Final Word: Winterton Deception, Book 1

The Winterton Deception #1

by Janet Sumner Johnson, Eevin Hartsough (Narrator)

It rained the day we went to see Brandon Winterton's grave.

Hope Smith can't stand rich people—the dictionary magnate family the Wintertons most of all. Not since she and her twin brother, Gordon, learned that their dad was one. So when Gordon enters the family into the Winterton’s charity spelling bee, Hope wants nothing to do with it.

But with their mom losing her job and the family facing eviction from the motel where they live, they desperately need the money, and it looks like Hope doesn’t have much of a choice.

After winning the preliminary round, the Smiths are whisked to Winterton Chalet to compete in the official Winterton Bee against their long-lost relatives. Hope wants to get in and out, beat the snobbish family at their own game, and never see them again. But deceased matriarch Jane Winterton had other plans for this final family showdown. Before her death, she set up a clue hunt throughout the manor—an alternate way for Hope and Gordon to get the money that could change their lives.

Still, others are on the trail, too. With tensions at an all-time high, a fortune at stake, and long-simmering family secrets about to boil to the surface, anything could happen.

A taut, clever clue hunt unafraid to tackle the challenges and secrets often kept behind closed doors, Final Word is a gripping series starter sure to satisfy even the most voracious armchair detectives.

Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery, Adventure, Fiction, Family, Childrens, Contemporary

Audible Audio

Published November 28, 2023

About the author

Janet Sumner Johnson lives in Utah with her husband and three kids. She bakes a mean cinnamon twist and eats way more cookies than are good for her, which explains her running habit. Though her full-time occupation as evil tyrant/benevolent dictator (aka mom) takes most of her time, she sneaks in writing at night when her inner funny bone is fully unleashed.

Reviews

[Amina · Rating 3 out of 5]

✰ 3 stars ✰

“We all say and do things we wish we hadn’t. That doesn’t make us bad. It makes us human. What matters is what we choose to do afterward.

A little determination to make things right can go a long way. You should look up that word in the dictionary. Determination.”

Drawing inspiration from one of my favorite middle grade reads was probably the one thing that was not favorable for The Winterton Deception to attempt. I read The Westing Game last year and it was - even The Inheritance Games series doesn't hold a candle to the euphoric feeling I had while reading that Newbery Award-winning book that eluded me during my school years. So, to write a story similar to that premise, while also mentioning it in the book - I could not enjoy it for it could have been. 😮‍💨

“Not in this huge house where Jane Winterton could afford to pay for all the hot water in the world.

Money doesn’t fix problems, it only complicates them.”



This is one of those rare moments where neither the writing nor the characters connected with me or with each other. I don't know how to explain it, but the energy of the story was not stimulating or purposeful for me. 😖 It starts off with a pair of twins, Hope and Gordon, uncovering the true identity of their father - what unfolds next is that in order to save their family from being evicted from their home or forcing their mother to place them in foster care, they participate in a spelling competition held yearly by a highly prominent and well-esteemed family - the Wintertons. While navigating their way through difficult spelling quizzes, they get entangled in a mysterious and dangerous treasure hunt for a missing manuscript - one that will grant them riches far beyond that the prize money has to offer. It sounds so promising, right? What could have gone wrong?? 🥺

And, well, I'm always up for a good mystery to solve and there were plenty of clues that were laid out that could have piqued my interest; sadly, I just wasn't able to invest myself with the story. 😞 Hope, as the protagonist was not a likeable or compelling one, either - yes, she did show some reflective maturity as the plot progressed and she learned the error of her outlook on her life and her family, but I still could not connect with her situation - regardless of how important it was. She never really presented herself in a positive light and that made it difficult for me to care for her, in any of the conflicts she faced - not with her mother or her twin brother, Gordon, or even her resentment towards the family that had abandoned them. 🙍🏻‍♀️

“Not once had I listened to anyone but myself. Not once had I chosen kindness over resentment. Not once had I treated any of them how I wanted to be treated. I’d closed myself off, and now I was left with exactly what I deserved.

Nothing.”

There was also something lacking in the writing; it was attempting to be meaningful and emotional, but it was not delivering on it - ah, how can I explain it? 🤔 In standardized tests, I always had a knack for the spelling criteria, so I enjoyed learning different words and how they could be applied. Yet, the competition parts themselves didn't evoke any feeling of excitement or feeling of anticipation - the delivery was just lackluster and a bit robotic - ah, that's the word! Robotic - the words did not have any feeling to it - just empty. 🙎🏻‍♀️

And also a small suggestion - the Winterton clan is large - with a lot of family members and a lot of names that tend to overlap with how similar they are. Heck, even one relative states that their parents made a mistake to have all their children's first names start with the letter B! 😭 So, if there had been a family tree that showed how each character was related, it would have helped immensely - rather than me getting spaced out over who was the uncle and who was the cousin. Just a little something to make it a bit easier to enjoy. 🤷🏻‍♀️

The definite positive note was the surprise ending - I did not see that coming - AT ALL! Very well-played and very smoothly shown that made me surprised that I missed the apparent clues! I also enjoyed improving my vocabulary with the many different words that wee used in the demanding teats. Perhaps I was too worn out from trying to keep track of everything else that was going on, that I couldn't quite get drawn into it. So, even though it wasn't quite off to a promising and engaging start, I'm still that curious person who will tune in to see what other family secrets lie in wait for the Winterton family. 🕵🏻‍♀️

[Dannii Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twins, Hope and Gordon, enter a spelling contest as a means to save their family from financial ruin. Once they arrive, however, they find that there are far more than words to puzzle out, as a series of clues is left for them, revealing a hidden fortune and dark secrets about the wealthy relations they’ve never known.

This was such a fun middle grade novel! The clues they were attempting to puzzle out were littered throughout the entire novel, meaning there was always something ponder and a new revelation to make. Asides from this, the number of other individuals competing in the spelling bee meant there was a plethora of characters to meet and understand.

Hope and Gordon differed greatly in their regard for their competition and this became just as much a heart-warming tale of acceptance as it did a fun and adventurous one.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Janet Sumner Johnson , and the publisher, Pixel+Ink, for this opportunity.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review coming soon

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm, I had such high hopes for this one and just didn't love it the way I wanted to. I was engaged for most of the book, but felt like the ending devolved into silliness and was pretty overwrought/unbelievable. The clues throughout were interesting enough and actually felt like ones that kids might be able to decipher on their own, and I did want to know what was going to happen and did appreciate the family theme that runs throughout. So I have very mixed feelings. 2.5 stars, rounded up. I will be interested to hear what kids at the library think of this book.

[Kate Willis]

I very much enjoyed the mystery and the themes. Also, rainy graveyards and secret passageways and Jane Austen-themed everything. 😍 Hope's character arc was something I needed to hear, for sure.

Unfortunately, the very end felt a little *too* inspired by The Westing Game.

[Trigger Warning Database]

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Familial estrangement due to substance addiction
Gambling addiction mentioned (secondary character)
Death of a teenage boy in a car accident
Kidnapping & captivity

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a middle grade version of The Inheritance Games meet The Wishing Game. I'm shocked by how much I enjoyed this.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! Excited to have my 11 and 13 year olds read it!

[Cora Mabry · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is inspired by The Westing Game, which I wish I had known going in since I've never been a fan of that book. Final Word, though, is even more convoluted and the whole concept is just preposterous. People faking their own deaths, using fake accents/disguises that no one notices, kids being allowed to run wild with no adult supervision while they try to "solve" a bizarre "mystery". Weirdest of all, the whole book is dictionary/spelling bee themed? What 10/12 year old kids are that interested in reading books about dictionaries??

Speaking of the spelling bee, why in the world do these people participate in it? I understand wanting to win the cash prize, but the fact that you have middle aged men and ten year olds in the same competition seems not only unfair but HIGHLY unlikely. Even the most petty 45-year-old man would not stoop to battle children in a spelling bee for some cash, and even if he did I'm sure his friends/family would badger him until he withdrew.

There were way too many characters to keep up with (made worse by the fact that I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator gives all the male characters the same voice, even the 10 year old boy).

The Jane Austen references were so weird in a book meant for pre-teens. In general this is a bookish book but the constant dropping/listing of authors and novels felt forced, as if Johnson just wanted to give some shout outs to books she liked.

Also, the completely unnecessary child endangerment/attempted murder/kidnapping/forced captivity disturbed me and I did not feel that needed to be in this book at all. The fact that Hope and Gordon weren't traumatizing by their experiences just proves that that scene could've been left out or heavily edited.

CW: paternal death/abandonment, car accident, divorce, child endangerment

[Lastblossom]

tl;dr
Another entry in the grand tradition of stories about squabbling rich families and the fallout over a will.

Thoughts
Anyone looking for the cocktail of mysterious benefactors, strange mansions, treasure hunts with cryptic clues, and a high-stakes competition will find all that and more. Final Word is not shy about its inspiration - even referencing The Westing Game within its own text. And while there are certainly a lot of similar beats, this one opts to pick a more serious tone. The competition for the money is interspersed with themes of grief, family trauma, hurt, and forgiveness. The main character is surprisingly cynical (maybe TOO cynical?) for a pre-teen, but at least her level of savvy saves the reader from having to yell at her naiveté. The puzzles were all very clever and fun to try to figure out, and I appreciated all the literary references as well. Of note, this appears to be the first in a series, despite the main competition wrapping up in this volume. I will be curious to see where it goes from here.

