Well I’m a little bit speechless. What an absolutely brilliant book from the beginning, right up to the end!

The Retired Detectives Club is sent a mission to find a missing movie producer. His wife proclaims foul play. But the mystery of the missing person gets more and more dark and interesting. The Retired Detectives Club find clues about his disappearance, but nothing is adding up right. Besides working on this case, the Club has some inner personal problems that keeps disrupting the case that they are working on. This story reads like a cozy mystery story. Nothing wrong with it, it's a nice smooth pace story with a wonder plot and characters. A well written mystery.

Disclaimer: Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A fantastic addition to what is fast becoming one of my favourite thriller series. Love the setting, characters and pacy plots. Highly recommended!

Death at Paradise Palms offers a new twist on the British cozy mystery--it is set in a retirement community in central Florida. Moira (not her real name), Rick, Philip, and Lizzie are all retired police investigators who solve crimes in the Homestead community near Orlando. This caper involves the missing husband of a retire movie star. The senior sleuths have to walk a fine line because the local police and the community's management do not want the media learning about the crimes being committed in what is to be an idyllic retirement community. Writer Steph Broadribb offers a fun and entertaining read in The Retired Detectives Club Book 2, full of CCVT cameras, tyres, and tea in the middle of steamy Florida.

Death at Paradise Palms is the second book in the Retired Detective Series. This time we see Rick, Moira, Lizzie and Philip investigate the disappearance of Cody Zeigler, husband of retired actress Olivia Hamilton Ziegler and resident of Millionaires Row at the Homestead retirement village. With the local police not taking things seriously, Olivia believes that the Retired Detectives are her only hope of finding out what has happened to her husband.
Olivia is clearly not telling them the whole story and they all but have to drag the truth from her which makes Rick think that she may be behind it yet the others don’t seem quite as convinced. As they dig into Cody’s work life they find that although his staff seem to love him there are one or two people who do not have quite such a high opinion of him and may have a motive for his kidnapping. I could understand Rick not trusting Olivia as she did not always make things easy for the team and he could not understand why she insisted on being in on every conversation they had, almost as if she was trying to make sure that she was never suspected and her relationship with Cody was not exactly conventional giving her the possibility of a motive.
This team are definitely growing on me. As much as they work well together you can see that also at times they can rub each other up the wrong way making them just that little bit more human and believable. I love the way the chapters are divided up between all of the main characters giving different perspectives on events and how they feel the investigation is going based on what they are doing. Their personal lives are definitely impacting on this case as Moira is being harassed by an unknown person with threatening texts she is convinced link back to her life in the UK and Lizzie and Philip are still struggling with their marriage after events in book 1. As much as Moira manages to stay professional, Philip and Lizzie have gone the other way to the point they can hardly be in the same room as each other and ultimately leads Philip to make decisions that could prove disastrous.
This may be classed as cosy crime, but the investigations keep up a pace that belies the setting of a retirement village and the image of older people heading to the sunshine state to relax in later life. I am looking forward to the next in the series to see what they will get mixed up in and if Moira will truly trust Rick with her past or find out why she was being threatened.

A great cast of retired detective, a solid plot, a mystery that kept me guessing. I had a lot of fun and read this book in two settings.
I want to read the rest of the series as I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This book has a palpable tension that keeps the pages turning…..simply brilliant… I had to finish this marvelous thriller in one sitting! Taut and incredibly suspenseful, every moment is perfectly crafted to keep me wanting more.

Four law enforcement retirees living in the same retirement village have formed a "murder club" in which they try to solve mysterious deaths. After the success of their first venture, they're asked by a former movie star to find her missing husband. A side-plot involves the individual dilemmas within the group: a married couple going through a rough patch, a woman who has taken on a new identity, and a man who wonder if he'll find love again after his wife's death. I'm sure these sub-plots were added as depth to the novel, but I found them rather annoying and distracting. Also members of the group seemed to do several unwise things that one would not expect of people with their backgrounds. Three of the four main characters are ex-pats from Britain, and the descriptions in the book are written in language from that background (e.g., boot instead of trunk, indicate instead of signal, etc.) That seemed odd to me, as an American reading about something happening in America, but I suppose I can understand the perspective. Overall, the story wasn't that interesting and the characters could be improved by adding a bit more humor or quirkiness. Not sure I'd recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Death at Paradise Palms is a fantastic follow up to Death in the Sunshine. I love a well written cosy mystery and this book, the second in The Retired Detectives Club series, ticked all the right boxes for me. A great setting, captivating characters and a suspenseful plot. A real must read.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Amazon Publishing for an advanced copy.

