Excellent Cozy Mystery, Great First in Series
I so enjoyed this first in series book. I can't wait to read more. Our heroine has an interesting corporate background that helps her sort out people's problems. Now retired, she has been helping friends sort out small annoyances in their lives. Until now when she is hired as a professional busybody for an active seniors community. This series has so many places to go. I have read other series' by this author and have loved them. She lays out a good mystery that is tough to predict. This series is a little different, but still stellar. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

When Jane Darrowfield becomes bored with retirement she begins acting as a "fixer" for her friends and neighbors. Word quickly spreads and she is offered a paid gig at a local 55 plus community. She goes undercover as a potential resident so she can help the director discover and offer solutions. The first day staying in the loner condo she advices the director, Paul, the suggestion that in order to depolarize the separate fractions within the complex. When he implements those measures one of the ring leaders is found bludgeoned to death on the golf greens he ruled over with an iron fist.
Jane being a busybody she is determined to see the job to it's conclusion and find the killer. As the investigation proceeds she finds not everyone within the community are what they seem to be and old secrets come to light. A subplot has Jane meeting a gentleman off an internet dating site. He may just be what she has been waiting for.
This is a quick witty read. The only think that did not sit well with me was how the community was portrayed. It made it seem as if the residents had either never grown up or reverted to their teenage personalities. There are several stereotypes portrayed by the author about "assisted living". First and foremost is the food being bland. It has been my experience that the description of the community has very high end food service. Also the continued referral to how slow the residents are. I will state again however that this was a quick easy read.

Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody is the first book in the Jane Darrowfield Mysteries series.

Jane Darrowfield is recently retired and has earned a reputation for being the go-to person for solving sticky situations. One of her bridge club members has given her name to Paul Peavey, director 55-and-over condo community. He says they are having some issues, social dynamics, he calls them, but it’s more like two factions that are acting like high school boys, rather than adults. Paul suggests that the best way for her to learn what is going on is to move in a unit, saying she is considering becoming a resident. After having a few days observing the interaction of the two cliques Jane has a couple of suggestions that she thinks might alleviate the problem. The next morning one of the clique leaders is found dead on the community’s golf course. He had been beaten with a golf club. Jane would like to just go home, but she has formed a friendship with several residents and would like to find the killer to put all her friend's minds to rest about a killer is among them.

I really enjoyed this new series by Barbara Ross. As with her other books, the story is well-written and very interesting. The cast of characters is interesting and well-developed. One can’t help but chuckle at some of the residents. The book kept me guessing until the end.

This is the first in a new series. Jane Darrowfield has gained a reputation among her friends as a problem solver. She’s hired by the director of a senior living community to help resolve some issues among the members of this community. Before the issues can be dealt with, one of the main troublemakers is murdered. Jane now finds herself in the midst of a murder investigation.

This is a very good cozy mystery. It’s refreshing to have the main character be older than what we typically see. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of mystery Jane gets involved in next.

Jane Darrowfield: Professional Busybody by Barbara Ross is the first book in the Jane Darrowfield series, and it's off to a great start. First of all I wanted to say I love Ms. Ross Maine Clambake Mystery Series, so I was anxious to read this book, and I wasn't disappointed. Jane Darrowfield has been retired for a year, and has to find something to do. After Jane helped a friend with a personal problem, she is known in West Cambridge, Massachusetts as the go-to-person for discreet problems. Jane is hired by the director of a 55+ community to find a solution between the groups in the community. When the head of one groups is murdered, Jane is determined to find out who killed him. This book has more twists and turns, that kept me reading. The plot and characters are well developed, and I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy cozy mysteries.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Paul Peavey is the Director of the Walden Spring Retirement Community, and he is having troubles with the residents. Jane Darrowfield is someone who recognizes problems and finds solutions. The problem is easy to find, but when childish antics elevate to murder, Jane's job gets much harder. They say everyone knows everything at Walden Spring, but do they really? Everyone has secrets, and some are worth killing for.