Thanks to NetGalley and Holiday House for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 This felt like it was trying to be a middle grade version of The Inheritance Games, and it just didn't hit the mark all the way for me. Some of the puzzles were fun and I loved all the book references, but Hope as a character annoyed me a bit and it felt like the story was a bit too long/the plot was not edited tightly enough for me.

[Amita · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was mid as hell (maybe worse) and I'm kinda mad that it was mid. concept is really good, was expecting a middle grade version of knives out especially since I think that was one of the comps given somewhere in the description??? unfortunately it was not giving knives out.

the book is too scared to have anything actually that bad happen to the characters so it feels watered down and way too tame (yes even for a middle grade I promise kids can handle more than this). and I kept feeling like I was being pushed to take one side of every disagreement, which is something that really irritates me in a book. let your readers draw their own conclusions dawg I promise that you won't die. because of this you get really weird instances where the main character is always portrayed as rude for not trusting/liking the other characters even when she has a valid reason. maybe like a handful of times it's a misunderstanding and for the rest the other characters are actually just being jerks LMAO

also get this rich people propaganda OUT dude ong. constantly shoving "ohhh but rich people have so many problems too you should feel so bad for them uwu" in my face uhhh maybe try not hoarding wealth and not being stuck up and privileged sorry.

[Missie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, especially since it felt like it was aiming to be a middle-grade version of The Inheritance Games, which I absolutely loved. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

There were definitely some highlights—the puzzles were fun and engaging, and I enjoyed all the book references scattered throughout. They added a nice touch and gave the story an extra layer of appeal. However, the character of Hope didn’t work for me. She came across as a bit annoying at times, which detracted from my overall enjoyment.

The story itself felt longer than it needed to be. It seemed like the plot could have been tightened up a bit to maintain a more focused narrative. As it stood, the pacing dragged in parts, making the read feel a bit sluggish.

Overall, while there were aspects I appreciated, such as the puzzles and book references, the book fell short of the expectations set by The Inheritance Games. I’m giving it 3.5 stars—it's not a total miss, but it didn’t quite deliver the gripping experience I was hoping for.

[Carli · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. This was a sleeper hit for me. When I came across it and saw that it was described as The Westing Game meets The Inheritance Games, I was all in. So there’s these twins, Hope and Gordon, whose mom is struggling to make ends meet, and who don’t know who their father is. They on their own research and find out that he is Brandon Winterton, the deceased son of the famed dictionary magnates. Then, Gordon convinces Hope and their mom to enter the annual Winterton spelling bee, which comes with a huge cash prize. Their mom doesn’t know they know who their dad is, so she’s fine it and they enter. They not only qualify, but win, and find themselves at the Winterton manor competing against their family, who doesn’t know they are related, and solving a side quest thanks to some mysterious clues that keep coming up. But someone doesn’t want them playing - and may use force to stop them. Delightful for grades 5-8. #mglit #librarian #librariansofinstagram #middleschoollibrarian

[T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun. I don’t read a ton of middle grade and, admittedly, I found Hope annoying for the first couple of chapters. But once the events of the plot kicked off, I found it intriguing. There’s a spelling bee, a mystery, lots of little clues surrounding literature and words, and family drama/coming of age. It works well across the story. I realized that we’re all probably a bit unbearable at 12, too, and Hope grew on me.

I think there may be more in the series. I’m not sure if I’ll read more but it’ll depend on the plot. This was a lot like The Westing Game, and 30 years later, that remains a favorite.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC.

[Jenn Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything: family secrets, twins, a competitive spelling bee, the chance to win a huge pile of money, and so much more. From all it has to offer in terms of plot, though, what kept me invested above and beyond anything else was the beating heart at the core of this mystery. Hope Smith carries a pretty big chip on her shoulder--a hatred of rich people after all the ways they've burned her over the years. The more time she spends in the Knives Out-esque Winterton Chalet, the more this gut feeling is teased out and challenged. Her epiphanies by the story's end are plenty earned. I can't wait to see what happens in the next volume!

[Rebecca McPhedran · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Maine Student Book Award nominee for 24|25.

When twins Gordon and Hope are invited to participate in the prestigious Winterton spelling bee, Gordon is totally for it. Hope has reservations, mostly because one of the Winterton children is their father; and she doesn’t think she can trust stuck up rich people.

