Always Murder cover art

Always Murder

The Last Picks, Book 9

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Always Murder

By: Gregory Ashe
Narrated by: Andrew Gibson
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £12.35

Buy Now for £12.35

The only thing worse than murder is…no murder?

It’s Christmastime, and Dashiell Dawson Dane (just Dash) is looking forward to a quiet holiday season—no unexpected visitors, no relationship drama, and absolutely no murders.

But when his friend Millie asks for help, Dash says yes. Because that’s what friends do.

Millie’s brother, he learns, has been accused of stealing packages from his job as a delivery driver. Worse, he’s been fired. So, Millie’s request is simple: clear her brother’s name—and, in the process, save Christmas.

No small task, it turns out, as Dash faces a suspiciously hostile warehouse manager, stumbles onto a family of porch pirates, and somehow gets roped into the Nought Family Nativity Pageant. And when Millie’s brother disappears, Dash fears the worst. In Dash’s (growing) experience, that can only mean one thing…

Because it’s always murder.

Isn’t it?

©2025 Gregory Ashe (P)2025 Gregory Ashe Cosy Literature & Fiction Mystery Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Crime Murder Christmas
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant

Listener received this title free

I’m always excited when I find the next audio of The Last Picks has been released. I adore Dash. Truly. He’s quirky, he’s funny (although he doesn’t always mean to be), he’s sarcastic, and his observations about life and those around him are spot on. His little asides to the reader are the reminder that although this is a ‘cozy’ mystery, Dash and the people around him don’t comport that way. In Dash’s real world, there’s swearing and sex. To the reader, though, those things are covered up. The compromise is to open the stories up to those who don’t always reach for the next explicit gay story (like Gregory’s previous gritty police procedural and detective novels).

Anyway, Dash is trying to navigate the new relationship between Keme and Millie. Keme is both a teenager and, in many senses, a man. But he loves Millie and will do just about anything he can to make her happy. Even deal with her overbearing and sometimes very condescending family (see the Christmas pageant for the perfect example),

Meanwhile, Millie’s brother is accused of stealing parcels from the courier company he works for. Door cam footage reveals Santa is the porch pirate. Yeah, so a little weird. Dash gets roped into helping prove Paul innocent. The problem? Well, there’s no body. Dash always is investigating a murder. I kept thinking I was missing something.

In the end, though, things sorted themselves out and I went, ‘oh, yeah’.

I enjoyed the story. I enjoyed the interactions between The Last Picks and those around them. I enjoyed watching the progressing relationship between Dash and Bobby. I can’t wait for more!

Andrew Gibson is so perfectly cast for this series – he nails all the characters, but especially Dash. I had a fun time listening to this one.

I enjoyed this one

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Listener received this title free

This one is all about MILLIE and the most dysfunctional family in all of existence. No seriously, Millie's mom makes Dash's mom look good. But luckily the Last Picks are the greatest family ever. I think these books hit so hard for me because Dash's internal monologue is what I hear in my own head 99% of the time. With the exception of all the classic mystery books I haven't read but always want to because Dash makes them sound so good. And there is some renewed relationship angst but it makes sense for both couples and of course, all works out in the end.

My favorite part is still all the fourth wall breaking. Dash is constantly pointing out great times to reveal a body which keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting for when he's going to stumble upon something! It keeps me falling for all the red herrings, but I actually feel like part of the team.

Surprise surprise, I absolutely loved this one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Enjoyable story that is well written with likeable characters and good world building. The narration is very good as well.

Enjoyable Story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Listener received this title free

This time we find out a little more about Millie's family, and start to understand why she is so loud.

The mystery as ever is top notch (I had no idea 'who did it'). I very much enjoyed seeing how Dash and Bobby's relationship grows, and how Dash grows emotionally.

The narrator really makes the book work for me. He embodies the characters ane it was a real listening pleasure.

Another great cosy mystery.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Thulis is the first in the series where I find the main characters annoying. All of them cause they allow the people they love to be bullied, and Dash because he invalidate and dismiss his boyfriend. otherwise as allways a fun and cosy listening.

cosy mystery. fun, light, well written but annoying.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews