THE LAST WORD: In his own words, Chester Gillette finally reveals everything about his life, his death, and Grace Brown

by Patrick Maxwell

351 pages, Paperback

Published October 17, 2024

Reviews

[Melissa Acquaviva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up visiting Big Moose lake and staying in a camp right next to the Glenmore. The story of Chester and Grace has fascinated me since childhood. I took opportunities to visit each place they stayed on Big Moose and the area of the lake where Grace died. I am a resident of Utica, NY and it seemed crazy that they had stayed overnight in my hometown and toured it. Today, the old Herkimer jail is still considered to be haunted by Chester’s ghost and Big Moose lake by the spirit of Grace. While I can’t say that I’ve ever had an experience of the paranormal with this case, I have maintained a considerable fascination. The Last Word was really eye opening. It brought to life the whole picture of who Chester was. Based on his diary and letters, published much later, after his family were all gone and the famous book “Death in the Adirondacks” had been written, this showed a side of Chester never known to me before. Everyone knew he was lacking in constitution and morality when he impregnated and murdered Grace, but to see this person after his trial, his struggles within himself to even admit his own guilt, was illuminating. Can a person be truly forgiven for taking another life? Is a “life for a life” the right punishment when you look at all the circumstances? This book really makes you think about the answers to those questions. For me, I’m still on the fence, but I can say there is more compassion for both of these individuals and their families through the reading of this book. Great read…with stimulating and deep personal introspection as well.

[Celeen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book very interesting. I am from the Mohawk Valley in NY where most of the story takes place so I had heard of the Gillette Murder and it was eye opening to hear more details about the people involved and how the trial was conducted. The premise of the book is that Chester Gillette is narrating the story of his life. Before coming to NY, he was a very curious boy and found himself in trouble a number of times. As he goes through his tweens and teens, he is often left to his own devices and mischief follows. Chester thinks the life is a game where he should always be having fun and has little sense of responsbility. Once in NY, his carefree attitude continues even when he needs to be more mature and take responsibility for his actions. This immaturity creates tragic consequences. I enjoyed this book and recommend it.