Great Book! If I Ever Can't Remember the Day Before and Had One Book to Read Over and Over Again it Would...

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	• Retirement Homes Are Murder Mike Befeler Wheeler Publishing, 2007 - 419 pages average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Geezer lit mystery for baby boomers

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. [...]
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.

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retirement homes are murder

Mike really knows how it is to get older, but in spite of memory loss, still wise. His understanding of the Hawaii scene is outstanding, and historically relevent items are snuck in , only recognizable to a Honolulu native. I look forward to more of his work.

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Imaginative

I read this book because I've met Mike in some fiction-writing circles in the Denver area. I started this book and kept right on reading (easily) because of the snappy dialogue and steady energy on the page. I'm more prone to like darker mysteries and this does lean in the "cozy" direction but the Paul Jacobson character is a tough, irascible and crotchety guy to be around so the plot kept me going. I was also intrigued at how Befeler would pull off the challenging trick of staying consistent day after day with Jacobson, who never remembers what happened the day before (though his memory provides access to events from the far past). Like the movie "Groundhog Day," Befeler found a way to keep the cycle from going old or stale. Finally, kudos for using a retirement home as a setting for so much "action" (of all kinds). That was an imaginative and well-executed choice.

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vivian goodman

This is the first of a series by this author and it is great. It is funny, enjoyable read. I am really looking forward to the next issure in this series.

Great Book! If I Ever Can't Remember the Day Before and Had One Book to Read Over and Over Again it Would Be This!

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.

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reviews: page 1, 2

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