Young retiree Cleo Mack is trading in academia for a second act in Harbor Village, a community for active seniors in coastal Alabama. But someone in this picture-perfect coastal town is burning the candle at both ends . . . It’s love at first sight when Cleo arrives in Fairhope, Alabama, after taking early retirement from her longtime position as professor of social work. Touted as “the … Touted as “the nicest town in the world,” Fairhope is home to an eclectic community of retirees. Harbor Village boasts classes in painting, pottery, and photography, not to mention being a buyer’s market for husbands. It seems an ideal place to make new friends and rediscover life. Until a dead body is found in the pool.
When the victim turns out to be the unpopular director of senior living, Cleo is named acting director. Now she must rely on her well-honed people skills to uncover a killer in a place where short-term memory isn’t what it used to be, and age is just a number. And if Cleo keeps snooping around, her number may soon be up . . .
more
Since I’m “older” I enjoy reading about older people and how we can still be “significant.” I also like that the setting for the book (south Alabama) is familiar.
I was attracted to this story because of the locale, Fairhope, Alabama, which is just as enchanting in real life as it is in this book. If you need a stay-cation with a good story, you’ll like this interesting twist on a cozy set in an assisted living village. I enjoyed Murder at Harbor Village.
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
What a great start to this new cozy mystery series! We meet Cleo as she is offered early retirement so she goes on a trip to consider it. She comes back with a job and a new place to live in what sounds like the sweetest town. It is full of charm, wit, and a diverse range of characters that blend into one great story that I found hard to put down. Perfect for fans of the genre. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
“Murder at Harbor Village” earns 5/5 Laps in the Pool…Engaging Fun!
Welcome to Fairhope, Alabama! Cleo Mack, a college professor from Atlanta, has been offered a nice early retirement package; she has to decide before the fall semester. Although her daughter Stephanie hopes she’ll move nearer to her in Birmingham, Cleo is very taken with what she sees of the retirement community of Fairhope, Alabama. Exploring the lovely shops and restaurants and meeting some very friendly residents, she falls into not only a nice place to live, but a job. Her background in social work may just be what Harbor Village needs. In Murder at Harbor Village, Cleo discovers a darker side of retirement when a dead body is found in the pool. The victim is not well liked…karma took care of that, and Cleo has found a place to retire.
A very enjoyable read. As a retired teacher myself, the idea of moving to a retirement community has been an interesting idea…but attached to murder? Only in my books! The murder mystery follows a traditional cozy formula with karma wielding some surprising justice, and there were intriguing questions about the retirement facility and its staff that seem ripe for future shenanigans. I did think that Cleo’s link to the victim seemed a point overlooked, a missed opportunity for dramatic effect. Problem? No, just a personal preference. I enjoyed the first-person narrative punctuated by Cleo’s mature perspective and that of many of the quirky residents. Was it just my imagination how friendly the people were to Cleo…a stranger? It worked out to create a connection quickly, but I like this to evolve realistically. G.P. Gardener’s writing style is entertaining with vivid descriptions, dialogue that does well to illustrate personality, and a bit of snarky humor.
Great plot, twists a d turns until the end.
The story line is a little different with an older main character widow, who has been divorced from her child’s father over twenty years. The supporting cast is a bit weak, but the Mobile Bay setting is interesting. The murder/solution was pretty laid back, with no suspense or surprise to it. It did not include the overused heroine fighting for her life. The book was enjoyable.
A good read!
Loved this book! G P Gardner did a wonderful job! Not only was it entertaining, but descriptive as well. When describing locations, you could actually visualize it. I started in the morning and didn’t stop until I finished it that night. I don’t do that very often. I’m already excited about the 2nd book in this new series.
Fast paced and the descriptions sound just like what my sister-in-law’s told me of that area of Alabama. Interesting characters and a good story
We have visited Fairhope, Alabama many times and this book took us back to some very nice memories of our visits. The descriptions of the area was well done.
It was an easy read mystery. The action kept moving but a little faster than realistic. Nice group of interesting characters.
I wanted to buy the next book from this author. It won’t be available until June. The characters were very likable
Many of the cozy mysteries feature younger heroines. I liked that the heroine in this book was older.
Fun to read… the cat is the star!
Murder at the Retirement Village
This is a fun and cozy mystery with a retirement community as the backdrop. The plot is great with lots of suspects and strange happenings. All of the characters could be people from your home town. I think that this will be a great series. I received this book for free and this is my honest review.
cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, women-sleuths, embezzling, murder, law-enforcement, retirement-community
After being encouraged to take early retirement, Social Work professor Cleo discovers a lovely small town on Alabama’s gulf coast, meets some kind and interesting people, and makes fortuitous decisions. Despite Harbor Village’s label as being for *old folks*, she decides to live there and work there part time. Good thing, too! There are some oddities which turn out to be a lot more than they seem once her job changes after a murder is discovered. There’s a lot more to the story and a whole cast of real characters, but that would get into the spoiler thing. I totally enjoyed reading it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Disclaimers–I am a retired RN and have worked in a similar setting, I was disturbed that the drug theft was not given suitable attention since it was included in the story; my daughter is an LMSW; and I dislike cats because of allergies.
I live in Fairhope, Alabama so I enjoyed reading and recognizing all the places in the story. A good “who done it?
I couldn’t finish this book. The ins and outs of running a senior living facility were boring and tedious. Keeping track of all the characters was also a chore. Finally, I decided I didn’t care who the murderer was.
Kind of dull to my liking
Murder at Harbor Village is a light cozy mystery with friendly characters and a striking town. Cleo is looking forward to this new phase of her life when a murder disrupts her plans. She is suddenly thrust into an administrative roll (there goes the retirement) with a host of problems. She is shocked when she learns the victim is Travis’ new wife (makes him a good suspect). Cleo soon learns that murder is not the only mystery at Harbor Village. We are taken through Cleo’s daily tasks as she learns her new role which she handles with grace considering she has no clue what she is doing (practical knowledge goes a long way). We are introduced to numerous characters and learn the complexities of running a retirement village. I liked the author’s relaxed writing style which makes the book easy to read. The mysteries were complex and multifaceted. The suspects are limited, but I believe readers will find it challenging to identify the killer. I like how she bounces ideas off Nita, Jim, Dolly and Riley (her new circle of friends) and works with Chief Ray Boozer on solving the whodunit. The resolution relies on speculation instead of firm facts and there was an unanswered piece of the puzzle. I enjoyed reading the refreshing Murder at Harbor Village and I look forward to reading the next A Down by the Bay Mystery.