Retirement Homes Are Murder (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star First Edition Mystery) [Hardcover]

Mike Befeler (Author)

Book Description

Series: Five Star First Edition Mystery | Publication Date: January 2007

This version is LARGE PRINT

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 291 pages
• Publisher: Thomson Gale (January 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594145156
• ISBN-13: 978-1594145155
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,347,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In the May, 2008, issue of the AARP Bulletin Mike Befeler was identified as one of four authors in a new emerging mystery sub-genre. Harlan Coben, president of Mystery Writers of America stated, "We've just scratched the surface on geezer-lit. It could be the next frontier in crime fiction." Mike turned his attention to fiction writing after a career in high technology marketing. His debut novel, RETIREMENT HOMES ARE MURDER, was published January, 2007. The second novel in his Paul Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery Series, LIVING WITH YOUR KIDS IS MURDER, appeared April, 2009. LIVING WITH YOUR KIDS IS MURDER has been nominated as a finalist for the prestigious Lefty Award for the best humorous mystery novel published in 2009. The third book in the series, SENIOR MOMENTS ARE MURDER, was published August, 2011. Mike is active in organizations promoting a positive image of aging. He holds a Master's degree from UCLA and a Bachelor's degree from Stanford. He grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, and now lives in Boulder, Colorado. Mike is vice-president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Romp in Retirement, February 1, 2007

By 

Madge Walls (Wilsonville, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Retirement Homes Are Murder (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

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!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining!, February 13, 2007

By 

Bottles "Bottles" (Boulder, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Retirement Homes Are Murder (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a Hoot!, March 2, 2010

By 

A. Roberts "Avid Reader" (Wyoming) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Retirement Homes Are Murder (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

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.