In the Beautiful Dark by Melissa Payne is a beautifully written fictional story that takes place in Sunny Pines Retirement Community, an independent-living community,

The characterization is extremely well done. The book focuses for the most part, on Birdie's point of view. She is an elderly female with a walker who has led a rather lonely, independent life as a single female who has often been hurt by others because of her sexual orientation. Her initial time at Sunny Pines is spent by herself; however, she is encouraged to become more social, and as time goes in, she finds herself drawn into a group of friends because of women who have been murdered over the years, including someone she loved very much.

The author's writing completely captures what life is like for someone like Birdie.

This is a uniquely captivating, character-driven mystery, that had me hooked from beginning to end!

Set at Sunny Pines Retirement Community, an independent-living community, for the “sixty-two and better!”, although “there is not a soul under the age of seventy-five”. There is a fascinating mix of characters in this story, each with decades of lived experiences, and each wading through the complexities of ageing, as “getting older is not for the faint of heart”.

This story is told with a dual-timeline narrative, largely from the perspective of our elderly protagonist, Birdie Allen, who is haunted by the suspected murder of her ‘friend’ Allison, more than fifty years ago. Birdie has remained determined to uncover the killer and when another woman disappears, she gathers her eccentric community to attempt to uncover the truth about the death of Allison.

There is also an external narrator, a shadowy existence, that offers an alternative perspective to the happenings at Sunny Pines Retirement Community. They will not leave Birdie’s side until she has uncovered what she has set out to. This added an interesting element to the story.

I appreciate the addition of the book club questions at the end of the story, particularly as this book would work brilliantly as a book club or buddy read. Also, the author’s note is a must read, as it offers context for the setting of this book.

With many thanks to Lake Union Publishing, Melissa Payne and NetGalley, for the e-ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

I am excited to read more stories written by Melissa Payne!

I did enjoy this book. Set in a retirement home with the main character, Birdie, a reluctant inmate, continuing to investigate the death (to her mind, murder) of her friend many years ago, the story follows her gradual integration into the community and the development of friendships within the boundaries of that community. Some likeable (and unlikeable) characters which build during the book. Many twists and turns and surprising friendships culminate in the final unravelling. A good read. I'd recommend.

What a stunningly unique and beautiful book! I love Melissa's bold choice for Birdie--an older protagonist, however, she weaves in this non-traditional and unique backstory that reminds us how people reaching the end of their lives have these intensely interesting and unique back stories! I think the characterization of Birdie's past pains with the loss of her great love and the fall out of not believing the law enforcement consensus regarding her death made for a very intriguing premise.
The mystery throughout the novel kept me turning the pages and the mystical aspects were tender and beautifully written.
I think there are many layers to the storytelling which makes this a fun and rich reading experience. I can't wait to read other books that Melissa Payne has written. She's got a beautiful way of telling a story!

I liked the main character Birdie right away. She is kind, cares about others and is willing to put herself in precarious situations when she feels like she can make a difference.

I love that the author wrote this book about the murders that happened over decades. I enjoy how Birdie and the fellow members of the Sunny Pines Retirement Community Home is such a hodge podge of residents from all walks of life. This is a little bit darker than some of the other books with Senior citizens solving crimes. But the author did a wonderful job of showing how the older a person is the more time they have had to amass secrets and some of those secrets are very dangerous.

This book was engaging, the type of mystery that even though you think you know who the guilty party is, and most probably are correct, you still second guess yourself.

All in all a solid 4 star read!

Birdie lives in a retirement apartment home, and is haunted by a time 50 years ago when her "friend" committed suicide. But Birdie never believed it was a suicide, and has spent a lifetime failing at proving it. But when another murder happens that fits the profile from the past, old ghosts urge Birdie to reopen old wounds.
I absolutely loved this author's book, The Secrets of Lost Stones, so I was excited to read this one. The book summary seemed right up my alley. And I loved the cast of personalities from the retirement home, and their comradery.
I do wish this book would have been tagged LBGTQ. There is rarely a time these days that I pick up a mystery/thriller/historical fiction novel that does NOT have a gay relationship in it. It renders a story that uses it as a hinge, as unoriginal at this point. This would have been so much better if the hinge was friendship between two women. I didn't love the voices of the ghosts either. They were sort of creepy to me - and not in a good way.
This was a quick and easy read. 3 1/2 stars

`Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher

Thank you Net galley for allowing me a chance to read this book early. I was very excited as I had previously read "The Secrets of Lost Stones" by Melissa Payne and really enjoyed it. This story starts off with the Birdie and Allison working together at a strip club. Allison is feeling ill, and leaves work early. This wouldn't have been so bad had Birdie not just professed her feelings for Allison. When Birdie gets home that night, she finds Allison dead in their bathtub. Her death is ruled a suicide. Birdie knows in her heart that it isn't due to Allison's love of her son, Felix. The story then jumps in time to when Birdie is living in a retirement home. Birdie is still haunted by Allison's death when news of a new death and a missing cleaner reignites Birdie's interest in Allison's case. Begrudgingly Birdie makes friends with people in the retirement home who form their own little gang trying to solve the mystery of who killed Allison. This story is told with emotional grit and shows the power of found family and friendship in helping people overcome their grief. I really enjoyed this read and would recommend it to others.

