The Lavender Ladies Detective Agency: Death in Sunset Grove

Finnish journalist Lindgren treats growing old with mordant humor in her memorable first novel and series launch, which centers on the residents of the Sunset Grove retirement community. Nonagenarians Siiri Kettunen and her best friend, Irma Lännenleimu, inspired by the coincidental color of their wardrobes, decide as a joke to form the Lavender Ladies Detective Agency to snoop into the goings-on at Sunset Grove. They soon have a chance to take the idea seriously after the apparent suicide of their facility’s cook Tero Lehtinen, a tragedy that presages other strange developments, including disappearing medical records and the suspicious dispensation of additional medications. Lindgren perfectly captures the universal confusions (Siiri and Irma attend the funeral of the wrong person) and uncertainties of old age (how many of their friends will still be alive in a week to attend a reunion luncheon?) in the service of a captivating plot. Readers will eagerly await the sequel. [em]Agent: Elina Ahlback, Elina Ahlback Literary Agency. (June) [/em]