Lucy Stone, the main reporter in Tinker’s Cove, is concerned for her friend Miss Tilley when she has to move into retirement home Heritage House after an illness. But that concern only grows when an intrepid resident, Agnes, goes missing from the place.
I did not realize when I requested this audiobook ARC that it was the twenty-eighth book in the series! Had I not known, I wouldn’t have guessed it, for the writing is not tired at all as you sometimes get with long book series, and it holds up quite well as a standalone.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Lucy is a likable lead with a nose for news, and her job gives her quite a few excuses to get involved in the mystery! The characters were all quite vivid, even the minor ones, and I enjoyed how much personality was infused in the story. The final showdown was a lot of fun, and I liked how the author paid careful attention to all the elderly characters who are after all important to the story.
However, I did have some issues with the story. The narrative takes a while to pull itself together, with the mystery not advancing too much until past the halfway mark. I am also unsure if I liked the long side-plot about Zoe’s apartment hunting, especially as the mystery was handled in a fairly light-hearted manner. The solution to the mystery, however, is quite dark, and I don’t know that the tone was thoroughly balanced throughout.
I listened to this as an audiobook which was narrated by Karen White. I thought she did a good job, especially with bringing out the moments of humor in the story. However, I thought some of her character voices got rather similar, making it tough on occasion to identify the speaker.
Overall, a fun cozy mystery. I’m curious to see where Lucy’s adventures began!
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.