Book excerpt: A murder. A missing manuscript. An undying love. Thisbe Chisholm wants to be a writer. It's 2007, a time of digital revolution and skyrocketing property prices, but she's an old-fashioned girl. She doesn't even own a mobile phone. She has no stars-in-her-eyes desire for fame, to see her name on the cover of a book, either. She longs only to tell of the stories written on her heart. While her best friends, Penny and Jane, and her darling boyfriend, John, seem set for stellar careers in their chosen fields, Thisbe works nights as a hostess at a glitzy harbourside Sydney club - a job she despises but it's paid the rent for the last three years since university graduation. Just as she completes her novel, though, she is brutally killed at the end of John's street. Who murdered Thisbe? What will become of her novel? From the gritty glamour of Bondi Beach to the cold streets of London, here is a tale of tragedy and literary betrayal, of a publishing industry grappling with change and a great love drowning in guilt-wracked grief. Haunting, whimsical and sharply observed, Her Last Words lays bare the truth that, while some crimes might go unpunished among the privileged, words themselves have a way of enduring - and exacting a justice all their own. Praise for Kim Kelly 'deeply moving...alive, full-hearted and shimmering with hope' - Belinda Castles, Bluebottle 'Kelly is a masterful creator of character and voice.' - Julian Leatherdale, Palace of Tears 'history that makes you think as well as feel' - Wendy James, The Golden Child 'an author who writes with such a striking sense of atmosphere and sublime instinct' - Theresa Smith Writes 'storytelling is clearly encoded in her DNA' - Writerful Books 'It is uplifting to know that there are people who can write like this, with clarity, a bit of devilment and a hint of a smile.' Canberra Times 'marvellous depth and authenticity based on some impressive research, and her characters, plot and fluid prose draw the reader into this world' - Daily Telegraph 'colourful, evocative and energetic' - Sydney Morning Herald 'storytelling that breaks the rules so beautifully' - Jenn J McLeod, A Place to Remember 'Kim Kelly's writing is magnificent' - With Love for Books 'told with wit, warmth and courage' - Kylie Mason, The Newtown Review of Books 'vivid and enthralling' - Lisa Walker, The Girl with the Gold Bikini 'simply superb' - Karen Brooks, The Darkest Shore