The Cha-Cha Babes of Pelican Way
by Frances Metzman
About the Book
The Cha-Cha Babes of Pelican Way
Cozy Mystery
Wild River Consulting & Publishing, LLC (June 21, 2018)
Paperback: 506 pages
ISBN-10: 9781941948064
ISBN-13: 978-1941948064
Digital ASIN: B07CV2GP9Z
Cozy Mystery
Wild River Consulting & Publishing, LLC (June 21, 2018)
Paperback: 506 pages
ISBN-10: 9781941948064
ISBN-13: 978-1941948064
Digital ASIN: B07CV2GP9Z
Would you move a dead body for the sake of your best friend? Ask cha-cha babe Celia Ewing, a sixty-five-year-old widow who has just settled into Boca Pelicano Palms, the Florida retirement community of her dreams. When Celia’s best friend Marcy calls her and their friend Deb for help in the middle of the night, they find a naked Marcy trapped under the body of her beau, the community’s board president, Melvin. And he’s dead. The three friends secretly move Melvin back to his apartment setting off a chain of events that will threaten to tear their community apart and send them to jail. Melvin is one of a number of residents who are dying under suspicious circumstances; and soon Celia becomes an amateur sleuth in an attempt to identify what she suspects is a serial murderer.
Filled with humorous, witty observations about retirement communities, the realities of getting older, and the promise of new love, the Cha-Cha Babes of Pelican Way celebrates the deep bonds of female friendships, the desire for companionship at any age, and shows us that it’s never too late to learn how to cha-cha through life.
My Review
The Cha-Cha Babes of Pelican Way are three sixty-something women living in a Florida retirement community. Each one has many problems to deal with - Celia is a widow with an estranged adult daughter, Deb is having health problems and Marcy hides from her problems by getting involved with men. When the three of them get together and dance the cha-cha, their troubles seem far away.
Then one evening, Marcy calls in a panic. She’s trapped under a naked dead man. She begs Celia and Deb to help her move the body. She doesn’t want to be arrested, but moving a dead man’s body isn’t exactly legal. However, the three women work together to get rid of the body. Of course things don’t go as they plan and they wind up being accused of murder. It’s not just one murder, but it seems quite a number of residents of the retirement community have been murdered. It’s up to Celia, along with her friends, to figure out who is behind the killings and why they are being framed for murder.
It took me a little time to get used to all the players in this one. There were a couple of slow spots in the beginning, but then the story moved along at a fast pace and I couldn’t stop reading. I just had to know how it all ended up. I had a couple of sleepless nights because of it :)
The cast of characters are funny, emotional and eccentric. I loved the three main players - Celia, Deb, and Marcy. I wasn’t that fond of Celia’s daughter, but she grew on me by the end. The dialogue is witty and colorful. The plot is mainly mystery but there is a bit of romance as well. It made for a nice mix. There are a couple of sub-plots in this book which actually lead back to the main plot in an intriguing way.
I was captivated at all the twists and turns taken to get to the end. It had me laughing and crying at the same time. I never read anything by this author before, but it definitely won’t be the last time. She has a wonderful knack for clever, humorous storytelling.
For reading challenges:
Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge 2019
Literary Escapes Reading Challenge 2019 (Florida)
Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 2019
FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
About the Author
Frances Metzman, a graduate of Moore College of Art and a Masters degree from the University of Pennsylvania, co-authored a novel, Ugly Cookies, by Pella Press. Her short story collection, The Hungry Heart: Stories, was published by Wilderness House Press, February 1, 2012. In 2009 she won a nomination for a Dzanc Books award, “Best of the Web.” In addition to publishing numerous (25) short stories in various literary journals, she has a novel published by Wild River Books, 2018, The Cha-Cha Babes of Pelican Way
. Her teaching credits include Adjunct professor at Rosemont College to graduate school, Temple University at OLLI (creative writing and memoir). Other writing workshops, memoir/creative writing, have been given at universities and colleges such as Bryn Mawr, Penn State, Delaware, University of Pennsylvania, Widener, etc. As fiction editor for a literary journal, Schuylkill Valley Journal, she selects and edits the submissions. Many articles, essays, and stories she writes deal with aspects of society that influences relationships for all ages, including the mature set (sometimes tongue in cheek). Many articles are dedicated to improving attitudes toward the mature folks and address myths about “age appropriate” thinking.
. Her teaching credits include Adjunct professor at Rosemont College to graduate school, Temple University at OLLI (creative writing and memoir). Other writing workshops, memoir/creative writing, have been given at universities and colleges such as Bryn Mawr, Penn State, Delaware, University of Pennsylvania, Widener, etc. As fiction editor for a literary journal, Schuylkill Valley Journal, she selects and edits the submissions. Many articles, essays, and stories she writes deal with aspects of society that influences relationships for all ages, including the mature set (sometimes tongue in cheek). Many articles are dedicated to improving attitudes toward the mature folks and address myths about “age appropriate” thinking.Author Links
Twitter - https://twitter.com/FranWrites
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/FranMetzmanWrittenWork/
GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5871334.Frances_Metzman
FrancesMetzman.com
Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo
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I like reading novels about older people though have only read one set in a retirement community before. That was a Pascal Garnier so very noir and dark. Cha Cha Babes sounds like a fun read
ReplyDeleteI like that you found it humorous as it does look like a fun book by the title and cover.
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