I loved this book. It is well written. It is suspenseful, but also made me laugh. The killer wasn't obvious and it kept me guessing. I am looking forward to a second book in this series.

Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody was charming, kept me reading and grinning! I love cozy mysteries with mature sleuths and Jane was one of the best sleuths I've read about in a long time! While assisting her friends with "difficulties" in their personal lives, Jane develops a reputation as a "fixer" of problems. Her latest problem to solve started with a senior-living village that was too "cliquish" and she wound up investigating a murder!

Jane is relatable, kind, funny and curious - great qualities for a sleuth. The supporting characters are very well-written and enhance the story. Their backstory's added to my enjoyment of the book. The mystery was fast-paced and I loved the " red herrings"! Set aside several hours because you won't be able to put the book down!

I can't wait for Jane's next assignment!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed are my own.

Let’s just lay it out here: this is one of the best cozy mysteries I've ever read. Not only was Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody a smart and suspenseful mystery, it was a funny and moving novel as well. Barbara Ross has long been my favorite culinary cozy author with her terrific Maine Clambake series, but this debut in her Jane Darrowfield series is without a doubt the best thing she's written to date, and that's high praise given the excellent quality of her previous novels.

This book opens with recently retired Jane Darrowfield at a bit of a loose end. Divorced, with her only son living on the other side of the country from her Massachusetts home, she fills her days with a bit of reading, a bit of gardening, and bridge with her three closest friends. She's also acquired a reputation for being a bit of a fixer, in perhaps the most helpfully suburban way possible:

QUOTE
In Jane's opinion, many people sadly lacked the skill to have difficult conversations with acquaintances and neighbors. Given a noisy house party or a car parked blocking a driveway, people stewed in silence--or worse, called the police--when a simple knock on the door and a polite request would have done the job. It was into this breach that Jane had leapt again and again. Now she was being offered the chance to be paid for her efforts. Why wouldn't she take it?
END QUOTE

The person offering is Paul Peavey, the beleaguered executive director of Walden Spring, a rather tony retirement community. Two of his residents are at loggerheads, with each of their cliques taking sides and everyone else getting caught in the crossfire. As a result, tensions are high and condo sales have plummeted. This obviously isn't something one can call the cops in on, and counseling hasn't helped much either, so Paul is willing to pay Jane a ridiculous amount of money to go undercover in the community and bring an end to this nonsense.

Jane is fairly certain that the combination of analytical and people skills she honed during years of navigating corporate America will help her figure out how to get to the root of the problem and speak reasonably to all involved. However, only half a day of pretending to be a prospective resident staying in a Walden Spring guest suite enlightens her as to the real nature of the problem here:

QUOTE
Jane looked around the dining hall and suddenly was overwhelmed by a feeling of déjà vu. The golf jocks sitting with the expensively dressed popular girls. The leather-jacketed bad boys with the greased-back hair. The tables full of couples. The lonely people sitting by themselves, staring at their trays. The dancers and the artists in the corner, Jane sitting among them. She had thought her corporate experience was what she brought to this assignment. But now it was obvious. Walden Spring was high school.
END QUOTE

The guise of being a prospective resident allows her to ask nosier questions than she might ordinarily get away with, and soon she has recommendations for what Paul ought to do with the two ringleaders, preppy Bill Finnerty and greaser Mike Witkowski, in order to calm the whole place down. But the very next morning dawns to find Bill bludgeoned to death on the golf links attached to the property, and Jane soon finds herself involved in solving a greater and more deadly mystery than regressively adolescent hijinks among a crowd certainly old enough to know better.

I can’t gush enough over how perfectly balanced this book was, with its intelligent mystery, keen insight into contemporary life and the sense of wry humor that made it all an utter delight to read. While I loved all Jane’s friends, I absolutely adored her relationship with prospective beau Harry and how that grew through the book even as her confidence as a retiree did. Equal parts cozy mystery and contemporary fiction, this is a paragon of both genres, and I loved reading every minute of it.

