The scene in the funeral parlor made the book for me. Leave it to Winter Snow, yes, that's her name, to wind up hiding from a killer in a funeral parlor. Nope, no more details. You'll just have to read the book. Overall, although I find myself annoyed with Winter much of the times, I found that I liked her better this go-round more than I did in the first installment. Her job certainly isn't ordinary, interviewing surviving family and friends and writing obituaries for the deceased, but she somehow seems to find herself involved in a murder investigation in the process. Her detective boyfriend, Kip, of course tries to warn her off, refusing to share much with her. Winter shows her immaturity by expecting him to ignore police rules and share everything with her, even becoming upset at him for not jeopardizing his job to make her happy. Yet, she rarely hesitates not to share with him.
I admired Winter for caring enough about the seemingly homeless Chester to do a deep dive into his life and background while, at the same time, cringing more than once at her methods. She's admittedly driven by the need to clear her friend Scoop's name as the prime suspect, especially when he winds up in jail. Scoop, the local newspaper reporter, had been investigating a series of arson fires and is a suspect in that as well as the murder of Chester but, as a reporter, feels obliged to protect his sources. Best friend Carla has her back, as do her senior friends Richard and Horace. I liked all of them, even the long suffering Kip. Will Winter's unceasing questioning get her in trouble? You already know the answer to that and, oh, boy, what a load of trouble. I don't want to give away much more of the plot but will add that cemetery plots are involved. More importantly, perhaps, we see growth in Winter as the story progresses.
Bottom line, although still not thoroughly liking Winter, I liked her better this time and see her growth as a good sign. And, oh, I nearly forgot to mention the side story. Again, no details, but it involved Star Wars and collecting. Somehow the two stories merge for the finale. Thanks #CrookedLaneBooks for allowing me this early peek at how life (and writing about death) is going for Winter. I definitely felt her panic in that funeral parlor scene!
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