Rodney Strong

The fourth entry in the Silvermoon Retirement Village series, ANTIQUES AND ASSAULT is part of what's overall a cozy, fun series, with 98 year old Alice Atkinson at the centre of a maelstrom of murder, vice and goings on that would do more than rock a retirement home - but Alice, and the retirement village she secretly owns, are made of much sterner stuff. Just.

Full Review at: https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/antiques-and-assault… (lisätietoja)

Alice Atkinson is back, laid up with an injured ankle and mildly bored. When her friend, and fellow resident of Silvermoon Retirement Centre, Owen asks for her help with his wayward granddaughter who has gotten herself into a spot of trouble. Nothing compared to the trouble she's going to be in when her boyfriend is found dead on the Centre grounds, and she keeps conveniently "forgetting" to make with all those little details of a story that mean that Alice can think her way to a solution.

Being laid up doesn't stop Alice, although it does complicate the investigation slightly, especially with the slow drip feed of information going on.

The third novel in the Silvermoon Retirement Centre series, these are tailored made for fans of cosy, fun crime fiction, with a central character who is very engaging, albeit a bit more than meets the eye herself.… (lisätietoja)

Loved this book. I have said that about a cozy mystery. probably twice in my entire life. The dialogue between Oliver, the main character, and Violet, the ghost, was difficult to follow in the beginning, I think it had a lot to do with the punctuation the publisher used. It's an entirely different format than most mysteries are written in. It's all told from the male point of view. A househusband, who wants to write a book, suddenly finds himself with a hitchhiker in his head. A young woman who died years ago is up in arms as someone is using her name, after a visit to the cemetery with his family. Suddenly he is thrust into a world that is completely foreign to him. Tracking down the woman proves easier than dealing with the police after a dead body is found. He had managed to track her to an antique shop where she was trying establish a painting's authenticity. Now the painting has been stolen, the dealer is dead, he has a voice in his head and everyone seems to think he knows more than he does. Terrific characters - full of life mixed into a plot that's clever, witty and fun.… (lisätietoja)

HIP FLASK AND HANGING is the second in the Silvermoon Retirement Village Cozy series featuring the intrepid, impressive and slightly dodgy 97 year old Alice Atkinson, resident of the aforementioned retirement village and investigator. She of the many many ghosts from the past, although one wandering past her in the street was most unexpected, and decidedly unwelcome.

The past is one thing, and it's gotten way too close which is going to need Alice to do some serious recalling of events from 1969 in Swinging London, but in the current day, and much closer to home, her friend Teresa needs help - she's sure somebody is breaking into her retirement complex apartment but nobody will believe her. It's up to Alice, and her trusty companion, fellow sleuth, and home employee, Vanessa to track down the culprit. Needless to say, events from 1969 seem to have leaked into current day life, and Alice finds herself in danger, and we all know Alice isn't going anywhere without putting up a darn good fight.

This really is a very engaging cosy styled series, mostly because the character of Alice is wonderfully real. It doesn't hurt that this gentle, mannered elderly lady has lived quite a life, and continues to do so, what with hipflasks secreted all over the apartment, and some of the memories of 1969 London decidedly on the risque side of little old lady expectations.

Comic, and clever, this series is one of those that will most definitely appeal to anybody who is looking for something a little unusual, and perhaps a little hopeful as we all slide inexorably into that age where you'd hope that a bit of reminiscing wasn't going to work better than medically prescribed sleep medications.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/hip-flask-and-hanging-rodney-strong… (lisätietoja)