The Last Word

Natalka and Edwin, whom we met in The Postscript Murders, run a detective agency in Shoreham, Sussex. Despite a steady stream of minor cases, Natalka is frustrated, longing for a big, juicy case such as murder to come the agency's way. Natalka is now living with Benedict, a dreamer. Her Ukrainian mother, Valentyna, has joined them from her war-torn country, and three's a crowd. It's annoying to have Valentyna in the tiny flat, cooking borscht and cleaning things that are already clean. To add to Natalka's irritation, Benedict and her mother get on brilliantly.

Then a murder case turns up. Local writer Melody Chambers is found dead, and her family are convinced it is murder. Edwin, a big fan of the obit pages, thinks there's a link to the writer of Melody's obituary, who had predeceased her.

The trail leads Benedict and Edwin to a slightly sinister writers' retreat. When another writer is found dead, Edwin thinks that the clue lies in the words.

Seeking professional help, the amateur investigators turn to their friend, Detective Harbinder Kaur, only to find they have stumbled on a plot stranger than fiction.