Author Holds Book Launch At Rago Bros Funeral Home, Featured Prominently In New Novel
WEST TOWN — Author Amy Peele’s new novel prominently features Chicago’s oldest funeral home. So when it came time to plan a book release party, Peele said, only one venue would do: Rago Brothers Funeral Home.
“Last Bite,” Peele’s romantic-comedy set in Chicago, held a launch party Wednesday at the funeral home at 624 N. Western Ave. in West Town. Peele is familiar with the business through her previous career as a Rush Hospital nurse, when she would contact funeral homes for body transport.
When Peele sat down to write her book, Rago Brothers made sense as a central location in the fictional story, which is a love letter to the city, Peele said.
The plot of “Last Bite,” released in February, revolves around a situation many funeral goers have experienced: when you go to a service and grab a bite to eat only to realize the food is subpar.
This exact situation launches the plot and “coming-of-middle-age” story that follows protagonist Angie Sortino — a reserved, funny woman from Little Italy — as she figures out life following the sudden death of her husband.
As Sortino picks up the pieces of her life and grapples with mounting expenses, she teams up with her niece and a friend to launch a memorial catering service named Last Bite. The venture provides the 45-year-old widow with a new purpose and way to move forward through her grief while she sets out to learn who her husband really was amid his enigmatic legacy and a mysterious storage unit.
“It’s never too late to start over,” said Peele, who lives in San Francisco but is a native of Chicago. “It is having family and friends surround her to encourage her to get back on her feet, and sometimes people don’t get back on their feet” following a loss.
Rago Brothers Funeral Home is the oldest such business in Chicago, having famously buried Al Capone. The funeral home is the opening scene of the novel — which depicts Sortino’s husband’s funeral — and later is a venue for her catering company. The business even hosts a steamy encounter or two.
Funeral Director Lou Rago also appears as a character in the novel.
“We’re honored to be part of” the book, Rago said. Peele “put a tag on pretty close to what happens [at the funeral home]. I’m proud to call her a friend now. … It’s a big plus for Rago Brothers.”
Peele’s readers got to check out the funeral home for the book’s launch.
Attendees of the launch party got to hear Peele discuss the book as well as play party games such as a bingo and a Mad Libs-style game based on Chicago locations featured in the book. Some fans came in Cubs gear, a nod to Wrigley Field being another central location in the story.
Peele, a native of suburban Park Forest, grew up in the Chicago area and worked as a transplant nurse at the University of Chicago and Rush hospitals before relocating to San Francisco in 1985. In her 30s, she began taking improv classes at Second City, and the creative skills she learned opened the door for her writing, she said.
Peele has written the best-selling medical mysteries “Cut,” “Match” and “Hold.” “Last Bite” is Peele’s first foray into romantic comedy, as the author said the book was motivated partly by her love for food, fandom of the Cubs and her favorite city, Chicago.
“People will say it’s a love letter to Chicago. I would say it is,” Peele said. “My takeaway is don’t be afraid to try something new.”
“Last Bite” is available on Peele’s website and wherever books are sold.
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