Living With Your Kids Is Murder-Mike Befeler

Living With Your Kids Is Murder
Mike Befeler
Five Star, Apr 2009, $25.95
ISBN: 1594147612

Having proven that RETIREMENT HOMES ARE MURDER with the help of a close blind friend Meyer and an Asperger’s sufferer Henry, octogenarian Paul Jacobson leaves Hawaii to live with his son Denny, his daughter-in-law Allison and his twelve years old granddaughter Jennifer in Boulder. Paul suffers from a short term memory issue in which he loses all recall of what happened once he falls asleep. Due to Meyer he knows to write down the highlight film in his journal to inform the old geezer what is going on.

On the plane he dozed off before jotting anything down that occurred in flight. When he awakens he pushes his row companion off his shoulder only to realize the man is dead. He is the prime suspect in the martial arts chop to the neck death of Daniel Reynolds, a sales representative for Colorado Mountain Retirement Properties. Paul visits the Centennial Community Center to hear a pitch from another Colorado Mountain Retirement Properties rep Randall Swathes. Afterward, he finds the man dead in his car. Paul is the prime suspect. Soon he becomes accused of several other crimes. With his granddaughter as his lawyer, Paul investigates the two homicides while struggling to remember the identities of the two “young” women in his life.

The second “Geezer-Lit” amateur sleuth is a fun tale as Paul overcomes his handicap and age through his journal and his courage to keep going while wisecracking all the way including taking shots at himself and his lawyer. The story line contains several crimes besides the murder that either Paul or Jennifer resolve as he seems to step in it all the time. Readers will enjoy this fine cozy summarized nicely by overworked Boulder Police Detective Launo who says Paul is a crime wave as the prime suspect in 25% of his case load and that does not include the homicide on the jet (investigated by Detective Hamilton).

Harriet Klausner