The Last Hurrah By GaGa Gabardi and Judilee Butler Redefines The Cozy Mystery Heroine

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, The Last Hurrah: A Phoebe Korneal Mystery by Judilee Butler and GaGa Gabardi brings a badge-wearing, fiercely independent deputy to the cozy genre, delivering a sharp whodunit, Colorado mining history, and an award-winning celebration of women who refuse to choose between ambition and heart.

The Last Hurrah

In a genre often filled with amateur sleuths who stumble into crime between baking scones or arranging flowers, Deputy Phoebe Korneal stands apart. She is a full-time law enforcement professional in the small mountain town of Oresville, Colorado — armed with a badge, a sharp mind, and zero interest in being anyone’s quaint sidekick. The Last Hurrah: A Phoebe Korneal Mystery marks the debut of a series that deliberately breaks the cozy mold by placing a capable, ambitious woman squarely at the center of both the investigation and the storytelling.

One summer morning, beloved local prospector Old Al is found dead deep inside the long-abandoned Sunshine Mine. To the tight-knit community, the gentle old miner was practically family. Accident, misadventure, or murder? Whispers of missing gold and hidden relationships soon turn quiet grief into suspicion.

Deputy Phoebe Korneal takes charge of the investigation. As she follows a twisting trail of clues, she uncovers Old Al’s secret romance with the reclusive Augusta and long-buried truths tied to the town’s colorful mining past. The case forces Phoebe to confront not only a killer but the persistent expectations placed on women — especially women who wear a uniform and refuse to shrink their ambitions to fit someone else’s comfort.

More Than a Whodunit

While the mystery drives the story forward with eccentric suspects and clever red herrings, the heart of the book lies in its honest portrayal of modern womanhood. Phoebe has made a deliberate vow to keep romance at arm’s length while she builds her career, yet the investigation keeps pulling eligible (and complicating) men into her path. Layer by layer, readers watch her wrestle with the same tensions countless professional women know well: how to be excellent at the job without apologizing for wanting both success and connection.

Woven through the suspense are lively lessons in Colorado mining history and celebrations of the tough, resourceful women who helped settle the high country — women whose spirits Phoebe quietly channels every time she pushes back against doubt.

The Last Hurrah has already earned serious recognition in its home state, becoming a Colorado Authors League Finalist and taking third place from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. Critics and readers praise the book’s crisp dialogue, colorful supporting cast, and unapologetic feminist perspective wrapped inside classic cozy trappings.

Judilee Butler and GaGa Gabardi

Judilee Butler and GaGa Gabardi bring their own hard-won experience to the page. Both authors have navigated male-dominated fields — Gabardi in telecommunications and high-level project management (with master’s degrees in both project management and business, plus advanced training from Stanford), Butler in tech marketing after starting as an elementary teacher. Retirement gave them the runway to write full-time, and they now channel decades of workplace insight into characters who refuse to be sidelined.

Gabardi, who earned her pilot’s license along the way and funds her flying with consulting work, lives at 8,000 feet in the Colorado mountains with her husband and a collection of outdoor “toys.” Butler, originally from upstate New York, traded snowy winters for North Carolina, Maine, and finally Wyoming, declaring each move her last — until the next one.

Together, they are committed to showing strong, capable women rising above obstacles both professional and personal. Phoebe Korneal is only the beginning.

Step Into Oresville

With its blend of humor, history, heart, and a heroine who trades teacups for a sidearm, The Last Hurrah delivers a cozy mystery that feels decidedly fresh. If you’re ready for a sleuth who redefines what “cozy” can mean, grab your detective hat and head to Oresville. Deputy Phoebe Korneal is waiting — and she’s got a case to solve.

Find more from Judilee Butler and GaGa Gabardi now:

For more information, please visit BNG Books

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