Kirjahaku

Mike Befeler has done it again. Fans of Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie, and more, hold on to your rockers At the Old Detectives Home, the top detectives of all time must unite to solve their most difficult whodunit yet-without killing each other, of course. Imagine a retirement home populated with such residents as an aging Hercule Poirot and a dementia-suffering Sherlock Holmes, and run by staff including Art Doyle, Dash Hammett, and Dot Sayers. In this light-hearted spoof of the mystery genre, every character is either a real person from the mystery writing world or a character from a mystery novel. On anything but a dark and stormy night, a dead body is found. The staff managers find themselves unable to control the unruly old detectives. Mix in clues and red herrings galore as this colorful cast of suspects investigate each other to solve the mystery of who done it.

When retired maintenance man Frank Sinatra finds Darell Willows's body in the swimming pool of the Last Gasp Motel in Omnipodge, California, Frank must deal with the responding police officer making wisecracks about his name while trying to figure out what happened.Detective Duke Lambert arrives and quizzes Frank. Frank agrees to help the detective, whom he has worked with before. Suspects include the residents of the Last Gasp and the son and daughter-in-law of the unpopular victim.The aging residents are a quirky lot including chain-smoking manager Hedda Robinson; kleptomaniac Carolyn Bryant; "Accident" Al Utley, who causes traffic accidents and then collects money from the other drivers; dog-poop vigilante Pat Pope known as "Mr. Poop"; good Samaritan Mira Neighbors; potassium-obsessed, banana-chomping Banny Zamora; flower pedal-scattering Gladys Terry; womanizer Caruthers Quinter; authority-avoiding Varenka; and conspiracy-theory nut Ethel Ogden. Each of the suspects argued recently with the deceased-and all of them have reasons to want him dead. The eccentric tenants must work together to solve the case before the city demolishes the place they call home and replaces it with a shopping mall-the race is on to find the killer and save the Last Gasp Motel

While making the rounds to visit her fellow shopkeepers in Ominpodge Village Center, Pru Pendergast overhears an argument between her obnoxious landlord, Bart Cunard, and Sally Midge Cunard, Bart's ex-wife, during which Sally Midge accuses Bart of being involved in shady real estate dealings with developer Larry Ludwick. Pru also hears jewelry shopkeeper Jake Yalley defend Sally Midge and threaten Bart. When Pru visits Flo Florrest's yarn shop, Bart comes in and gets into a shouting match with Flo. Pru next goes to Bea Potter's bookstore and listens to Bea complain about Bart sexually harassing her. Then Pru has lunch with best friend Herb Hanover-of Herb's Herbs-and he cries about Bart calling him hateful names while Herb is still sensitive over his partner's death. Pru returns to her shop, Driftwood Creatives, to find Bart dead, garroted with driftwood handles and brown Vicuna yarn. She also notices that Bart's diamond ring is missing from his hand. Because his body is found in her shop, Detective James Moriarty immediately questions Pru and accuses her of murder, but she's certainly not the only suspect. Pru must escape attacks on her own life and avoid being arrested until she can find the real killer and solve the crime, all while trying to catch the eye of her new sort of boyfriend.

While making the rounds to visit her fellow shopkeepers in Ominpodge Village Center, Pru Pendergast overhears an argument between her obnoxious landlord, Bart Cunard, and Sally Midge Cunard, Bart's ex-wife, during which Sally Midge accuses Bart of being involved in shady real estate dealings with developer Larry Ludwick. Pru also hears jewelry shopkeeper Jake Yalley defend Sally Midge and threaten Bart. When Pru visits Flo Florrest's yarn shop, Bart comes in and gets into a shouting match with Flo. Pru next goes to Bea Potter's bookstore and listens to Bea complain about Bart sexually harassing her. Then Pru has lunch with best friend Herb Hanover-of Herb's Herbs-and he cries about Bart calling him hateful names while Herb is still sensitive over his partner's death. Pru returns to her shop, Driftwood Creatives, to find Bart dead, garroted with driftwood handles and brown Vicuna yarn. She also notices that Bart's diamond ring is missing from his hand. Because his body is found in her shop, Detective James Moriarty immediately questions Pru and accuses her of murder, but she's certainly not the only suspect. Pru must escape attacks on her own life and avoid being arrested until she can find the real killer and solve the crime, all while trying to catch the eye of her new sort of boyfriend.

Picture a retired mathematics professor and conspiracy nut with a butt-kicking, surrogate-daughter sidekick. Elmore Kranz bombards the police with his predictions of disaster until one of them actually happens, to the point that he's implicated in the plot. Even with the assistance of his one ally, rookie cop Brittney Chase, people start dying around Elmore as attempts are made on his life. Following up on inventions from eccentric genius Nikola Tesla, Elmore and Brittney team up to solve a hundred-year-old puzzle while trying to thwart a secret government agency and an Afghani terrorist group who seek to get their hands on a doomsday weapon."The Tesla Legacy" is a new thriller following the books in the Paul Jacobson geezer-lit mystery series, including "Retirement Homes Are Murder"; "Living With Your Kids Is Murder", a finalist for the 2009 Lefty Award for best humorous mystery; "Senior Moments Are Murder"; "Cruising in Your Eighties Is Murder", a finalist for the 2012 Lefty Award for best humorous mystery of 2012; "Care Homes Are Murder"; and "Nursing Homes Are Murder". Mike also has five published standalone mystery novels, "Court Trouble: A Platform Tennis Mystery", "The V V Agency", "The Back Wing", "Mystery of the Dinner Playhouse" and "Murder on the Switzerland Trail", in addition to a non-fiction book "For Liberty: A World War II Soldier's Inspiring Life Story of Courage, Sacrifice, Survival and Resilience".What others have said about Mike Befeler's novels: "Cleverly plotted" -Publishers Weekly"The mystery keeps you guessing." -Kirkus Reviews"Humorous and heartbreaking"-Library JournalMike Befeler retired from a career in high-tech marketing to write full time. He holds a Master's degree from UCLA, a Bachelor's degree from Stanford, and resides in Southern California with his wife Wendy. He is past president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America