This reminded me of Mrs. Pollifax and Ivy Malone of other mysteries I have read. All three of them are delightful in their own ways.

Jane Darrowfield is an older retired woman who enjoys her friends. She has helped them solve various little problems they had, mainly by being the person who would speak to a third party who was causing the situation that troubled to her friend. So, when one refers her to the manager of a retirement community, she has to think whether she wants to get involved outside her normal circle.

Paul, the manager, explains that he needs someone to learn what is the cause of some unrest at Walden Spring. He wants her to be undercover, posing as a potential buyer. She very quickly sees that there are cliques there, just like in high school and offers a solution to him.

When one of the residents is murdered, there are many suspects and Jane wonders if her suggestions to Paul have any bearing on the murder.

It's fun to see how Jane, not a real PI, goes about learning things from other residents She is unlike so many female protagonists in that she is not afraid to share her findings with the police.

As in all cozy mysteries, all's well that ends well and Jane evolves as person, a comforting thought for those of us who are older and sometimes think things can never change.

This was a fun fast cozy mystery read. I absolutely loved the main character Jane Darrowfield. She’s a plucky character that is full of sass. The story follows your textbook formula for cozy mysteries, but there are a few twist and turns in it that make the story extremely enjoyable. This is the first book in a new series and I can’t wait to read more. Barbara Ross is a gem of a writer.

An ingenious premise grounds this outstanding introduction to a new cozy series: Jane Darrowfield loves to solve problems, so she evolves into a Professional Busybody who gets her first paying gig in this captivating debut.

Paul Peavey, the manager at the Walden Spring lifecare community, retains Jane to determine what to do about the growing hostility between two groups at Walden Spring. One group, led by Bill Finnerty, rules the golf course, and the other, led by Mike Witkowski, dominates the game room.

Jane agrees to move into a unit at Walden Spring, pretending to be a prospective buyer checking out the community to observe the situation firsthand. She recommends a solution to Paul, and that night Bill Finnerty is beaten to death with a golf club. A few residents and Paul make the suspect list that expands when it turns out that Bill Finnerty is an impostor.

Barbara Ross concocts an intriguing mystery with delightful characters, a few improbable but fascinating relationships, and enough red herrings and twists to keep the pace lively. This first Jane Darrowfield Mystery sets high standards for the sequels in this series.

Have you retired?  Do you dislike being written off as someone with nothing to contribute?  If you answer yes, or can imagine answering yes at some point in your life, this book is for you. 


Jane is at that stage in her life when she is asked for help by a friend and willingly assists.  From this beginning, Jane is given a paid job!  She goes undercover in a retirement community where the shenanigans lead to a murder.  Will Jane solve the case?  I am certain that you can answer that question but read this one anyway for the fun along the way.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

Well written with interesting characters. Jane is such a strong and happy character, it's going to be fun to see where her adventures take her next.

COZY REVIEW: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody by Barbara Ross @maineclambake
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This was an unexpectedly fun read. I was a little wary at the beginning (creature of comfort and familiar series) but I quickly found myself wrapped up the the story.
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Jane is recommended by her bridge playing friend to consult for an old folks community to try and settle down the issues they are having. Right away Jane finds herself in the midst of a food fight surrounded by cliques like they were in high school. But when someone ends up murdered on the golf course, everyone begins to point fingers and Jane is determined to figure it out.
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Unlike some other cozies I've read, where the sleuth dives right into potentially dangerous situations, Jane is cautious and very forthcoming with the police and encourages others to do likewise. I liked this in a character because it seems much more realistic of how most people would behave if they were in this situation.
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One of my favorite characters right away was grumpy old Maurice. He speaks his mind regardless of what some think.
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There were several twists I was not expecting, I loved that the initial reveal of the killer actually had me shocked (and a bit upset).
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If you can't get your hands on this @barnesandnoble exclusive, the title will be release JUNE 30TH
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SETTING: Massachusetts, retirement community

Jane's really happy to take a run at solving the problems at the Walden Spring senior community. She's a widow who retired a year ago and she's run out of things to do but she's always been the sort of person who can step in and figure out how to make things work. Hah! The residents of Walden Spring might be mature in years but not in any other way. And then one of them is found dead. He had a secret - which Jane discovers and which is key to solving his murder. There are other secrets as well, including one that Jane's love interest Harry has been hiding. It's a good, fast read, with a nice protagonist in Jane. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's nice to have a new older cozy heroine to follow- there's lots of potential for er to solve other crimes.

