Published by Park Place
Publications,
12 November 2019.
ISBN: 978-1-94388797-2 (PB)
12 November 2019.
ISBN: 978-1-94388797-2 (PB)
The
story opens with the funeral of Suzie Cunningham, which is attended by her
friends from the Evergreen Retirement Community, where Suzie had spent the last
years of her life. Suzie’s ex-husband, Rodney Cunningham, gives an emotional
eulogy, but Suzie’s friends are unconvinced about his sincerity. In fact, a few
of them think that Suzie may have been unlawfully killed and Rodney is their
chief suspect.
Determined to discover the truth about
Suzie’s death, the friends’ band together to investigate. They call themselves
the Silver Foxes, because they are grey haired but still keen eyed and full of
life. The Silver Foxes have a variety of skills that they bring to their
investigation. Alice, a retired Maths professor, has a logical, analytical mind
and the ability to lead people. George had been a barrister, Willard an
accountant and Trudy is naturally inquisitive but so kind that people open up
to her. Charlie, the sports fanatic contributes by encountering and cultivating
Rodney’s second, ‘trophy’ wife, the glamorous but sweet-natured, Janice, while
they are both out running. Even loud-mouthed, tactless Fred makes his
contribution. However, they are cautious about fully trusting the wealthy
widow, Anne-Marie, who is close friends with the Cunningham family. As the
friends probe deeper into the circumstances surrounding Suzie’s death, the more
convinced they are that she could have been murdered, although opinions vary
about whether her ex-husband is the villain or one of her two spoiled, entitled
daughters. However, everything they discover agrees with Willard’s claim that
money is at the root of the matter, specifically the inheritance of Suzie’s
family home, Great Oaks, and the land surrounding it.
The Silver Foxes are not the only
people who are suspicious about Suzie’s death. Bethanne, the Evergreen
Volunteer Coordinator, also has doubts about the truth of the matter, and so
does her young friend, Eden, head of the EverTeen branch of volunteers. Mae,
another friend of Bethanne, used to babysit for the Cunninghams and has
retained links with them. However, Eden’s suspicions are focused on Greg
Prendergast, one of the adult volunteers, who had spent an unusual amount of
time with Suzie while she was in the Skilled Nursing wing of Evergreen and had
angered Eden by encroaching on EverTeen duties. Bethanne realises that
Alejandro, the young florist who delivers flowers regularly to Evergreen,
witnessed something on the day of Suzie’s death, but before she can get to the
root of the matter, Alejandro is forced off of a cliff road by a another car, and
killed. The other vehicle does not stop and both the Silver Foxes and Bethanne
and friends believe that his death was connected to Suzie’s death.
Despite their increasing grounds for
suspicion and the shreds of evidence they accumulate, in the end, it is only
when the Silver Foxes and Bethanne’s group of friends start to work together
that they have sufficient evidence to take to the sheriff, and even then they
cannot be sure that justice will really be done.
The Silver Foxes is the third book in the trilogy of mysteries set in
Lewiston, but it works well as a stand-alone novel. There is a large cast of
characters, many of whom have back stories in the first two books in the trilogy,
and the author shows superb skill in bringing these characters to life, subtly weaving
in their backstories and making them easily recognisable individuals to whom it
is easy to relate. The plot is straightforward but interesting and the pace is
gentle but well maintained. Above all, the central characters are all engaging
and beautifully portrayed. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read, which I
recommend.
------
Reviewer: Carol Westron
Nancy Swing has
retired after more than 40 years living and working as an independent
consultant on five continents. These international experiences enrich her first
novel, a mystery set in Laos, where she lived for two years in the early 1990s.
Her characters and situations are a fictional blend of the myriad individuals
and events which shaped Nancy’s life in overseas settings as diverse as Guyana,
India, Italy, Kazakhstan and Somalia. She and her husband, author Russell
Sunshine, currently live on California’s Central Coast with five backyard deer
who come and go as they please.
nancyswing.com/
Carol Westron is a successful short story writer and a Creative
Writing teacher. She is the moderator
for the cosy/historical crime panel, The Deadly Dames. Her crime novels are set both in contemporary
and Victorian times. The Terminal
Velocity of Cats the first in her Scene of Crimes novels, was published
July 2013. Carol recently gave an interview to Mystery People. To read the
interview click on the link below.
No comments:
Post a Comment