Imagine waking up in a place you didn't recognize, not remembering anything from the day before and then finding a dead body. Or consider a male Miss Marple enmeshed in a lighthearted Memento with a dash of Fifty First Dates.In this, the third of the Paul Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery Series, cantankerous octogenarian Paul Jacobson must solve a series of murders while struggling with the problems of his short-term memory loss. Paul learns about the homeless community, disreputable art dealers, and the beach scene in Venice Beach, California, and finds himself dancing the geezer two-step to stay out of the clutches of the police and the bad guys.

Remembering nothing from the day before, crotchety octogenarian Paul Jacobson must become an amateur sleuth to clear himself as a murder suspect when he finds a dead body in the trash chute of a retirement home. As Pauls snooping and short-term memory loss get him in trouble with the local police, his new friends and granddaughter Jennifer help him solve an expanding list of crimes. Paul finds romance as he struggles to escape a murderer intent on a repeat performance.

Imagine waking up in your son's home, not remembering anything from the day before and being accused of murder. Or consider a male Miss Marple enmeshed in a light-hearted Memento with a dash of Fifty First Dates.In this, the second of the Paul Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery series, cantankerous octogenarian Paul Jacobson must solve two murders while struggling with the problems of his short-term memory loss. As Paul ends up suspiciously close to a bank robbery, kidnapping and drug bust, his granddaughter Jennifer helps him track down the real perpetrators. Paul juggles two girlfriends, experiences the quirks of old age romance and must find a way to stay alive when he confronts the murderer.

In this, the fourth of the Paul Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery Series, crotchety octogenarian Paul Jacobson becomes involved in a series of crimes while struggling with the problems of his short-term memory loss. On a honeymoon cruise to Alaska with his bride, Paul must deal with mayhem, missing people and murder. He has to use all his geezer resources to solve a case of international intrigue.

In this, the fifth of the Paul Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery Series, crotchety octogenarian Paul Jacobson returns to Hawaii for a vacation with his family and becomes involved in a series of crimes while struggling with the problems of his short-term memory loss.The morning after arriving in Honolulu, Paul finds a dead body in the Honolulu Yacht Harbor. Things go downhill from there as he becomes enmeshed in a number of strange coincidences including acts of vandalism and another murder in a care home. Paul is reunited with his friends Meyer Ohana and Henry Palmer. Henry announces he is engaged, and his fianc e soon makes an appearance and gives assignments for the wedding. Paul and his granddaughter Jennifer trade geezer jokes much to the consternation of Jennifer's mom. Events around the wedding lead to chaos when Paul is kidnapped by a drug dealer, who tries to drown him in Kaneohe Bay. Paul puts all the pieces together, escapes a watery grave and, with the help of his friends, solves the murders.

Paul Jacobson, who suffers from short-term memory loss, becomes an undercover resident at a nursing home to help the Honolulu police track down a sexual assault perpetrator. The police give Paul the names of three persons-of-interest and Paul begins investigating. None of the three appear suspicious. Things go downhill when the woman who had been assaulted is found murdered. Paul meets interesting residents including a woman with synesthesia, a woman who eats soap and a woman who races wheelchairs. After another sexual assault, someone tries to smother Paul. Interrupting a third attempted sexual assault, Paul figures out who the culprit is. The bad guy tries to abduct Paul at gunpoint, but Paul escapes when a resident in an electric wheelchair runs into the bad guy.

Angie Tremont decides to take her husband, Gabe, to the Bearcrest Mystery Dinner Playhouse for dinner and a play, saying as a retired detective he will enjoy solving the mystery that's playing. Before they get there, Gabe predicts the butler will commit the crime. The setting is an English country inn with owner, cook, butler, and three guests. When a staged death turns real, all heck breaks loose, and Gabe is asked to help solve the murder. He discovers the playhouse director, the cast and a spy from a competing theater all have reasons to want the murdered man dead, Gabe must sort through the lies and acting talent to find out who killed the butler.

68-year-old Millicent Hargrove returns from her Tuesday night bridge game to her house in Boulder, Colorado, to find her husband, George, dead on the floor with a knife in his chest.At the funeral a man she doesn't know comes up and hands her an envelope. He explains that with George's death, she will receive special compensation for some work that George once did for the government. She asks what the work was, but he only says it was classified and he can't discuss it with her.As she cleans out all her stuff to move from her house to a condo, she discovers that she's good at organizing her things. Her friends encourage her to start a personal organizing business.Millicent gives it some thought and decides it's a good idea. She calls her business, Unstuff Your Stuff.Millicent gains clients but struggles with her new life and cryptic clues left by her husband.Men hit on her, but she doesn't want to get involved in any relationship, although she likes the father of the young man who helped her move to her condo.She escapes attempts on her own life and figures out the mystery of the cryptic messages left by her husband. She develops a successful organizing business while sorting through the clutter from the secret life her husband led.

Grieving widower Harold McCaffrey moves into the Mountain Splendor Retirement Home and finds himself living in the Back Wing with a group of strange residents -- aging witches, vampires, werewolves and shape-shifters. He bonds with his fellow denizens, especially Bella, who has promise of becoming more than just a friend. Things are looking up for Harold -- until he and Bella must use all their normal and extra-normal skills to solve two murders in this very unique retirement community.