Susan SantangeloRecensioni

Carol dreads her husband Jim's upcoming retirement more than a root canal without Novocain. She can't imagine anything worse than having an at-home husband with time on his hands and nothing to fill it -- except interfering in the day-to-day activities of their household and driving her crazy. Until her plans to stall Jim's retirement result in her husband being suspected of murdering his retirement advisor.

Carol dreads her husband Jim's upcoming retirement more than a root canal without Novocain. She can't imagine anything worse than having an at-home husband with time on his hands and nothing to fill it -- except interfering in the day-to-day activities of their household and driving her crazy. Until her plans to stall Jim's retirement result in her husband being suspected of murdering his retirement advisor.

Against her will, Carol Andrews agreed to be on a committee planning the fortieth anniversary of graduation from Mount Saint Francis Academy. Joining her are her three best friends from those school days, all of whom had remained friends.
The school, located in a beautiful old mansion, had been turned into a senior living facility. The night before the reunion, the committee members decided to sleep there, partly for memories and partly to be able to get an early start on the preparations. As Carol and her best friend Nancy opened the door to their room, they discover that it was not locked. They entered the room and discovered someone was already sleeping there. A closer inspection revealed that the person was dead.
The story then went into flashback.
Before the first committee meeting, another classmate, Meg, showed up and demanded to be on the committee as well. Carol had very unpleasant memories of her. Entering high school divided the her and her three friends as they got involved in different groups, but she blamed Meg for her worst experience. She decided to let bygones be bygones and invited her to the first meeting. The woman showed up for the first meeting, bringing three other classmates with her. She inquired about the others at the meeting but said nothing about herself.
It turned out the other three friends also had negative feelings about Meg as well. Because the group refused to adopt one of Meg’s suggestions for the reunion, she stopped attending the meetings.
Later questions arose about what Meg had been doing the past forty years.
Back to the dead woman in Carol’s room. At first the coroner ruled her death a suicide. But Carol and her friends didn’t believe that. They decided to verify.
Meanwhile, a book was coming out the day of the reunion, an expose of life in a Catholic girls’ high school. The author was unknown but the picture on the cover was Mount Saint Francis Academy. Needless to say, the class members were very upset.
As many people who attend class reunions might have experienced, in many ways while people have changed, the members often revert to their old behaviors. That was true in CLASS REUNIONS CAN BE MURDER.
After the story ended, Susan Santangelo added an essay about bullying by girls that has some very important information. She also added several recipes, based on food served at the reunion, that have both the original recipe and revised ones with fewer calories.
The story moved fairly well. There are witticisms and puns galore. Most of them related to getting old even though they were only fifty eight. Examples included “Jim always made the morning coffee. It was one of the few perks (pun intended) of his being retired.”
Each chapter opened with a humorous observation: “I got great news at the supermarket the other day. Campbell’s alphabet soup now comes in a large type version.”
“I changed my computer password to ‘incorrect.” That way, if I log in with the wrong one, the computer will tell me, ‘Your password is incorrect....’”

One big editing error had Carol leaving her dog in her car for several hours and then when she got home, her husband told her what he had been doing with the dog.
Santangelo also unnecessarily referred incidents in previous books in the series.
The mansion had been donated to the local nuns with the stipulation that “the building be used primarily to educate and nurture young women.” The book didn’t explain how the nuns were able to convert it legally into a senior residence.
This book was a free download.

It's a cozy murder mystery that also explores becoming empty nesters and/or downsizing a home--which involves saying goodbye to a house that you love. There are even some tips about considering a move at the end of the fiction book.

As with most cozy mysteries, I do wonder how long the series can sustain itself when the amateur sleuth is investigating murders when she really has no reason to be around so many murdered people or have so many friends who are accused of murdering someone. Though I do understand the desire to help friends and family who are wrongly accused.

There were some formatting issues in the kindle copy.

I enjoyed this mystery a lot!

It's definitely a cozy, but not the sort where the protagonist is a doormat. Carol is a baby boomer with a fairly recently retired husband, various friends, two grown kids, a pair of dogs, and a penchant for meddling.

I really loved the tone. It's like Carol was recounting the events to me personally, complete with the occasional snarky aside and amiable bickering with her beloved husband. She's a lot of fun to hang out with, and has the kind of nuance that one generally acquires with age: for instance, you can love your husband lots, and love spending time with him- and still look forward to him leaving in the morning to give you time for your own interests!

The mystery is solid, and entwined with all kinds of other events from various points in the past.

I had not read any novels in this series before, but plan to pick them up- mostly because of Carol's voice.

Very recommended especially for Boomers who are not quite Miss Marple, but are heading that way!

“Class Reunions can be Murder” by Susan Santangelo

Being the fourth in the Baby Boomer Mysteries series, “Class Reunions can be Murder” is still high on the charts and so is Santangelo. This author can whip together a story that will have you cackling. Warning: don’t read it when others are around. If so, they may end up wondering if there’s something wrong with you because you’ll be doubling over in laughter.

Carol Andrews is at it again. The poor woman can’t stay away from dead bodies. It’s not like she goes looking for them, they just seem to appear wherever she is.

