Ambiguity over authorship is at the heart of the mystery in The Last Word. How is the true authorship of Murder Beach concealed, and how does this concealment enhance the overall mystery? Use specific examples to analyze Adams’s deceptive choice of diction.

The Last Word portrays many disparate perspectives that are separated from one another by the strategic use of different fonts. Among the various excerpts in this quasi-epistolary novel are phone texts, whiteboard messages, transcripts of phone calls, and the infamous book-within-a-book. How does Adams interweave these perspectives to create false impressions and deliver foreshadowing throughout the novel?

Why does Adams portray Shawn as if he is dead? What is the true meaning behind Emma’s habit of referring to her husband as “The Immortal Shawn”?