When they arrive, the spelling bee is so much more. There are warring family members and a lost manuscript; not to mention lots of money up for grabs. This would be good for fans of The Mysterious Benedict Society. I enjoyed it; but at times felt that it was dragging and ended up being too long.

[C.J. Milbrandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the style of The Westing Game or the 39 Clues series, family members gather in the wake of their matriarch's demise, even twins Hope & Gordon, who are like ... the secret lovechildren of the family's tragically lost son. The setup is an annual spelling bee, and there are riddled clues and secret passages and factions and peer pressure and in-fighting. The author throws in several references to Jane Austen's books, which made it even more enjoyable for longtime a fan like me.

Solid storytelling. I'll pick up the next volume for sure.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely brilliant mystery full of dark secrets, complicated clues, and the promise of fortune - and, ultimately, family.

The characters are strong - each with their own needs as motivations. The treasure hunt is well crafted and twisty enough to keep you guessing. And the heart of the story is beautifully conveyed.

Janet Sumner Johnson delivers in this story of intrigue, mistrust, and family ties. There's something to enjoy here for every reader. A must for your bookshelf or library.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun middle grade puzzle story!
.
I liked the spelling bee aspect and the Jane Austen puzzle connections. I really liked the cousin relationships.
.
I struggled a lot with the main character, Hope. She was so quick to judge and held onto the perceived wrongs she'd suffered for so long. She learned some lessons, but it felt like it took too long for those lessons to come for her. I had to keep reminding myself that she was a teenager and to be patient with her immaturity.
.
The audiobook was excellent, and I'd recommend this book to anyone even with my quibbles.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure how much of my bad experience with this book was the narrator (I don’t do audiobooks very often), and how much was the writer.
It doesn’t feel fair to give this such a low rating because the narrator was unprofessional.
But, here we are.
This dragged. It dragged on and ON.
The narrator had a massive saliva problem, and extremely wet consonants .. and the men all had the same voice. It was so tedious and jarring.

I’m sure this might be enjoyable. If you like the Brothers Hawthorne, and it didn’t get old for you, you might enjoy this.

[Emme Hoopes · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was very slow and boring. When I thought that the “it’s getting to the good part” moment was going to happen it never did. The main character was mean and fought with almost anyone. And the brother,(who should have been extremely involved) was mostly caught playing with his friends. The people who were main characters never really meant anything at the end. The Grandmother wasn’t even recognized by her sons! Some of the wording was unnecessary like, “I wiped my face on my shirt” or something. The main point of the book was trying to be fun it just didn’t make any sense.

[Haley Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twists and turns abound in this fun puzzle mystery for tweens. Strongly reminiscent of The Westing Game, it features a dirt-poor brother and sister who must win a Spelling Bee to keep themselves and their mom fed and the rent paid. Little do they know that there is more than meets the eye to the Winterton family. Great book for kids who love mysteries!

Content:
It's mentioned that two major characters were born out of wedlock. Mild violence.

Ages 10+

[Lynne Herring · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down! Took on the plane to Hawaii and kept pouring through right to the end! Characters were intriguing and the plot was fast paced and gripping, even for an adult. Perfect mystery and I will recommend highly to friends and family❤️‍🩹 Educators who love spelling competitions and family will adore this outstanding read!

[Tish Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun ride!! This book reminded me of The Westing Game and Clue mixed with a Spelling Bee. It's such a fun mystery book with so many life lessons! Although this book is a YA, it reads so much older because of the sacrifices these kids and maturity they all have! I don't want to spoil it, but this was truly such a fun read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solidly fun middle grade mystery! Basically felt like the middle grade version of The Inheritance Games (without the love triangle, of course). Really loved the strong found family vibes! If the series continues, I’d be keen to revisit this family and see what they’re up to 😉

[Jamie Corral · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my 11 year old and we loved it! I think for a middle grade book it had everything they can look forward to as they continue to grow as a reader. It had mystery, family values, friendship, loss, a villain, and a lot of emotions happening in less than 400 pages!

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little mystery. And with a spelling bee! Oh, and Jane Austin.
I kept feeling reminded of The Westing Game.
There are clues, a treasure hunt, family drama & a lovely lesson about the power of forgiveness.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

There was a LOT of spelling in this book. I liked the puzzles, they were ok.

Two things that were a little odd:
HOW DID THEY FIGURE OUT BRANDON WINTERTON WAS THEIR DAD
and
WHY WAS IT ONLY HOPE THAT FIGURED OUT THE CLUE IN THE EPILOGUE

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Mystery

This was such a good book! I love mysteries, and this one had some twists I did not see coming. I really liked the lessons the main character learned along the way. I'm looking forward to the second book in the series.