Mike Befeler, Retirement Homes Are Murder

Retirement Homes Are Murder

Mike Befeler

Five Star, January 2007, $25.95

ISBN: 1594145155

In Hawaii, crusty octogenarian Paul Jacobson resides at the Kina Nani assisted living retirement home, but has trouble remembering anything that has occurred recently, for instance how he got there. At breakfast he meets two other residents, Asperser sufferer Henry Palmer, who knows every baseball stat imaginable, and blind Meyer O'Hanna, who suggests Paul write everything down in a journal each night so he can use this as a reminder when he forgets everything the next morning.

When Paul goes to throw out garbage, he finds the chute stuffed with the corpse of a neighbor Mr. Tiegan. Detective Siato thinks Paul is the prime suspect, as the victim was suing him over stealing valuable stamps. Encouraged by Meyer and assisted by Henry, Paul investigates to the chagrin of his visiting son, the lead detective, and the killer.

The geriatric trio makes for a delightful amateur sleuth thriller. Paul's short term memory problems makes everyday living, let alone the issues he faces, that much more difficult; Meyer's solution to the memory loss and other intelligent advice helps Paul with more than just his inquiry; whereas Henry knows baseball stats perhaps better than even the Schwab does (though I doubt he can Stump the Schwab in other sports). This combination makes for a delightful geriatric investigative tale that cozy fans will appreciate.