Death in the Sunshine

Now this is the type of retirement community detective novel I really want to read. Steph Broadribb writes vivid and credible characters and their well drawn backstories make 'Death in the Sunshine' both entertaining and believable.. With a satisfying mystery and a cracking pace, this book kept me turning the pages and left me eager for the next installment.

Do cops ever really retire? Philip, Lizzie, Rick, and Moira, will be the first to tell you that once the badge goes on, it never really comes off. These four ex-law enforcement officers represent retirees from CSI, DEA, and DCI and have settled in at The Homestead, a 55+ retirement community in Florida.

As is the case with the other residents, the attraction was the safe community advertising zero crime. Just when they started to relax and enjoy retirement, they discover that someone has infiltrated their gated community; a body of a young woman surrounded by thousands of dollar bills is found floating in one of the pools. The four discover that the zero crime statement is just an illusion. Can they hunt down the murderer and get back to retiring in peace? Do they still want to?

I loved this cozy mystery with mature characters! Told in alternating point of view from the four cops, you’ll read about how far The Homestead will go to keep their lie about zero crime alive. The banter between them will make you smile and trying to figure out Moira’s history will ignite your inner detective. What made me stop in my tracks was the push and pull between the generations. It was interesting to realize that the retirees didn’t trust the younger generations of law enforcement officers to adequately do the job. Believing that they had hindsight and wisdom on their side, the retirees responded in frustration when doubted and ignored. Conversely, to be called a “washed up has been, some guy who’s lost his marbles,” was condescending for someone who was at the top of his game prior to retirement.

This mystery really was like solving a puzzle. What I found noteworthy was that the author didn’t give too much away too quickly and the characters weren’t really who they appeared to be. The puzzle pieces were iridescent and changed just when you thought you had it figured out. Suddenly, the character you had pegged for the crime, wasn’t the one you wanted. The puzzle piece didn’t fit and the image on the cutout wasn’t what you thought it really was at all. Very good! I was invested in the story, loved the characters, and wasn’t able to solve the murder before the retired detectives…and that’s a good thing!

I’m really looking forward to Death At Paradise Palms, Retired Detectives Club #2, when it’s published November 29, 2022.

If you are an armchair detective and love cozy mysteries, this is one you’ll want to pick up now.

I was gifted this copy by Steph Broadribb, Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I really enjoyed this book, it was gripping and I couldnt put ti down. It was well written with a well developed cast of characetrs and an engaging storyline full with vivid descriptions. A great read.

Death in the Sunshine is pure delight! It’s the first in a new series featuring the Retired Detectives Club. Moira, Philip, Lizzie and Rick all have impressive police backgrounds, so when Moira discovers a body in the community pool, shot and floating among dollar bills, she is disappointed by the lack of interest by the local police. Of course, it is second nature for the four of them to investigate and investigate they do. Soon they are looking for CCTV tapes, interviewing suspects, finding clues and annoying the detective in charge. Will they find the killer before he finds them?

I’d say so much more about Death in the Sunshine but I don’t want to ruin it for you. Mature characters and a well planned plot make this mystery a must read but the location is a star by itself. Homestead bills itself as The Happiest Retirement Community in Florida, A Place to Make and Share Happy Memories! There are activities, golf carts, volunteer patrollers, a neighborhhood newsletter and more. I can’t wait for the next in the series. Write faster, Steph Broadribb. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and Steph Broadribb for this ARC.

When you see that “Death in the Sunshine” is the start of a series, The Retired Detectives Club, of course it’s easy to think about the “Thursday Murder Club.” Now let’s send 3 British crime professionals, joined by an American DEA agent to central Florida.

There are 4 POVs — I saw some reviewers were bothered by the third person present tense, but I didn’t find any difficulty following the narrative

MOIRA has suddenly retired after something went wrong back in London that made her choose a new home across the ocean in a gated community, the Homestead.
PHILIP was a detective in Thames Valley in the United Kingdom for 35 years,and he’s here with his wife, LIZZIE, a former crime scene investigator. RICK, an American widower, who worked for the DEA is the fourth protagonist. Rick and Philip are part of the neighborhood watch group and when Moira finds a dead body surrounded by thousands of floating dollars in the lap pool, the two guys feel they need to do something since it’s the first homicide in the community. Especially since Moira felt that the local detective couldn’t be bothered by investigating properly.

This is a s a solid whodunit and it serves to introduce the four characters for a continuing, all with different levels of professional jealousies and secrets for various reasons. The Homestead (a stand-in for the central Florida well-known community of The Villages) was both quirky and sinister and can obviously be the perfect setting for more investigations by this crew. 3.5 stars

“Death in the Sunshine” was also selected by Amazon editors as one of their featured First Reads selections and listed under their “best mysteries and thrillers” list.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Eye color isn’t really described at all.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The most garden-y thing was Moira’s pup, Marigold.

