My Series-ous Reading consults a Professional Busybody

Despite the cold weather that is still with us, spring is definitely here which offers up new chances of renewal as the leading lady of my latest Series-ous Reading selection is discovering.

Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody is the first book in a new cozy mystery series by Barbara Ross, set in Massachusetts where the woman of the title is doing her best to fill her retirement years.

As it turns out, Jane has a knack for solving the problems of her neighbors, either by practical advice or sensible action(such as shooing away a naughty child from constantly ruining a nearby garden).  She never intended to do this as a business until the manager of a retirement community , Paul Peavy.made her an offer hard to refuse.

Paul allowed Jane to name her own price if she could settle the troubles at Walden Springs, which Jane realizes quickly has rival factions similar to high school society.

Posing as a potential new resident, Jane sees that the main sources of friction come from Mike, whose biker buddies start water balloon fights, and Bill, who’s a big hit with the ladies even though his wife Mary is in the Alzheimer’s wing of the establishment.

Jane has suggestions for how to fix things, starting with Bill but Paul is reluctant to go against him. Things get more awkward when Bill is found dead the next morning on the golf course and a secret is revealed that raises more questions than answers.

Clearly, this is more than Jane bargained for yet she is determined to find out the truth. Is the killer truly among the Walden Springs residents or has a resentment from Bill’s past returned to haunt him directly to the grave?:

Ross has a great knack for writing down to earth characters, one of the strong traits of her Maine Clambake Mysteries, and that element does add her abundantly here.

Jane Darrowfield is a clever and engaging woman who proves to be able to roll with the punches both personally and in this new career before her.

While her previous life may not have prepared Jane for catching killers, her sense of steadfast purpose does make her a good detective as well as a good friend. She even finds herself in a bit of romantic intrigue while sorting through potential dates for a gal pal is hers but all ends well in that department.

I enjoyed this first outing so much that I’m in the middle of the second book in this series (Jane Darrowfield and the Madwoman Next Door) and will do my best to be patient for the new entry to arrive. 

Jane Darrowfield might be the new Jessica Fletcher (someone needs to turn these books into a TV show!) and that would be wonderful indeed:

As soon as I finish up with Jane Darrowfield, my next Series-ous Reading selection will have me call on Kate Shackleton via Frances Brody’s  A Woman Unknown.

This time out, Kate is helping a hapless husband locate his missing wife, who has gotten herself involved with a possibly criminal enterprise. Things become quickly complex and more than one person is in danger of losing their lives.

I do love a good historically set mystery and Brody paints a vivid picture of post WWI Britain along with the very human folks who find themselves in tricky personal situations that you can’t help rooting for. Plus, the cover art is gorgeous (a true bonus if you ask me):