By the Book

The Last Picks, Book 7

De: Gregory Ashe

Narrado por: Andrew Gibson

A stolen book. A desperate killer. And two very meddlesome parents.

Dashiell Dawson Dane might have a problem. It’s not a huge problem. In fact, all things considered, life is good—he’s got a wonderful boyfriend, fantastic friends, and a home where he’s genuinely happy, maybe for the first time ever. He’s even writing regularly. (Okay, mostly regularly.)

There is, however, the teensiest issue with money—in that, he doesn’t have any.

And it turns out Dash isn’t the only one strapped for cash. The Hastings Rock Public Library has recently been defunded by the mayor and the city council, and the town is in an uproar.

To keep the library open, Dash hosts a charity auction at Hemlock House. But disaster strikes when an exceptionally valuable book is stolen before the fundraiser can begin. And when Dash finds the mayor dead—and Hastings Rock’s head librarian refuses to provide an alibi—he quickly becomes tangled in yet another murder investigation.

How could things get any worse? Oh. Right. A surprise visit from his parents.

©2025 Gregory Ashe (P)2025 Gregory Ashe

So, so . . .

sweet? Gregory Ashe can make it sweet, make it hurt, make it funny - all the things. I’ve fallen for these characters, so much so that I don’t even care if there’s a mystery or plot. I just wanna move into Hemlock House and eat Indira’s cooking and just be part of this found family!

I was sucked in by the family dynamics

How Dashiell Dane came to own Hemlock House is quite a fantastical and diabolical tale. Dashiell, mostly referred to as Dash, came to Hemlock House to learn the craft from a mystery writer and old friend of his parents. Said mystery writer left the house to Dash when trying to frame him for her murder. Her faked murder. When she ended up caught by Dash in his first amateur sleuthing, she was sent to jail and the property remained in Dash’s care.

And he really does care about the property. Its become important to him and to the previous housekeeper who stays on to cook and live there at no cost. However, Dash’s money has dried up and though his parents tried to help for a little bit, they decided to stop funding Dash’s life far away from them and the life he used to live. Dash tries to hold things down. He tries to open the house for events, and he has some roommates in the house who he could turn to for help, but he’s just a bit too stubborn. And who cares if a few months go by without the electricity being paid? Dash is definitely getting the feeling of being overtaken by his problems when his parents show up unexpectedly for a visit.

I’m all for a bit of picking yourself up by your bootstraps. (I definitely thought that Dash might need to find a way to bring in some income, perhaps a job in town?) But the way his parents started discussing whether they should sell his house and trying to pick apart his life while also not acknowledging his serious relationship with Bobby… I was furious at them. I felt Dash’s hurt at the one sided relationship he’s had with his parents all his life. I was confused about how they praised his sleuthing abilities, and yet dismissed them at the same time. How they tried to jump in the mystery-solving game themselves, and how they tried to tie his future writing career to theirs. His mothers coldness, and his father’s trigger happy personas set me off. Can you tell that I was feeling all of Dash’s feelings? Let me take a deep breath.

As much as I talked up Dash and his parents visit, there was a lot more to this book. When the library holds a fundraiser at Hemlock House, a journal from the designer of Dash’s home is up for auction, but disappears before the bidding can start. A missing journal leads to a mysterious death, and break-ins at Hemlock House. There are quite a few suspects, and I have to admit I was clueless.

Dash spends a lot of time running around town after his parents, and he finds himself on Bobby’s bad side a time or two. The murder is solved and so is the book-napping. Dash learns to ask for and accept help from those who care about him. And he even manages to address the issues with his parents and they might just be able to salvage their relationships. I enjoyed the mystery and definitely got caught up in the family drama.

I am a big fan of this author and always recommend his books. The characters are real and romance is hard won. This cozy is perfect for those who might not like too much violence or sex in their stories. Andrew Gibson does a great job bringing the story to life.

Excellent Story

I loved listening to this entry in the series. Dash and Bobby seem pretty good finally! There’s cake..and a visit from Dash’s parents which was delightful as well. The series gets better and better as it goes along!

If parents were added to Scooby Doo...

I needed this book. I was packing up my home of over fifteen years while listening to this audiobook, and I was feeling grateful that my townhouse is only a gateway to a hell dimension instead of a class five haunted mansion like Hemlock House. I would not want to pack up that place considering how many secret passages and weird taxidermy animals it contains. Dash, on the other hand, is getting used to the strange quirks of the haunted mansion. His growing attachment to Hemlock House and the Town of Hastings Rock highlights the evolution of his character over the course of this series. The friendships he has created since moving to Hastings Rock have given him a new perspective on the relationships with people he knew before arriving in the coastal Oregon town, including his parents. When his parents arrive just in time for another mystery, that new perspective becomes helpful.

By the time I had finished this audiobook, I felt better about life, packing up the detritus of a gateway to a hell dimension, and the ups and downs of familial relationships. Dash’s tendency to handle new challenges by relating them to the writing process is both relatable and insightful. I gained a few useful tips from his enthusiastic lessons on writing. As usual, Andrew Gibson wonderfully narrates Dash’s outrage and joy as he explores writing and relationships while trying to solve another murder mystery. If Dash ever finishes his current novel, I hope Andrew Gibson is the narrator. I am sure Dash would appreciate his voice and performance as much as I have.

Loving the series!

Looking forward to the next installment! Love the characters and the narration is perfect. Thanks for continuing to put these out on the shelf. More please! :)