I enjoyed the start of this book but then it fell a bit short. It was dull and boring. I gave up reading this at 60%

I’m a big fan of Steph Broadribb’s Lori Anderson series so was very excited to start this new series — and I wasn’t disappointed! A gripping, page-turner of a book with a terrific cast of characters. Loved it!

As an older reader, I loved it was set in a retirement community. Mainly, it's nice to show "older" people still have something to offer.

I'm very familiar with Steph's books and have enjoyed them all. This was no different.

Definitely recommend.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A good mystery thriller novel. Recommend

3.5 stars

Death in the Sunshine introduces readers to Moira, a retired UK detective who is hoping to leave her old career far behind and spend her twilight uears in the Florida sunshine.

When she comes across a crime scene though, it is very difficult not to fall straight back into well-used skills, but as she is trying to keep a low-profile, decides to suppress the urge to investigate. This works well until she bumps into a fellow ex-officer who is not as happy about leaving the job behind and is desperate to get involved. Along with his ex-CSI wife and another friend who happens to be ex-US police, the Retired Detectives are born!

This was an easy, cosy-crime type read. A good mystery and an introduction to 4 good characters, I am looking forward to reading the next book.

Death in the Sunshine was a fast paced procedural thriller that took on a new spin. Four retired law enforcement officers are caught up in a murder investigation when a young woman is killed in their retirement community.

While it was set in Florida, it was obviously written by someone based in the UK and this does take away from the story in my opinion. This felt like a very basic story and while there was some twists most you could see coming and some just did not make sense. When the "real reason" Philip was fired was addressed it felt like such a let down. Additionally I just could not stand most of the characters. Overall I liked the story enough to finish it and maybe I will pick up the next book but it won't be on the top of my TBR.

Unpredictable and entertaining.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book - the setting, the plot, the characters. In particular, the setting of a retirement 'village' in the Florida sunshine was an absolute treat for this reader who hasn't travelled anywhere for a long time. I love a bit of cosy crime, and while this is cosy, it also has a welcome depth that makes it a very satisfying read. Highly recommended.

The number of five star reviews of this title show it has clearly been very well received by many readers looking for a cosy crime thriller and bodes well for any plans for an on-going series.
While it’s easy to draw a comparison in subject matter (a retirement home environment and ‘elderly detectives’ drawn into a murder case) to Richard Osman’s very successful series, it’s an unfair comparison on both authors – neither the sub-genre of cosy crime nor ageing protagonists are a new concept.

Key to a cosy crime working for me is the engagement with the characters – here we have Moira, who has moved from the UK to a retirement community in Florida following ‘something’ that happened in her previous life as an undercover police officer. There she gets unwittingly drawn into the discovery of a dead body and meets Phil and Lizzie, ex-UK police with a ‘something’ in their own past. What these ‘somethings’ are which each want to keep secret are teased out throughout the novel. Whether this works for you will have a big impact on whether you enjoy the story or not. For me, personally, I wanted things to move a little quicker and, when the reveals finally came, I couldn’t really get behind them as the ‘big bad secrets’ they were and which formed much of the need for deception in the book.
Ultimately, it feels like a book for relatively new to the genre readers. The plot is simple and the characters, their thoughts, actions and dialogue are up front and centre to avoid any ambiguity and key points/ beats are repeated: a character will think something might happen, it happens and they relate what happened to the rest of the team on several occasions.
It’s a book which has hit a chord with a lot of people and I’m sure will appeal to many more. Cosy crime is not, I admit, a sub-genre I read a lot of, so perhaps it was just not the book for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to read the book.

I enjoyed this book, mostly. I saw a lot of reviews mention the POV but it didn't bother me. I think it was a good, quick read (although it took me a little while over several sittings to get into). The characters each had their own internal "issues" and it'll be interesting to see what else comes out for them, and how they grow, as this series progresses.
3.5 I'm rounding up

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy to read and review.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Death in the Sunshine by Steph Broadribb in exchange for an honest review. I originally requested this book for my mom to read and review, as it's about four retired people solving crimes in Florida and sounded like something she would enjoy, but she died before she was able to read it and so I tried reading it. It wasn't my normal type of book, but I enjoyed it and am glad I got through it. I love how many different things each person can get from the same book.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I love a good "retired person/death mystery/set in Florida" novel, but I had a hard time reading this one. I feel like I had to read every sentence slowly to get the point, and it was a bit slow. The story was just okay for me. I don't regret reading it, but I'm not sure I'd buy this.

How long can you keep you secret to your friends?

