The witty sleuth
Or take Parnell Hall’s cursing, gun-toting puzzle lady, Cora Felton—the main character in his long-running Puzzle Lady mysteries. The “puzzle lady” couldn’t do a crossword puzzle to save her life (her niece actually writes the puzzles that appear under her name), but she makes an excellent amateur sleuth. In the eighth and latest installment of the series, You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled (Bantam), Cora Felton is accused of plagiarism, and then of the murder of her accuser.
The plot moves quickly with rich characters and strong wit, and there are even a few crossword puzzles for readers to enjoy. Writer Parnell Hall’s puzzle lady Cora Felton may look like a sweet-looking grandma type, but she still sees herself as young. “She’s had five husbands,” he says. “And her age is undetermined, a mystery.” She is a lady, after all.
The undercover PI
Author Rita Lakin adds to “GeezerLit” with her character Gladdy Gold, a Jewish self-proclaimed private investigator who’s as witty and smart as the writer, most recently in Getting Old Is Criminal (Dell Mysteries). Together with her sister Evvie and her Florida retiree friends, Gladdy is on the case of a peeping tom around a Florida retirement community. The case takes the ladies undercover and in danger.
Yiddish humor and warm characters make this series a satisfying read for fans. Lakin says Gladdy, who leads the group of five spunky ladies, refuses to be defined by her age.
Mysteries for all audiences
So who reads these GeezerLit books? You might be surprised that it’s not just those of retirement age enjoy these writers’ work. “People of all ages buy my books,” Lakin says. She enjoys the readers’ comments she gets from her website.
Befeler adds, “Sometimes, people get my book for their parents.”
About the authors
All three writers have their own stories to tell. Befeler began writing after a career in high technology marketing. Hall had song- and scriptwriting careers and has several mystery series under his belt, including a PI series. Lakin used to write for TV and worked on shows like Peyton Place and Dynasty and won many awards before writing novels.
Through their own insight and experiences, all three writers put a new face on age with “GeezerLit.” Most importantly, it’s the sense of humor with which they approach aging that redefines the term ‘old.’ Old now means witty, interesting, and not done with living by a long shot.
Rita Lakin sums it up best with her perspective on age. “You’re as old as you feel.”
Read ‘GeezerLit’
All books mentioned are available online at Amazon.com or at your local bookstore.
Plus, you can go to the authors’ websites to find out about appearances, excerpts, and other information: