The Pickerings' Last Tango

A Very Different Love Story

John Grayson Heide

A funny, heartbreaker of a novel about how (not) to kill your wife

Guy Pickering fell in love with Dorothy when they were just kids. Many years later, instead of enjoying their Florida retirement, he’s plotting ways to kill her. At her request.

Dorothy has received a terminal cancer diagnosis and has asked Guy to help end her suffering. But there’s a problem; he can’t imagine killing her, and can’t fathom living without her. So, Guy concocts a plan to deceive Dorothy with a fake terminal diagnosis of his own, hoping he can saunter through the pearly gates right beside his beloved.

This final romantic gesture goes awry with Guy’s repeated and clumsy attempts. Things are further complicated when a nosy neighbor gets suspicious and a rebellious teenage grandson unexpectedly arrives.

Romance meets comedy of errors in John Grayson Heide’s witty tale of marriage, death, and spectacularly bad timing. A bold and darkly optimistic contemplation of the things we’ll do for love, The Pickerings' Last Tango is as tender as it is twisted.

John Grayson Heide has written one previous novel, The Flight of the Pickerings, as well as numerous short stories and a few screenplays. When not fussing over his house plants in Sun Valley, Idaho, he spends time in Panama, Hawaii, and in pubs around the world.

In 2008, while residing in Hawaii and stewing about losing his life's savings in a real estate venture gone sideways, he awoke one morning from a most engaging dream. The Pickerings' story was born. Directing his attention to writing lifted John from depression. The Flight of the Pickerings was published in 2016 and garnered a small but loyal fan base. The Pickerings’ Last Tango is an extensively rewritten version.

Over the years, the author had four different editors who each contributed to some aspect of the book. Too many friends to mention individually also helped with encouragement and feedback. Thank you to all.

The Pickerings’ Last Tango is dedicated to the author's late wife, Janice, who listened to his movie-like dream that fateful morning and said, “You ought to write that.” The author lost Janice to cancer in February 2022.