Everyone has a secret to hide from all of the characters and the retirement community who is known to have no crimes have also something to hide. The storyline is good and definitely a good read, it was a slow burn and had lots of questions that still lingers on me after I've finished reading the book.

This is my first book with the author and definitely won't be the last. Looking forward to unravel the mystery in their community.

Moira, retired from the police force wants to live a peaceful retirement in an American gated community. Her peace is interrupted when she accidentally finds the body of a young woman in the swimming pool. She reluctantly works together with other members of her community, all retired from the police force, to solve the murder. It was an entertaining, easy read with light suspense.

Decent cozy, so out of my wheelhouse of noir. Nice pacing, good characters and an interesting plot. Many readers will enjoy this one.

Dark past and well-hidden secrets, a good dose of proper sleuthing by retired detectives and a mystery that keeps one guessing till the end, Death in the Sunshine by Steph Broadribb is a fantastic series debut.

I absolutely loved the concept of retired detectives deciding to get back in action, solve a case or two - even if it is to pass time. The icing on the cake is, Philip and Moira have a tragic past. A traumatic event that lead them to quit the force and retire to a peaceful retirement community named The Homestead in Florida. When a murder occurs in the community, their detective instincts kick in.

As a first in the series, we have just the right amount of character introduction and series-plot setting. The characters are likable. This is the first Steph Broadribb book I read and won't be the last. I loved the storytelling and the writing style. The mystery behind the murder, the string of burglaries and the hushing up of the case on media kept me guessing till the end.

I am looking forward to seeing what's next for the retired detectives club. If you love gripping mysteries, you might want to give Steph Broadribb's Death in the Sunshine a try.

A really enjoyable thriller, that kept me guessing until the end! Wow, just holy wow. There are few authors who can bring the past to life so compellingly...

Death in the Sunshine by Steph Broadribb was a difficult read for me. The structure of the book took me awhile to get used to. My mood changed quite frequently while reading Death in the Sunshine. I had high hopes for this novel and I hope that book 2 will flow better for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this copy.

Hi and welcome to my review of Death in the Sunshine!

Death in the Sunshine is the first instalment in a brand new series called Retired Detectives Club. A new Steph Broadribb series? You know I’m there for that!

Death in the Sunshine is kinda like The Tuesday Murder Club in better weather, except that these are not amateur sleuths, as I assume you’ve gathered from the series title. The story is told from four different perspectives and they are all former law enforcement. Who better to investigate a murder, especially since the detective who is actually paid to investigate doesn’t seem all that bothered.

Death in the Sunshine is more action-packed than I expected from a cosy crime mystery. A dead body kicks off the story and in the aftermath of this murder the action and suspense don’t let up. Moreover, two of the protagonists are clearly harbouring secrets, which adds to the general suspense and mystery. I was fully prepared to miss bounty hunter Lori Anderson (from the eponymous series by this author) but I didn’t even have the time to realise she wasn’t there! Death in the Sunshine is super entertaining and highly addictive, I read it in a day and I had a ball!

While the murder has been solved at the end of the book, it is clear that we have not yet uncovered all there is to know about these retired detectives, one in particular, and I think I might have spotted a bit of a romance on the horizon. Suffice it to say that I will be waiting very impatiently for the next instalment!

If you love protagonists that are a bit older and you enjoy a thrilling murder mystery, then Death in the Sunshine is one you should add to your TBR right now!

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

The Homestead is a Florida retirement community where nothing bad ever happens. Except it does: at the end of her morning walk, Moira Flynn (a retired DCI from London) finds the body of a young woman floating in the community pool. When they realize that police don't seem to be taking the case seriously, Moira teams up with three other retired investigators, Philip Sweetman (another retired DCI, from Thames Valley), his wife Lizzie (retired CSI), and widower Rick Denver (ex-DEA), to get to the bottom of what's going on in their "safe" community. Although they are retired, they haven't lost their skills and they know their community better than the police, so they make headway on the case faster than the police. I enjoyed the story enough that I'll look for the 2nd installment in the series, but it was a bit slow. Much is made of the fact that Moira and Philip are hiding secrets about the circumstances surrounding their retirements, but instead of building suspense, I thought it got a bit old that these mysterious things that they "can't" tell anyone are continually alluded to and only one is finally revealed. Although the story is told from the perspective of each of the 4 main characters, Moira seems to be the lead and I found it hard to fully get behind liking her because you know there is something (possibly bad) to be revealed about her past actions in the future. In trying to decide whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars, I considered all the little things that bugged me while I was reading, such as the American Rick using Brit vocabulary and the fact that Moira is so concerned about getting home to her 3 rescue dogs at the start of the book but doesn't seem too worried about them later on.