I wanted to love Agnes Sharp unreservedly. That didn’t happen. Sure you can use terms like quirky, unconventional even when describing the residents of Sunset Hall, they surely meet the mark.
The solving of a murder by slightly demented residents should have been a hoot. Hettie the tortoise is a gem. Unfortunately, overall I found the Sunset Years a bit of a slog to finish, stretching way too far into my personal sunset years.

A Soho Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp appears to be the 1st installment of a future series filled with quirky characters many of which are fighting aging issues such as mobility, forgetfulness if not dementia, loneliness, etc. Not quite a cozy mystery as there isn't a cute fictional town or stores that would make the reader want to travel to. There is, however, The Sunset Hall, the home of one of the inhabitants, Agnes Sharp, now turned into a room lease to what appears to be a group of men and women with some secrets in their pasts and a collective agreement with regards to their future.
This first outing is all about finding a killer on the loose so that a body on the property of Sunset Hall can be more readily explained. There are inept police, an evil senior citizens retirement home, and a young grandson taking center stage in this mystery that will reveal a decades old problem brought to light.
I love books that bring light to the lives both current and past of the elderly. Agnes Sharp is an interesting character and there were hints at her past that I wish would have had more light shed upon. Some of the housemates had about equal revelations of their pasts as Agnes. What we know is that at one time many of the geriatric housemates had special training and jobs that help them solve crimes.
As this was an arc, the jumping between scenes and characters were at times difficult to connect with and hopefully upon final print, chapters and scene changes will be more evident.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Soho Crime for access to an early e-copy via Netgalley. All opinions are mine.

DNF

Thank you to NetGalley and Soho Press for the advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

Maybe something was lost in translation from German to English, but I could not get into this book. Quirky cozy mysteries normally entice me, but this one just made me sad. I struggled to get to 30% in before I skipped ahead towards the ending, hoping for some resolution When I got to the point where I found out who the killer was, well, I'm glad I didn't waste my time going over the book methodically.

You want quirky geriatric crime solving, stick with the Thursday Night Murder Club.

This was a big no for me. In keeping with my rules for rating books, I will not post on my blog or social media, only providing this review for NetGalley and Goodreads.

3.5 stars.

Out of all the books I've read about elderly people going out and doing things that seem unlikely, this is probably my least favorite. I don't think there was anything particularly wrong with it, but nothing truly grabbed my attention.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

What a great time!! This book is everything you want and expect it to be! A rollicking ride with some amazing fantastically quirky seniors who have way too much energy and time on their hands!
Sit back and enjoy the ride as you get carried along with Agnes and her retirement community friends as they try to cover-up and solve a murder!!!
Hilarious from start to finish, I give Agnes and her cronies 5 stars and highly recommend for a quick, funny, laugh
out loud time!
Thank you to Soho Press and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

I enjoyed the quirky characters and realistic portrayal of aging in this novel. I also found myself laughing out loud at the ways the investigation was impacted by the memory fog and arthritic hips of the residents of Sunset Hall. While I overall enjoyed the mystery and the humor in this novel, I also found it a bit slow moving and a bit hard to follow with the POV changes throughout that weren't always clearly indicated.

This book was so soft yet sharp and witty. I loved the protagonist and experiencing her was such a pleasure.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974



An engaging multiple POV mystery tale with friendship, love and a tortoise. You will be engaged from start to finish. The POV might be hard for some but continue reading. Would make a great tv movie.

A mystery that involves a community of retired people trying to solve a crime while covering one up. I didn't get the cozy vibe I was expecting from this one. I was expecting more of a clear detective character early on and more investigating from the get-go. However, it took a while to get there. I also at points had trouble with POV shifts as it wasn't always clearly indicated!

Of course this was another funny whodunnit, I didn't expect any less from the author of the Sheep Detective Stories :)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

This is without a doubt, a completely hilarious & engaging whodunit (or perhaps whydunit is more accurate). If you like quirky, British mysteries this the book for you! Miss Marple would be quite at home with the residents of Sunset Hall.

