Customer Reviews

Retirement Homes Are Murder

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is a fun romp with a trio of old geezers who are not exactly aging gracefully. Paul Jacobson looses his mind, or make that his short-term memory, every night when he goes to sleep in his retirement home in Hawaii. At the suggestion of his good buddy Meyer, he keeps a journal of the previous day's events so he can get caught up with his own life every morning. When he discovers a murdered body in the retirement home trash chute, he becomes the prime suspect. It's difficult to say which he despises more, attorneys or cops, so he decides to solve the mystery himself. At every step, he innocently creates more mayhem that makes the case against him even worse. The curmudgeonly Paul is not your warm and cuddly hero, except to his new girlfriend Marion, who inadvertently assists with his memory problems in a warm and cuddly way. But you can't help cheering for Paul as your affection for him grows. As for the other characters, each one is a sketch right out of any retirement home you've ever visited. A fun read!

Yes, it's a murder mystery, but I kept finding myself chuckling out loud! I just finished the book last night, and it's got all of the elements of a wonderful story - unforgettable characters, humor, geriatric sex, and of course an intriguing mystery. I sure hope there will be a follow-up to this story.

If you're ready for a good laugh or two amidst the cast of zany characters in this book-then this is just what the Dr. ordered. There is Meyer a retired attorney and judge who is loosing his sight and Henry who suffers from Asperger's syndrome and insults everyone as well as the main character, Paul who has short-term memory loss and starts every day over with no memory of what happened the day before-maybe that's not all bad. :) With help from his new friends he got on to writing a journal and reading it first thing in the morning to give him a heads up on what's going on in his life.

I had picked this book up at the library and after I got home I went to Amazon and read the reviews. A couple people mentioned the terrible profanity in the book and stopped reading after the first chapter. I thought well maybe I don't want to read this but decided to give it a shot. SO I get through the first chapter and I'm still looking for this terrible profanity. I saw all of 3 words (no f*** word which I consider the worse profanity). Even the rest of the book is not filled with profanity-a little crudeness perhaps. I read a lot and I can name some authors who write amazing books but from start to finish there is intense profanity. This one is very mild.

Getting back to the review, our main character gets involved in a murder and a cop who is out to pin it on him. The rest is Paul and his octegenarian friends trying to clear Paul. In the course of this his son and daughter-in-law come for a visit with his granddaughter who takes to grandpa and is not a bit intimidated by his blustery manner and forgetfulness. She was a delight. There is even a little romance between Paul and one of the ladies at the Retirement Home-just shows you're never too old for romance.

How it all plays out and Paul unmasking the killer is almost unbeliveable for some 80's gentlemen-but this is fiction and it's just fun reading.

This book started out with a bang! I was so excited to find such fun writing. Then, unfortunately, it stopped. It became boring and the mystery became lost in day to day events, none of which seemed important or interesting. Then toward the end we pick up with the mystery again, but the whole idea is fairly unbelievable. The detective can't solve the mystery because he is so intent on pinning it on the wrong person. It's just not believable. As I said, it started out SO good! Great characters in the beginning who soon become stale.

Old geezers, murder, stamps, and a Heniken bottle? An interesting story that keeps you guessing about what's for dinner and what the hell happened the day before... Mike Beffler does a great job moving the story along (not easy for old folks...)and has created a character in Paul Jacobson that is so crotchety that he keeps getting himself into trouble. An easy read that makes you think twice before you use a trash chute.

Retirement Homes are Murder by Mike Befeler

I am giving this author an A+ for his originality and creativity in writing a cozy mystery focusing on the end of life with a sense of humor. A big thank-you to him from this baby boomer and former worker at a nursing home and case manager for the elderly.

And just how did this author get away with this topic without offending me, the reader? By using a cantankerous old geezer by the name of Paul Jacobson as his main character. That's how!
Paul Jacobson awakes in a room he's never been in before...that is doesn't remember being in before. But just what does Paul remember. Basically...not a single thing. Each day he awakens to a blank. Paul's memory is going on him at this late stage of his life. How in the world can he cope with this situation? That's where his new friend Meyer comes in. They meet in the retirement homes' cafeteria. Once Meyer realizes that Paul can't remember him from one day to the next he suggests that his friend start keeping a journal next to his bed. That way Paul can read just what he did the day before. And so a friendship begins.

After breakfast Paul takes his garbage to the trash chute and finds it to be blocked. He can't get the trash down the chute. He thinks he sees something blocking the way so he uses a flashlight to find out what the problem is. It's a body...a dead body glaring back at him .

