As Amanda and Trent start their investigation, they ultimately dlearned that she was working on another novel and once they were finally able to learn the plot, they were convinced that the possibility of an earlier murder was related to this killing. Felicity's killing had all of the earmarks of a scene in Felicity's latest novel. Later, another killing happened which also displayed the same as the novel depicted. The author brings action and intense moments to the novel. The story built a little less suspense into the story line. Despite this, the plot is intriguing, full of chasing down leads and interviewing suspects and witnesses in anticipation of identifying the killer. Additionally, there are also threads of her personal life and dealing with loss and grief. And because Penny is a commissioning editor for fiction and there is a bookshop involved, not to mention a missing manuscript, the power of narrative shines throughout the discourse and is the vehicle by which both John and Penny forge a new beginning, not with each other, but with characters that are perfect soulmates. And at that moment, into her head popped Rich O’Driscoll’s upstairs bookshelves: long, long rows of books, seven shelves high, that swept down the hall, into the lounge room and around two walls there. Books everywhere. All those Irish authors unknown to her. This last was perhaps the sexiest thought she’d ever had: that a man might take her into stories she’d never been inside before.’

Full disclosure - I was provided an advanced reader’s copy of this book by the author or their representative but have voluntarily provided a review. All opinions are my own. To bring us this story, Kim has sidestepped traditional publishing, and I’m so glad. A traditional publisher would likely have changed this story to make it fit the market. Editorial interference would, I fear, have destroyed the essence of this story. By not ‘following the rules’ Kim has created a true gem. There are so many layers to this book—from the way the story is structured, to the multifaceted storyline and cast of characters. As I read Her Last Words, I actually pictured this story on the big screen; one of those movies with wonderfully quirky ensembles of Hollywood A-Listers. It’s a crisp spring morning when Cass drops her husband, a respected lecturer, to the beach for his medically prescribed swim. While waiting for him, something catches her eye. A young woman runs towards her husband and embraces him – until he holds his hand over her face and she falls down on the stones, dead. I wish to thank the author, Kim Kelly, for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.Follow along in the story as Amanda and Trent chase the information they discover and begin to close in on the killer. Discover who the killer was and what was the last piece of the puzzle that provided Amanda whit the suspect.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.In Her Last Words, book nine in the Detective Amanda Steele series, Amanda finds herself exploring the publishing world while trying to find the person behind the murder of bestselling crime author, Felicity Kelley. Whilst this is the ninth book in the series, it works well as a stand-alone read. Read on and learn the reason Her Last Words would make a great addition to the reading list of mystery fans. I really loved the format of Her Last Words, it was creative, intriguing and structurally sound. I appreciated the way in which Kim Kelly managed to take on quite an ambitious feat with this novel, as she does with every single novel she has produced. Her Last Words was creative in approach, intricately layered and well voiced, drawing in the various viewpoints of the key players of this thought provoking contemporary novel. I found my interest level was consistently maintained through my reading of this book, it never dipped and I was keen to see how the Her Last Words would evolve as a whole. Each installment just gets better and better, Carolyn Arnold is a master at writing this genre and never fails to disappoint. As always I'll be waiting on tenderhooks for #10. Bookouture and Carolyn Arnold provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently expected to be October 17, 2023.What follows is an exciting, suspenseful, intriguing, tense mystery, that kept me unable to put the book down, as this was a fantastic thriller. From the start, you become engrossed into the story. The last third of the book was fast-paced, intense, exciting thriller, with many twists along the way. To say too much more would be spoilers. The book opens with Cass and her seven year old son Ted watching her husband Jeff take his morning swim on their local beach. Cass is stunned and horrified when a beautiful young woman appears and jumps into his arms, and even more so when they appear to be struggling, with the young woman left lifeless in the sand. Cass pretends she hasn’t seen anything while she sets out to understand what she witnessed; is her husband really a cold blooded killer? I love this series. I had a hard time putting this book and other books by Carolyn Arnold down. Once you start the story, you are engrossed and taken on a wild adventure with well-developed characters, a gripping storyline, and a gripping and addictive crime thriller.