Moira Flynn, former undercover detective in London, has moved to a retirement community in Florida. She is done with police work. Or so she thought before she found the body of a young woman in the community swimming pool. Unfortunately, she has moved into a community inhabited by three former law enforcement officers who express an interest in the case. A case that the local police don’t seem interested in, but why? They begin to find evidence, including the possible link of the murder to the recent home burglaries. After trying one more time to provide information to the police, it seems as if they are on their own. Will they be able to find the killer, before the killer takes them out? Finally, Moira begins working with her new partners, Rick, Lizzie and Philip, tracking down leads and getting injured along the way. A very fine start to an entertaining and intriguing new series. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

Right... I most definitely didn't expect to be having this reaction to Death In The Sunshine to be honest. I LOVE her Lori Anderson books, a series I consider one of my favorites, so as soon as I first found out about this new series I knew I had to read it immediately. I also always love a focus on an older main character, so combined with my love for Steph Broadribb's writing I fully expected to have found a new favorite series to follow. Imagine my surprise when the complete opposite happened! Oh yes, sadly I can't say that I had a great time with Death In The Sunshine... I'll try to explain briefly why.

First of all, I do have to say that I still love the premise of this story. The setting in a Florida retirement village, the four retired detectives/CSI deciding to investigate a murder after the local police doesn't seem to be doing their job... It sounds like the perfect recipe for a good story and it kind of has that The Thursday Murder Club vibe. The unofficial investigation let by our retired team is engaging and has enough twists to keep you entertained. It does make you wonder just how much detective Golding is screwing up/wanting to hide the truth though...

Death In The Sunshine uses a multiple POV structure, where we switch between the four members of the retired detective team. It's definitely helpful to add a more dynamic feel to the investigation as well as helping to show different angles as things started happening. BUT. I felt that none of the characters were actually properly developed beyond the whole 'I have secrets to hide' and your typical detective/police officer cliches. This applies especially to Moira, Lizzie and Phillips as Rick doesn't seem to have much to hide though. On top of this, I didn't really get the sense of getting to know them better, and the constant reminder of those secrets and it being important for nobody finding out about them got annoying real fast.

Unfortunately, I can't say that I was really impressed by the writing either. Somehow the story never managed to grab me completely, and the plot felt rather slow and repetitive in points. The constant mention of having to hide their secrets I previous mentioned didn't really help either... And if I have to read the word tabula rasa one more time, I think that I'm going to scream. The final twist did come as a surprise at least, because I never guessed who would be behind it all.

To keep things short, I have to say that I ended up being surprisingly underwhelmed by Death In The Sunshine. I expected a new favorite, but instead sadly ended up with a dud... Repetition and bland characters don't exactly call for enticing reading, and I don't think I will be continuing the series at this point.

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley. This is a cozy mystery with six ex police officers…retirement community…new friends…relationships…murder…body in the pool…who did it?.. these people meet and work at solving the mystery…they don’t totally trust each other…secrets…this is a quick read…

As a huge fan of Steph Broadribb’s Lori Anderson series, I was excited to see what direction she would go in with The Retired Detectives Club but admittedly also quite worried, as that book description reminded me just a little bit too much of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club. The comparisons between the two are rather inevitable and for me, personally, this one falls a tad short.

Moira is a retired DCI, who moved from London to Florida to start enjoying an early retirement in a rather luxurious and, supposedly, incredibly safe community. But The Homestead is not the paradise it promises to be in the brochures. As Moira discovers when one morning she comes across the body of a woman floating in a pool. The local police force doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to investigate so Moira and three other residents of The Homestead, also former law enforcement, take matters into their own hands.

It’s clear that investigating has never really left these characters. Despite initial reluctance, it takes them no time at all to start looking for clues and digging up information. Who could blame them? This retirement stuff sounds awfully boring to me. Swimming, golf, bocce, crochet …. yawn. Wouldn’t you want some excitement in your life? Go chase a criminal or something? Furthermore, these pensioners are remarkably good at it too. It makes you wonder why they left their jobs as early as they did. That’s a thread that runs through the storyline because there’s no doubt there are very interesting background stories to discover, especially where Moira and Philip are concerned.

As for the murder mystery, I have to say that had me completely stumped. I didn’t even have a list of suspects and had no idea where to even begin. That is not to say the reveal comes from nowhere but just that it was hidden well and made me think I missed hints somewhere along the line. As the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together, it was all very plausible.

‘Death in the Sunshine‘ is an entertaining crime fiction story. There’s a good pace to it and surprisingly, it is quite a bit more action-packed than I expected. These retirees are fit, man! I enjoyed it for the most part but I also got thoroughly annoyed at half the cast of characters. Some I wanted to kick, some I wanted to grab by the collar and tell to grow a pair. Also, I am not a patient person, people. I don’t like it when I know there’s something to discover and this vital information is kept from me.