Agnes is our main character, whose viewpoint we follow. Her observations are brutally honest & funny. But all of the characters are endearing & you’ll really come to love then. The mystery was a lot of fun, very unique having the characters try to both solve a murder & cover up one at the same time. I feel there’s enough twists to keep readers surprised & satisfied. I highly recommend you read this. It would be a perfect autumn read!

"Three Bags Full" by Leonie Swann set a high bar for the cozy mysteries filled with humor, absurdity and barnyard animals. "The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp" is just as charming, funny, and cozy as it predecessor. Agnes Sharp is an elderly retired police officer who has opened her home to other seniors so they can live other their sunset years together. When bodies start turning up--including one in their own garden shed--the housemates know that they must solve the mystery as a team. Together they brave bad hips, missing dentures, and a too-slow chairlift to get to the bottom of the case. A delight!

This was such a fun read. It came across to me as a cozy mystery with a slight dark side to it. I love anything with senior sleuths because they make everything much more fun. Great quirky characters, heartfelt emotions and the mystery throughout the book. Thank you Leonie Swann and NetGalley for this digital copy.

"The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp" is a fun, quirky and irreverent read in all the best ways. The story involves a group of seniors who get into shenanigans throughout a murder investigation. Highly recommended for cozy mystery readers and those who love stories about women of a certain age. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Humor, hearbreak, mind games, and tricks of memory. The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp delivers a tight mystery with plenty of twists, a host colorful characters that are more than they appear, and intertwining conflicts of inner and external demons. Swann writes of her elderly casts foibles with both pathos and mirth and shows their strengths shining through the shortcomings. Sunset Hall may seem to be occupied by a bunch of ailing geriatrics, but anyone disrespecting this crew will come to regret it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Soho Crime for advance access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to get my head and mind into this read. The theme was serious two,
then three murders but the characters were whimsical.It also brought it very close
to home that Icould very well turn into one of those eccentric old ladies give it
a few years.

A body has been discovered next door. Being neighbours the police come calling.
This makes the group agitated, nervous and jittery because their murdered companion lies
in their own house. The Police are happily for them unaware of the fact. Lillith was
shot after a joint decision taken, including Lillith so the bunch are quite ok
with the outcome!

The plan is to find who murdered the neighbour so that Lillith's murder could be
pinned on the same person and voila they all can clear their minds over the little
matter of Lillith's death.

This seeking of truth leads to various escapadeswhich in their rather fragile state
of health is tricky. A miracle that no one died in the process of investigations.

This was quirky, different and refreshing.

Agnes has opened her home to those of a certain age who do not want to go quietly into a "care home" to die in a medically induced haze. Although each of them had remarkable careers, the years have taken their toll and the aches and pains of arthritis, the forgetfulness and the disregard for taking medications have left them less than mentally sharp most days. When not only one, but two murders happen and the police are convinced that the residents of Sunset House are somehow involved, it is up to Agnes and her housemates to sort out the crimes and find the murderer as the police seem to be getting nowhere with the investigation. As the pieces of the crime start to come together, they are sometimes frustratingly lost in a memory fog and so the investigation drags on at the pace of Hettie, the resident tortoise. Readers will empathize with the foggy brains and achy bones and the frustration of not having your body cooperate with your wishes. Quirky characters all, the residents of Sunset House are on the case! A different spin on the murder investigation novel.

Rating: 3.1 leaves out of 5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 2.5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Mystery
Type: Audiobook
Worth?: Eh, if it is your cup of tea

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

This book reminds me a lot of the books that are mysteries and the titles have food names. It is a good old people kind of mystery though that being said I don't think these are the reads for me. It was slow paced, too slow for me, and I was finding myself bored a lot of the time.

All that being said, I really did love the different personalities of each character. I read a comment that said it could be a good movie or even a show and I agree. I think it would do better on a screen than on a page. Also the whodoneit was pretty darn good but the road to get there was long

This one just didn't land for me -- I hope it finds its audience, but I found it dull and plodding. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book early.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

What happens when the generation of law enforcement and secret agents gets to their sunset years but still want life (and death) on their own terms? Agnes has created a house share opportunity for like minded seniors to live together. The cast of characters in this novel are so quirky! They each have their own issues and flaws and strengths. It's a brilliant book! Once I started I wasn't able to stop until I was done.