The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

A woman goes into the funeral parlor to plan her funeral.  She wants it done her own way.  Six hours later she's dead.  Someone strangled her...

Harper and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published June 5th.

This is an odd little tale.  An ex-policeman offers a book deal to a writer.  He wants to write about this investigation that he intends to solve and get 50% of the profit.  The writer hasn't written true crime before but the case interests him.  The only problem is that these two get along like oil and water.  The ex-cop is not being very cooperative about give and take but his insights keep the writer going.

The crime is tied back to two incidents in the past.  One was an accident where one boy died and other suffered brain damage.  The family has never forgiven her.  The other incident is related to her son's past and it's much more elusive to find.

Mr. Horowitz writes good thrillers and always confounds you with his mysteries but he never writes about nice people.  It seems everyone has private agendas and their own reasons for their cooperation.  But the ending is traumatic and dramatic and you almost quit breathing while you read it.  It's also a surprise...