Chester than most people thought. She stumbles upon a major news story that Chester was investigating and after a series of twists and turns uncovers the secret. Well written with colorful quirky characters, this is worth a read.

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.

This is an easy to read, light, murder investigation book. Winter Snow writes obituaries for a living and right now, business is slow. But somehow one of the obituaries she pre-wrote was submitted with herself as the deceased. Also, the only homeless man in town has died under mysterious circumstances and there have been arsons. Her friends/sources won't tell her anything because they think she will be safter not knowing anything.

People who enjoy small town, cozy mysteries will enjoy this book.

I did not anticipate this book being more than a cozy mystery. Although we have some puppy love, I mean literally with Winter's puppy named Diva and her neighbor's dog Max. While Winter was pulled back and forth with her relationships in this book, I enjoyed her growth. I also enjoyed learning about the obituary writing side of her career. I did not read the first book in this series, and I feel I was still aware of what was going on. Winter did seem immature in some of her decisions, but I did notice her growth in the book. The mystery was enjoyable, and the ending worked out well in my opinion. I enjoyed the book overall.

Grave Words is the second instalment of the Deadly Deadlines series. Freelance obituary writer Winter Snow is faced with a mystery when the body of a homeless man is found in a burning building, and her friend is the #1 suspect.

I was drawn to this cozy mystery by its cover—I absolutely adore Halloween themed cozies. However, Halloween is only briefly mentioned twice so I felt that this cover was misleading. I also found the mystery a bit boring. I would have DNFed this book if I was not reviewing it. I did like the protagonist's occupation; I thought that was interesting as well as her research into her work and the clues that revealed, but overall, this book just didn't quite work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane for an ARC in exchange for review.

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As obituary writer Winter Snow prepared to write the obituary for newly deceased Chester, a homeless man in Ridgefield, Connecticut, she was concerned for her good friend, Scoop. He was a reporter and had filed on the latest arson attack, but it was looking very much like Scoop was involved. How did he know so much of the information that hadn't been released by the police? Another friend of Winter's, Carla of the funeral home in Ridgefield, was doing her best, but also couldn't find the details on Chester. Why was the simple thing of finding his surname, so hard?

But when it was discovered Chester was murdered, and another person died around the same time, Winter was determined to investigate. Her boyfriend, Kip, local police officer, didn't want Winter to put herself in danger, while her elderly neighbour, Horace, kept an eye out for Winter. Winter's dog, Diva, and Horace's, Max, got along well, but Diva was - well, a diva! Uncle Richard also kept an eye out for Winter - but she was intent on doing it her own way...

Grave Words is #2 in the Deadly Deadlines Mystery series by Gerri Lewis and unfortunately it didn't grab me in the way the first book did. I feel Winter was more "over the top" and taking risks even after being asked to stay out of it all. I enjoyed Horace and Richard's characters, as well as the dogs; Scoop is a genuine character as well. I'm not sure if I'll continue the series - will wait and see. Recommended to fans.

With thanks to NetGalley & Crooked Lane Books for my digital ARC to read and review.