An intriguing second book in this series. The Retired Detectives, Moira a former DCI with the Metropolitan Police, Phillip a former DCI and his wife Lizzie a former CSI, along with Rick, former DEA are once again on a case. Former Hollywood star Olivia Hamilton’s husband Cody is missing. The police tell her she needs to wait as he has only been missing one night, but she knows her husband…he would contact her if he was able. She contacts Moira as the retirees had previously solved the Manatee murder. As the group investigates, Lizzie is still dealing with information that has put her at odds with Phillip and Moira is receiving threatening text messages. When one of their own goes missing, did they find Cody and are now in danger as well? These retirees are using the knowledge they gained after many years of police work to step in when the police won’t or don’t. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

This was fun, lightweight mystery with all sorts of interpersonal dynamics as a subtext. Its an active group in a retirement community. The younger woman is worried about her older missing husband, despite looking like the perfect suspect.
The story moves along pretty quickly and is a fun distraction.

Having enjoyed the first book in this original series of The Retired Detectives Club I was keen to pick up the four central character’s stories.
The writing is crisp and well plotted with clever dialogue and the resulting story is amateur sleuthing times four.
Told alternately across the four retirees’ perspective we see them reluctantly and keen to help a Homestead resident when her husband goes missing.
The stakes quickly get raised into a life and death struggle but little fazes these individuals who all have experience working in criminal detection roles.
Punchy and with a degree of fun these are not just cozy cases as murder is never far from the cases they investigate. The questions remain however. Why are the police so inept? Why does the retirement settlement they live on seem so keen to bury bad news stories and How can four elderly sleuths outsmart and out perform the criminals and local law enforcement consistently?
The answers and the joy, is in the reading of this books.

This is a fascinating mystery. Retired cops are on the job because the cops on the force now don't want to investigate. But the retired cops are in danger...
Amazon Publishing UK and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It has been published and you can get a copy now.

One of them goes missing and they are trying to find him. His car is in the lagoon with a dead woman in it. The current cops think he killed her...

Then another man goes missing. It takes some good investigation to find out where they are. And the killer is a real surprise.

It's a good mystery and the story is interesting. Give it a try!

Death at Paradise Palms by Steph Broadribb.
2 (The Retired Detectives Club).
When movie producer Cody Ziegler goes missing from The Homestead’s Millionaires’ Row, his wife, retired actress Olivia, immediately claims there’s foul play afoot. A million-dollar ransom demand soon follows, with clear instructions not to involve the cops. In desperation she enlists the help of Moira, Rick, Philip and Lizzie, aka the Retired Detectives Club.
A really enjoyable read. I do like this series. 4*.

The second in the Retired Detective series came together and kept my interest. The characters & their interactions had more substance. I think the author still includes quite a bit of unnecessary fillers that do not contribute to the plot or characters, but it's less noticeable than the first story. Death at Paradise Palms has a fair amount of action - especially considering that all of the players are senior citizens. I am enjoying the way the series is heading and will look forward to the 3rd book.

Just like the first book in the series, this one packs suspense and a bit over the top scenes that makes it perfect fiction story in my cards.
The characters are interesting and more realistic in here as we get to know them more, parts of their past are revealed along the investigation and the connections and interactions are well drawn.
I found it entertaining and great for an autumn chill afternoon.


Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

Moira, Lizzie, Rick and Philip are known as the retired detectives to the Florida community they live in . They have previously solved a murder and are now asked to investigate a missing person case
Lizzie and Philip are married and their marriage isn’t without its issues Moira is running away from problems in England and Rick is a retired American detective.
The writing flows well and this in turn makes the book an easy and enjoyable read.
I like the dynamic between the four characters and I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK.