If you are looking for a light cozy mystery read, this is the book for you. The first book in the Jane Darrowfield series. Jane Darrowfield is a year into retirement and is looking for ways to fill her time. After helping a couple of friends with their problems, she decides to become a private investigator. Her fist case is at Walden Springs retirement community. The director has hired her to come in to find ways to help de-escalate tensions between different cliques that have formed. It isn’t long before someone is found murdered and she tracking down a killer.

I love the Maine Clambake Mysteries by Barbra Ross so I was very excited to see a new series.

Jane Darrowfield is a year into her retirement, and she’s already traveled and planted a garden. She’s organized her photos, her recipes, and her spices. The statistics suggest she has at least a few more decades ahead of her, so she better finds something to do . . .

After Jane helps a friend with a sticky personal problem, word starts to spread around her bridge club—and then around all of West Cambridge, Massachusetts—that she’s the go-to person for situations that need discreet fixing. Soon she has her first paid assignment—the director of a 55-and-over condo community needs her to de-escalate hostilities among the residents. As Jane discovers after moving in for her undercover assignment, the mature set can be as immature as any high schoolers, and war is breaking out between cliques.

It seems she might make some progress—until one of the aging “popular kids” is bludgeoned to death with a golf club. And though the automatic sprinklers have washed away much of the evidence, Jane’s on course to find out whodunit.

This was an entertaining, very well written, clever mystery. Barbara Ross couldn’t have had better timing. It was on point throughout the entire book. Just when I would get comfortable with thinking I had everything figured out, she would throw in a curveball that had me scrambling for a new theory. Needless to say, the reveal totally surprised me.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. A strong addition to the American cozy scene, this is the first book in a new series about Jane Darrowfield, ‘Professional Busybody’. While her age isn’t specified, Jane is over 55 and starting a surprising new ‘career’ as a professional ‘busybody’, or problem solver to the strange and annoying little things that crop up in one’s life but don’t rise to the level of calling the police. Jane’s pleasantly surprised with the director of a 55+ active retirement community hires her, at $800 a day, to investigate and resolve a rising conflict environment at Walden Spring. Upon Jane’s arrival, she’s definitely surprised to find behaviors that she likens to high school all over again. When one of the main instigators is found murdered on the community golf course, Jane is asked to stay on and help calm the community, which puts her right in the middle of things.
This is a well-crafted book and a solid story, with occasional surprises that make it interesting to the reader. Ms. Ross does an excellent job of character development and delineation so that, even though the community of characters is large, they’re easily to keep track of. I look forward to the next in this series and it’s a good addition to the Kensington Book offerings.

The Professional Busybody is the 1st book in a new series by Barbara Ross. Jane Darrowfield is retired and is looking for something to do. She has helped friends with relationship problems so one of her friends gave her name to Paul Peavey who is the manager of Walden Spring, an assisted living development. Paul talks Jane into helping him with his unruly members but she needs to stay at Walden Spring to get to know everyone. There are food fights and fist fights and water balloon fights! What did Jane get herself into? Then one of the residents ends up dead. There are quite a few suspects and some surprising twists and turns to keep you guessing! An enjoyable cozy mystery!

This was absolutely fantastic! I loved the warm characters and the world of the book. Jane is a brilliant heroine and it was great to read about a amateur detective/sleuth/fixer protagonist who is neither a grizzled Ex cop nor a young, beautiful damaged girl. Thoroughly enjoyed this well paced book