That said, it’s a pleasant way to start a new series and there is definitely more than enough here to set up a second book in this series.

The premise for this mystery novel was so intriguing that I could not resist requesting an advanced reader copy.
My expectations were high - I expected a complex mystery featuring some of the toughest homicide cops that gritty US cities had produced. With the dialogue and witty cop banter to match. All set in a Florida retirement complex.

Unfortunately my expectations were not matched with the contents of this book.

The use of multiple point of views, all told in the present tense, actually distracted me from the story and took a lot of getting used to.
I found it completely incredible that not one, but three London police officers had moved to the same retirement complex. And they all had backstories which were hinted at in every chapter to the point of tedium, so that the final reveal was a total let down.
The relationship between Philip and his wife ,in particular, was bizarre and strained credibility. I could not believe that she did not know his secret.
The bumbling antagonistic local police office is such a cliche, only matched by the main sleuth running after a dangerous suspect into the woods armed only with a loud voice and a pointy stick. In Florida. Where gun culture has long been a problem.

This book has been classified as a cozy mystery, but is missing several essential ingredients - the most important being humour. Definitely not a cozy.

Sorry, not for me.

I enjoyed reading this book. The characters are all great and the storyline really keeps you guessing all the way through which is fantastic. I really like a mystery book that you do not guess completely what is going to happen before the book unfolds.

The reviews for this book are mixed, but I decided to try it because it is based in Florida. And what is more entertaining than Florida???

The first book in what is to be a series, and told from four different points of view, I thought a bit too much time was spent on repetitive ruminations. Also, a pet peeve of mine..it bothered me that Moira had these newly adopted dogs but could be away from them all day and until late at night without walking or feeding them…let’s be real!

I did enjoy some of the stereotypical characters that one would find at a large Florida retirement village!

In addition to the main mystery, the detectives have secrets of their own from their past. Some are revealed but a big one is only hinted at..perhaps to be revealed in the next book?

Despite some misgivings about this first in a series, I will try the second one in hopes that it will be more engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DEATH IN THE SUNSHINE follows the story of four retired police investigators— Moira, Phillip, Lizzie, and Rick— as they solve the mystery of a young woman’s murder in their seemingly idyllic Florida retirement community. They soon discover that their investigations are uncovering secrets that others would rather keep hidden, including the local police. These investigations also force the retired detectives to come to terms with their own pasts and secrets, as well.

DEATH IN THE SUNSHINE is a well-written, engaging read, drawing readers deeper and deeper into the mysteries of The Homestead retirement community and of the investigators themselves. I really liked that the narrative presents each character’s point of view, allowing readers to feel like they get to know each character equally and adding additional interest as we unravel the truth in each character’s past. I very much hope this is the beginning of a new series because I would love to revisit this world as Moira, Rick, Phillip, and Lizzie solve new mysteries. This book is the perfect afternoon read for mystery lovers and would make a nice addition to a library’s digital collection. 3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed the suspenseful moments and the retired characters. A few twists and my theories were quite wrong , maybe because I was going into a different direction from what the story actually went in the second half of the book.
Suspenseful and very enjoyable read overall.
The book is available now and free with kindle unlimited.
Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy.

Thank you NetGalley. I really appreciate it.

This is a story of crime, mystery, and nostalgia. This book features four retired law enforcement officers; Moira, a retired undercover Detective Chief Inspector from London; Rick, a retired DEA; Phillip, an ex DCI, and his wife, Lizzie who she used to be a crime scene investigator.

PLOT: These four people are currently living in a retirement community in Florida and it's called The Homestead. It seems like the perfect place to retire, a small paradise, until burglaries happen and a body is discovered in the pool. Our four protagonists decide to solve the crime on their own, since they see that the police doesn't really show any serious interest. And, the mystery begins. Secrets, secondary characters, attacks, and some really determined characters are seen in this tale.

THOUGHTS: The premise of the story is really interesting. Four retired officers solving a crime is very enticing to read. I like the mystery of whodunnit, the crime scenes, the attacks, the mysterious retired residents of the Homestead, and even the mystery behind the past of each of the protagonists.

There are four different points of view, which is understandable, since we have four main characters, but I think, this constant switch of perspectives loses the momentum of the story sometimes. And, while it really holds the interest throughout, the ending is quite anticlimactic, to be honest. I would expect something more. The pace of the story is quite slow, as well.

I like the relationships between the characters, and I expect that there will be more buildup in future books. I want to learn more about them. They are very different protagonists and their past is still quite hidden. There is room for more development.

On the whole, the story is great, but it could be even greater. I would read the next one though. I would like to discover more about the characters.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.