Pride Reads 2026, Day 20: Retool
The final book in the Last Picks series! I've greatly enjoyed this cozy mystery series, and I like how the last book brings the series full circle. I want to listen to the audiobooks and revisit the world again!
The main character is Dash Dane, an aspiring mystery writer who moves from the east coast to the Pacific Northwest and the fictional town of Hastings Rock. He starts his new job as assistant to the legendary author, Vivienne Carver, the Matron of Murder. But then he finds himself framed for her murder and is left her estate in the will! Dash is left scrambling and has to clear his name and solve the case. As the story unfolds he becomes friends with the Last Picks: Bobby, Fox, Indira, Millie, and Keme.
I've loved getting to know all of these characters over the course of 12 novels and many short stories. There's a wonderful romance plot, internal and external crises, shenanigans, danger, sleuthing, and reflections of writing, publishing, and the mystery genre. It's extremely cozy and charming, at times silly, at others angsty, and top tier found family. I'm looking forward to reading the collection of short stories, The Expanded Universe, next!
