Death In Sunset Grove: BOOK ONE

Meet Siiri and Irma, best friends and the queen bees of Sunset Grove, a retirement community for those still young at heart. With a combined age of nearly 180, Siiri and Irma are still just as inquisitive and witty as when they first met decades ago.

But when their comfortable world is upturned by a suspicious death at Sunset Grove, Siiri and Irma are shocked into doing something about it. Determined to find out exactly what happened and why, they begin their own private investigations and form The Lavender Ladies Detective Agency.

The trouble is, beneath Sunset Grove’s calm facade, there is more going on than meets the eye, and Siiri and Irma soon discover far more than they bargained for . . .

Escape From Sunset Grove: BOOK TWO

“It’s not easy sharing a flat. Especially when you’re 95 years old.

Change is afoot at Sunset Grove retirement home, and its residents aren’t impressed.

Under threat from falling masonry, best friends Irma and Siiri are forced out of their home to negotiate twenty-first-century living in the centre of Helsinki. Their new surroundings throw up an endless number of daily challenges, from caring for the ailing Anna-Lisa to the mystery of which of the many remotes controls the TV.

The pair are joined by growing numbers of friends in their flat-share, and their new close-quarters living raises some unexpected questions. As the Lavender Ladies begin to dig a little deeper, they find themselves following a trail of corruption, deceit and intimidation that might just lead them to their own front door . . .

The Lavender Ladies must steel themselves for what is set to be their most dangerous case yet.”

MY THOUGHTS:

I was sent this book from Pan Macmillan in exchange for my honest review!

I have to tell you, I was so enraptured with these crazy old ladies! lol The more I read, the more I felt they possess so many personality bits that my own mom does. I absolutely loved their quirky, cantankerous, fuddy duddy personalities. I love a book that’s invested in its characters, where the author brings them to life and their antics fill the pages of a book in such a way that you can’t put it down.

Although different in many ways, Silri and Irma are such a great fit for each other and their friendship is one to be envied. I loved this book and the second of this series, “Escape From Sunset Grove.” I plan on continuing the series if I can find the third. I am a huge fan of Miss Marple and Agatha Christie mysteries so these books were a great fit for me.

The writing is eloquent and flows gracefully, unfolding events in a detailed and entertaining way. I found myself smiling so often that I finished each book in one reading. If you are looking for a lovely series, that is easy to read and where the plot is smooth and complete with many twists and turns to keep you guessing, then I highly recommend these two books for you. Definitely character driven in my opinion and it’s the characters that you will come to love more than what’s happening around them. They make the story complete. This is not a hard hitting crime mystery, so those who love that type of book won’t be interested in these. Cozy mystery readers may love to get invested in this series as the books contain a similar simplicity and character development style. The author uses gentle humor and reflects on life for the aged in Helsinki, Finland and the character’s thought of Finnish history.

Two things I can’t stress enough. This book may not be for a younger crowd unless they have great relationships with aged folks in their lives to appreciate some of the writing topics. Secondly, this is a smooth flowing, cozy mystery that just doesn’t focus on just the ‘murder’ in the story (book one), so don’t go in to it thinking you’re getting a hard hitting crime mystery.

Book Two, you get into conditions and situations the aged have to deal with. You see more into the personalities of the main characters and even some of the secondary characters, and I really enjoyed this aspect. The topics in the second book were less a mystery to me, but more sad at times about how the elderly have to deal with an uncaring, corrupted care facility that drives them out of their ‘homes’ to alternate living situations. Although the author used humor to keep the sadness in tow, it was an eye-opening read about society’s blatant disregard and care for the elderly that left me horrified and thinking of the book for days after reading it. (Book Two)

I really believe that if you like books like “A Man Called Ove,” you’ll enjoy this series.

I loved both books! ( )

This was a very amusing reading, even if certain aspects of the story are rather gloomy. It starts in a retirement home that is completely renovated. Residents must continue to pay the full amount of the rent, even if the water and the electricity are turned off, in the canteen no more meals are prepared, the walls are broken and the workers begin the noise at six o'clock in the morning.
Thereupon, five residents (four women and one man - all over the age of ninety years) temporarily set up an elderly flat share. What they all experienced was amusing. They found an apartment, which used to be a pleasure house. They had to deal with the changing people of the nursing service. They were talking about euthanasia, because the husband of a woman with dementia was on a nursing home. They had to cook themselves again and met two Nigerians in the market hall, who encouraged them to get acquainted with foreign dishes and recipes. They learned that the male roommate is a crook. He is involved in drug addicts, theft and fraud. He also owns the redevelopment company of the retirement home and the women now realized why the renovations were not going forward. ( )