A woman investigates a friend’s long-ago murder in a haunting and hopeful novel about the weight of secrets and regrets by the bestselling author of The Wild Road Home and A Light in the Forest.
At Sunny Pines Retirement Community, where the “Sixty-Two and Better!” share their golden years, secrets abound. Some scandalous, some haunting, and some dangerous. For Birdie Allen, a retired business owner and grandmother, her secret is the only thing she’s got left. Getting old isn’t the hardest part about life. It’s the memories from more than fifty years ago of the death of her unrequited love. And Birdie’s abandoned quest to root out the killer.
With retirement comes a lot of time to revisit old ghosts, so when Birdie ties together a string of recent murders, and a woman disappears, she’s drawn into the same chase she gave up decades earlier. But this time she has the help of an eccentric community of eager new friends. And they’re not alone. Restless souls are watching, including Birdie’s lost love, and they sense the danger that lies ahead. They’re not leaving Birdie’s side until she finishes what she set out to do. But will Birdie’s pursuit of a killer finally free her of regrets and allow her to embrace the beauty of the life she’s created?
CW/TW – description of crime scene, mention of animal mutilations
Dear Ms. Payne,
Somehow I read the blurb for this book and, thinking of the many recent murder/mystery series that have senior characters and are humorous, and thought that was what I would be getting. Laughs to go with a 50 year old murder. Yeah, I know. What was I thinking? So clearing this up for any other readers, this book is dark in tone. Yet it’s not just about the murders and solving them. Nope the things I ended up liking the most about the book are the found family community and the view into how age is seen.
If I’d read this book ten years ago, my reaction would be much different. I’m not at the stage of giving up my independence – yet – but I’ve watched relatives go through it and seen the effect it has. Bodies don’t work as well, minds grope for words and memories that were once crisp, and younger people begin – with the best intentions – to take over and limit things in a senior’s life. Seeing Birdie and her new acquaintances dealing with all this is something I understand a bit more.
The people at the apartment complex are not just oldsters to be parked, though. Most of them have skills and knowledge to bring to Birdie’s investigation. They also have their own pride and when Birdie – at times – makes judgements (and don’t we all?) and gets things wrong, I liked that these people call Birdie on it.
But while Birdie does make her share of mistakes, she’s held onto her belief that her friend didn’t die the way the police thought. This aspect of the book is both heartening – because wouldn’t we all want someone to keep advocating for us? – and sad. Birdie’s 52 year old guilt has driven her to solve this case but at an emotional cost to herself and her adopted son and his family. It makes me think of all the cold cases out there that weigh on families and friends who can’t set their anger and grief aside yet. Brava that mental health is a focus here and getting help is viewed positively. However the radical 180 degree turns for a few characters, though nice to read, read as too much too fast.
Birdie’s strength and convictions are both a help and a hindrance in solving the case. She tends to make up her mind quickly about something and might not always be correct. Clues are scattered through the story but I began to narrow my gaze fairly early on. Still there are enough red herrings and deliberate miscues to keep certainty at bay.
One thing I was not too fond of is the slight paranormal element of the story. I didn’t think it really brought much to the book or the investigation and after a while, I sort of started to skip these short chapters.
The story shines a light on the fact that certain victims, then and now, tend to go missing and the disappearances are not rigorously investigated just because of who or what the victims are. Also that old age is limiting and painful but not a reason to put older people out to pasture just yet. Yay that Birdie sees justice done and also realizes her past mistakes and owns them. B-
~Jayne
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Jayne
Another long time reader who read romance novels in her teens, then took a long break before started back again about 25 years ago. She enjoys historical romance/fiction best, likes contemporaries, action- adventure and mysteries, will read suspense if there’s no TSTL characters and is currently reading more fantasy and SciFi.