The story begins with Paul's discovery of a dead body in the trash chute which turns out to be a murder.
I so thoroughly enjoyed this book that I cannot recommend it enough. The content is so completely original and beautifully thought out by this author that I'm happy to say I've just brought home the 2nd book in this series. While most cozy mysteries or any mystery for that matter usually never has the sleuth going beyond 50's in age-this author has brought us, the reader, into the reality of our older years. Be warned-Paul Jacobson is anything but a diplomat. His sarcasm has made this reader laugh at loud on several occasions.
Mike Befeler has made the unacceptable-acceptable with Paul Jacobson as his Sherlock and Meyer as his Watson.
Ellen

I enjoyed this book, loved the characters. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because of the similarity between this book and the movie "50 First Dates," which came out a few years earlier. In the movie, Lucy has a good longterm memory but can't remember events of the day before. She keeps a journal so she can track her life since an accident took away her short term memory (and later, videotapes). Kind of the same thing. However, this book has the murder mystery (and I was so sure I had it figured out early on, but I was wrong. Nice surprise!) plot and the setting is very different. Knowing that similarity ahead of time shouldn't keep you from reading this fun book.

Reviewed by Mary Greenwood for Reader Views (4/07)


In "Retirement Homes are Murder" by Mike Befeler, Paul Jacobson, a widower who lives in an Assisted Living Facility, finds a dead body in the trash chute. Paul is the number one suspect and it is imperative that he find out who the real killer is before the real murderer kills him. Since Paul has short-term memory loss, he must write up the day's events each night and leave the journal where he will see it the next day so that when he gets up, he can refresh his memory. Although this slows him down, he is still able to do his detective work and find out who the real killer is. "Retirement Homes Are Murder" is very funny as it weaves the frailties of aging, such as dementia and incontinence, with adventure, mystery and romance.

The author, Mike Befeler, started writing fiction after a career in high technology marketing. His short story "Never Trust a Poison Dart Frog" was published in the mystery anthology "Who Died in Here?" and was also submitted for Edgar Award consideration. "Retirement Homes Are Murder" is Mr. Befeler's first novel and he is planning on writing six more in this series with Paul Jacobson as the protagonist. Mr. Beheler calls his genre "geezer lit mysteries," which are at the opposite end of the spectrum as chick-lit. His website www.MikeBefeler.com provides information not only on his book signings but also on aging resources such as the AARP, which has 36 million members 50 years or older.

Paul Jacobson, the geezer protagonist, must solve the murder mystery and deal with the obstacles of aging. One of the most humorous aspects of the book is that when he romances Marion, his new girlfriend, he temporarily revives his short term memory. Paul Jacobson enlists the aid of three geezers as well as his granddaughter in his various capers. As baby boomers themselves age, it makes sense that they would be interested in geezer retiree protagonists.

My parents, 92 and 90, live in an Assisted Living Facility and many of the scenes and characters in "Retirement Homes Are Murder" are familiar ones. I recommend "Retirement Homes Are Murder" to anyone over 50 and look forward to Mr. Befeler's next six novels with Paul Jacobson's geezer adventures.

Book received free of charge.

I was going to an event that included an appearance by the author and decided to read his book first. This is a nice light entry into the "geezer lit" category. Mike Befeler has chosen to make his detective a senior with a short term to long term memory storage problem. Every time he goes to sleep he forgets the past 5 years. Through dint of journal entries and friends who fill in the blanks for him our hero gets through the culture of the retirement home, senior dating and oh yes solving a murder. Fun and a fast read it is nice to see that the older generation still has dating and the occasional sexual escapade to look forward to.

Retirement Homes are Murder is not your typical murder mystery. For starters the body is found in a retirement complex, and secondly the main suspect Paul Jacobsen can't remember a thing from his recent past, with his mind pretty much resetting each day he awakens (like with Drew Barrymore's character in that her and Adam Sandler movie 50 First Dates. With his most recent memories ten years or so in the past, he doesn't know where he is or why he's there. This makes for a pretty unique novel, throw in a lot of Carl Hiaasen/Bill Fitzhugh type eccentric characters in and outside of the Hawaiian retirement complex and you've a very fun and interesting read!

The basic plot is Paul Jacobson has moved into Kina Nani, an Hawaiian retirement complex. Each day he awakens with no memory of this or any other recent even in his life (think Groundhog Day with instead of Bill Murray reliving each day every other character in the town constantly is reliving their first encounter with him). Upon the first day he is in residence Paul finds a dead body in the rubbish chute. Not remembering anything about the retirement home he is pretty sure this is not a usual way to get rid of those who passed away so calls the police. Paul is told the dead man is an arch enemy of his and that he the main suspect. His claims that he can't remember anything except the current day are met with severe skepticism, especially since one of the victims rare stamps is found in his room. Paul can't remember not doing it, but he's pretty sure he didn't. As the days go by more and more criminal events become linked to Paul, he's kept a journal at the request of one of his elderly friends so knows he was not responsible but is looking more and more like being locked up for one of these crimes. Paul knows he must catch the killer of his enemy if he's to clear his name.

A good first novel, which I have no doubt will become a successful series if the author wishes it to. Paul Jacobson is a fairly unique and likeable character, as is his granddaughter who doesn't get a lot or text time in this adventure but I foresee becoming a bit more of a sidekick if this takes off as a series.

If you like novels with great elderly lead characters also check out T Richard Dawn's May List series, another crime series set in an eccentric character filled retirement home, the first book of which is Death For Dessert. On the Warpath by Gerald Hammond also has a great elderly lead hero. Rita Lakin also has a similar series to T Dawn Richards with books such as Getting Old Is the Best Revenge.