When we meet Adelyn “Adie” Wilding in Famous Penultimate Words, she is just walking along The Strand when she’s randomly shot. Like most of us not involved in illegal activities, Adie believes she was shot by mistake, at least until the fake cops in uniforms show up and have her questioning that idea. But then the real police show up and the all too handsome and mysterious Nathan with the ‘really green eyes’ soon becomes her protector in his efforts to unravel the mystery of why Adie was shot and by whom. When it becomes clear the shooting wasn’t all that random, and others in her life are found dead, Adie realizes her life has suddenly gotten complicated. Roberta Pearce has crafted a wonderfully hilarious story with a truly witty heroine and enough suspense to hook you until the very end.

One of the things I enjoyed most about Famous Penultimate Words was Adie and her weird sense of humor. She’s witty and sometimes sarcastic and often too honest, especially when morphine is involved. But I also loved the way Roberta Pearce was able to seamlessly blend suspense and romance without either parts of the story suffering. It wasn’t just how well they blended together but how well Pearce executes the story. The pacing was spot on — not too fast or slow — and the mystery is truly a mystery. A few times I thought I’d nailed the doer, only to be disappointed, which I love. So much happened between the first and last page; it was all interesting and it didn’t feel stuffed in for the sake of longevity. This story was, simply put, a really great time.

Famous Penultimate Words is a romantic suspense novel written by Roberta Pearce. Adelyn Wilding was on her way to her favorite restaurant for lunch when her life was abruptly cut short -- literally. Someone shot her, and her last moments were spent analyzing the smell of gardenias and stale ale and looking up close at the blackened bits of gum on the pavement. A paramedic was able to revive her, and when she woke up again, she was in hospital with a trio of uniformed police officers asking her questions about the attack. Adie was enjoying the self-service morphine pump, however, as it helped keep the pain to manageable levels and let her float through the disconcerting experience, so her recollections of that interview were hazy at best. Later, when the real police show up, Adie and the very dishy Nathan, who Adie thinks must be in hospital management, begin to suspect that the attack was anything but random. When Susie Kunkel, a co-worker Adie had a confrontation with just before leaving for lunch, is found murdered, their suspicions are confirmed.

Roberta Pearce's romantic suspense novel, Famous Penultimate Words, is a disarming and entertaining blend of police procedural, detective and romance genres as Adie, Nathan and the police assigned to the case attempt to solve the mystery before Adie's life is taken once again. Adie stoutly affirms that she is not Canadian but a dual citizen, having been born in England and raised in Toronto. Her move to London as a young woman has been a thing of joy, though she hasn't really made any close friends yet, only a few office friendships and random acquaintances. Everything changes with the attack on her, and facing an unknown and deadly assailant seems to cause Adie to channel Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden, and she can't seem to help but get just a bit too involved in catching those responsible for her demise. Pearce's plot is humorous, breezy and, at the same time, a rip-roaringly good whodunit that kept me guessing until the very end. Her characters are well-defined and engaging, and her storyline is deliciously unpredictable. Famous Penultimate Words is a marvelous romantic thriller and it's highly recommended.

Life for Adie is never going to be the same. Ever since a chance encounter in her boss’s office that led to her picking up an envelope she was never supposed to see, she’s been in one dangerous situation after another. Luckily for her, there seems to be one new constant in her life that’s working on making all of these dangerous situations go away and that’s Nathan. But there are still questions to be answered. Who wants her dead? What could have happened that fateful day that suddenly so many people are after her? And most important of all, will she survive the repeated attempts on her life?

This book was one that I did not want to put down. I was very excited when I first started reading it because Adie definitely seemed like a normal woman that I could relate to. When you throw Nathan into the mix the whole adventure just seems to get even better. I loved the way the action really seems to build up and you’re not just thrown right into the middle of something that seems too abrupt. You never see it coming who’s actually behind everything that happens either (the bad guys are definitely hidden well until it all comes out in the end). I loved the romance and the development of the relationships. Plus you’re going to be drawn to everything that’s happening throughout the book (even the less adventurous parts). Adie may fancy herself somewhat of a detective, but her antics are sometimes more funny than informative in Famous Penultimate Words by Roberta Pearce.

Famous Penultimate Words by Roberta Pearce is a romantic suspense. Can you die twice? Somebody thinks you can. Adie Wilding is nothing special, just a normal everyday kind of girl. But someone wants her dead and shoots her. She dies but is revived in hospital, where she meets Nathan Crawford. Nathan and Adie get together to try to figure out why she was randomly shot – only it wasn’t quite as straightforward as that. As the bodies begin to pile up, people that Adie knew, it becomes clear that there is more to this than first appeared. Adie’s life is truly hanging in the balance now as she fights to find the killer and keep herself alive one more time.

Famous Penultimate Words by Roberta Pearce was a real mix of suspense, mystery and a bit of humor thrown in for good measure. I thoroughly enjoyed the story; Ms. Pearce has a real way with words and the ability to bring her characters to life in an instant. The story was told in a no-nonsense manner, straight to the point, but with plenty of description as well. The plot unfolded nicely, a few twists and turns that kept me reading. The mark of a good author is one who can keep her readers interested, wanting to read on to see what happens. Ms. Pearce has achieved that very well with this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of romance mixed with mystery.