Death at Paradise Palms by Steph Broadribb is an exceptionally entertaining read that is mostly cozy, yet a solid whodunit.

Death at Paradise Palms by Steph Broadribb is the second book in the Retired Detectives Club, featuring four retired residents of The Homestead Retirement Community in Florida. It’s an exceptionally entertaining read that is mostly cozy, yet a solid whodunit. The premise is probably a little far-fetched, but the novel is pure escapism, so I tried not to overthink the practicality of retired folks (albeit all former law enforcement) gallivanting about after armed, murderous kidnappers.

Broadribb introduces us to a primary cast of four – a former DEA agent (Rick), a British ex-DCI (Moira), and a married British couple (Philip and Lizzie), an ex-DCI and ex-CSI, respectively. I haven’t read the first bestselling book in the series, Death in the Sunshine, but references in this one suggest here we have the same group of retired detectives investigating crimes that the local cops either can’t or are unwilling to investigate. While I don’t think it matters if you’ve not read the first book in the series, that one might give the reader more context since authors often spend significant time in first books building the backstories and personalities of the regular characters. Still, Broadribb gives us ample information about the characters, so we never feel lost entering the series with the second book.

While here we seem to have a protagonist by committee since all four main characters seem to have equal weight, the book unfolds in third person from the point of view of Moira Flynn, but we get the points of view of the others and Broadribb spends plenty of time developing them all. We learn not only the roles they play in the investigation, but get personal side stories for all four that help give us clearer perspectives of them that help us see them as real people we come to care about. Still, I found Moira the most interesting character in the group because I found her side story more compelling and sympathy provoking. Rick Denver is also a likeable, realistic character and his budding romantic interest in Moira adds much to the story. I didn’t really like Philip and Lizzie Sweetman much at the start. Philip seems to have an inflated idea of his own importance. His wife Lizzie, holding onto an old grudge bitterly and tenaciously, uses it as an excuse to treat her husband harshly. I felt little sympathy for either until near the end of the book when circumstances forced them both to finally became more likeable.

The retired detectives are in fine form and there are a few laugh-out-loud moments interspersed among the more serious issues Broadribb touches deftly on, such as ageing, life after retirement, and relationships.

We’re offered a simple missing person case at the start when a former Hollywood star, Olivia Hamilton Zeigler, hires the retired detectives to find her missing husband Cory. But when Oliva receives a ransom demand, the case turns into a kidnapping case. Still, the team stays on the case since Olivia doesn’t rust trust the police and refuses to involve the authorities. Broadribb’s writing and characterization are incredibly engaging and the reader feels as if they are as involved in the case as the cast.

As mentioned, a team of amateur sleuths, even retired law enforcement types, probably wouldn’t take on an active kidnapping case, but it’s certainly good fun and an enjoyable page-turning read. If you’re a fan of Miss Marple or Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series, you’re sure to enjoy this book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes.

This is book 2 in the Retired Detectives series and this time the team have been asked to look into local former actress Olivia's missing husband. The police don't seem to be taking it seriously and she is adamant that he would not have just upped and left without telling her. So they tap into their well-hones skills and set about working out what happened to Cody.

Alongside the investigation, we get more of an insight into the lives of the four friends with Lizzie and Philip's marriage troubles, Rick struggling to keep his feelings in check and Moira's past threatening to upend everything... who says retirement is relaxing!

The Retired Detectives Club consists of four ex police, Moira, Rick, Lizzie and Phillip, who all live in a retirement community in Florida, and enjoy using their skills to solve crimes. In Death at Paradise Palms they are asked by his wife to find a missing movie producer since the police are not showing interest in the case.

Events become dangerous and each member of the team is distracted by something. Moira is receiving threatening calls which she thinks are to do with her past, Lizzie and Phillip are having marital problems, and Rick is worrying about all of them. I probably should have read book one before I read this one. Although the story was stand-alone I think I may have missed out on some character development, because I struggled to be interested in any of their personal problems.

The story on the other hand was excellent. Using ex detectives as sleuths was a great idea because the team were using their professional skills and this made their investigation more plausible. The book was well written, and I enjoyed it enough to know I should read more from this author.