This time a body is found in Mount Saint Francis Academy, an all-girl Catholic school. Oh, excuse me, it’s Fairport Manor Senior Living Community now. Or will be right after the Ruby Reunion. Forty years after graduation, Carol is talked into being on the committee to head up the reunion. The dinner the night before is a huge hit. They decide to stay in rooms the night before the actual reunion at Fairport. But Carol doesn’t get the chance for any sleep that night. She and her girlfriend Nancy walk into the room, only to find a dead body in one of the beds. And the victim is none other than Carol’s arch nemesis from her school days. Just great. Finding bodies is what happens to Carol. Can we expect less?

It’s hilarious reading about the following excursions and escapades that Carol goes through to find out first, why everyone believes the suicide note and second, who is actually responsible for the murder.

Honestly, even if you have not read a book in Santangelo’s series before, you really need to pick this one up. Pure entertainment at its best!

“Retirement Can Be Murder” by Susan Santangelo:

Santangelo pens an absolute delightful story starring Carol Andrews, unofficial sleuth.

Carol Andrews starts a ball rolling with her worry that her husband will actually do what he’s been threatening to for years—retire. The type that is born to meddle (I mean assist), Carol tricks her husband Jim into an appointment with retirement coach, Davis Rhodes. Not long after their initial meeting, Rhodes ends up dead and Jim is looking awfully good for the murder. But Carol isn’t going to sit back idly and wait for her husband to be arrested. With the help of her childhood friends and even her two children, she manages to unearth information the cops weren’t able to attain. But will it be enough or just be considered circumstantial?

A terrific, light comedic read that will sure to make you laugh while you “investigate” side-by-side with Carol to save her husband from jail.

Reviewed by Starr Gardinier Reina, author of “The Other Side: Melinda’s Story”

“Moving Can Be Murder” by Susan Santangelo:

Santangelo continues to delight her readers with this second in her Murder Series.

No matter how hard she tries, Carol Andrews ends up being the star attraction in her hometown of Fairport, Connecticut. Because her husband Jim—her ‘Beloved’—is retired and due to his slight health issue, they decide to move into an adult active community. Their old home is sold and it’s one less thing Carol needs to worry about…at least until the night before the closing when she goes to the house to say her final goodbyes and finds a dead body. Unfortunately, it’s the new owner. To say the sale is dead is redundant.

One of her best friends is a suspect in the homicide and Carol cannot just walk away and let the cops deal with it. That would be the actions of a sane person. No, she again ‘lends’ a hand to find the killer. Is it Mary Alice, her best friend?

What does a house sale, thrift shop, nun, and garbage have to do with Carol Andrews? Trust me, it wouldn’t be much fun for me to tell you. You have to read this book to find out! Just as with “Retirement can be Murder,” “Moving can be Murder” makes you laugh out loud. Another ‘Santangelo 5-Star’ read that you won’t want to miss!

Reviewed by Starr Gardinier Reina, author of “The Other Side: Melinda’s Story”

Carol Andrews has mixed feelings about the announcement of her daughter’s wedding plans. Although she’s thrilled (having paged through bridal catalogues for years) she is disappointed that Jenny and fiancé Mark want to hand over the arrangements to a wedding planner at Cinderella Weddings. Their reason being, they want a destination wedding on Nantucket, and the wedding is happening in two months. Add to this mix, one of Carol’s BFF, Nancy, is devastated when husband Bob has a mid-life crisis and announces he is leaving her for a younger woman named Tiffani (with a ‘i’). Carol suspects her beloved Jim might also be straying since he has begun wearing aftershave; and Tiffani turns out to be Jenny’s wedding planner, something that Nancy discovers. Just when things could not possibly get worse, Tiffani is found dead at the bottom of a haunted staircase at the Grey Gull Inn, where they are all staying, and Bob is the man Carol saw as she discovered the body. Is Bob the killer? On the other hand, is Jenny the real target, since Tiffani was found clad in a revealing negligée and a bridal veil? Is someone stalking Jenny after she noticed two elderly men who seem to be following her everywhere? Other mysterious themes wave tantalizing threads that Carol must tie up to leave no loose ends. Join Carol Andrews as she susses out the guilty party in this baby boomer-theme murder mystery.

This book is hilarious, largely due to author Susan Santangelo’s masterly description of what life is like as a baby boomer, from the increasing waistband to the weak bladder. However, fear not, this story is so funny that it will appeal to readers of all ages. I particularly enjoyed the amusing quotes that preface each chapter, reminding me of Erma Bombeck’s pithy, sidesplitting snippets. The author has a laid-back style, deftly weaving in her funny lines without overpowering the reader with a laugh-a-minute. Her super sleuth Carol Andrews is warm, funny, and knows how to poke fun at herself. The author's humour is dry, understated, and just perfect for the genre. Since this is the third book in the Carol and Jim Andrews Baby Boomer Mystery series, readers have much to enjoy. I laughed out loud. Very enjoyable. As an added bonus, the book includes an end section with tips on how to plan the perfect destination wedding (hopefully without a murder!).
First reviewed for Readers Favorite