Even though I don’t usually like crime novels or mystery novels, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and couldn’t put it down! That might be because this is also, in my humble opinion, literary fiction as well as women’s fiction.The characters are totally believable and well drawn. The descriptions were vivid enough that I felt like I was right in the middle of every scene. I was kept guessing till the very end although I had some ideas along the way I was a little bit, surprised at the end. The main character is quite likable, and I had to keep reading to find out what happened to her.

Thanks to the author and publisher, along with NetGalley, for an advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Ever since my parents have died, I'm fascinated with the thought that they are looking down on me and helping me through life. It is what attracted me to this book. In The Beautiful Dark by Melissa Payne is a mysterious and moving story at the same time. Sometimes my heart was racing. Other times, I wanted to reach out and hug the seniors that live at Sunny Pines Retirement Community.

My Thoughts On The Book:

I loved so many parts of this book. I wish I had a Birdie in my life that I could visit weekly. I loved how spunky she was, and she had a heart of gold. I spent a lot of time thinking about how that later stage in life affects people. But this book was also a mystery. I thought I had the serial killer figured out early on, but I needed to keep reading to see if I was right. I was never totally sure.

Melissa Payne does a wonderful job of characterization. I felt like I knew the characters well. I had wondered, while reading, if she had a lot of experience at a retirement community. So many events and dialogue made me laugh out loud. Her author's notes does answer my question. Make sure you don't skip this section at the end of the book.

In The Beautiful Dark deals with a lot of real-life issues. Payne deals with these issues well. I like how she crossed realistic fiction with mystery throughout the story. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends. I loved the book. However, I gave it a four star because I felt the story was a little repetitive in the middle. Don't let this stop you, though. It is worth reading!

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Melissa Payne for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

I must admit……my heart was racing during the last quarter of the book. I was pretty sure I had things figured out but I was still a little, okay, maybe more than a little scared. This was a darker read than I normally gravitate towards but having read and enjoyed previous works by Ms. Payne, I was happy to receive this ARC.

Birdie Allen, a retired senior, lives among a cast of characters at the Sunny Pines Retirement Community, all of whom have secrets from their past. But for Birdie, her life has been scarred by the long ago murder of her closest friend and whose child she raised as her own. For fifty-two years, she wouldn’t accept the police’s theory of how her friend died and with little else to occupy her mind, Birdie enlists her new friends to help her investigate this murder along with those of several other young women who died in a similar fashion.

With light-hearted and tender moments sprinkled throughout, this haunting tale of lost loves, friendship and the importance of having community kept me very engaged. Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Publication date: April 22

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishers for letting me discover a little gem I would have missed if I didnt stumble over it here!

Birdie is struggling to find her spot in life as a retiree and resident at the Sunny Pines assisted living centre, when a womans dissaperarance brings back memories of her own greatest loss. Of her best friend who died before Birdie had the chance to tell her hove much she loved her. Birdie never accepted that Allison killed herself, and spent her life trying to prove her murder. Could Allisons killer be back?

It was a pure joy to follow Birdie and her motley crew of grey haired friends trying to figure this mystery out, and I really became fond of them.

At times the language did seem a little wordy and slowed down my reading a little bit, especially in the chapters not told from Birdies point of view, but the plot kept me turning the pages, and when the big reveal came at the end it was very satisfactionary both to be surprise, but also that the surprise made sense when looking back at the story.

4⭐️

It took me a while to figure out what to say. It was so hard for me to connect with the story and get into it, but after the first 20% of the book, well, yeah it was amazing.

Birdie, the main character, is so enjoyable. She’s determined, caring, and just plain cool.

While this book is about uncovering the truth and solving the mystery, there is a lot of soul searching, coming to terms with past grievances or mistakes one has made, and friendships.

It was an enjoyable read!

This story started out with two exotic dancers realizing their love for one another and I thought the story would be about them. Then one of the is murdered leaving behind a young son. The story moves to present day and the young son is a grown man. The surviving woman has moved into a senior apartment complex right around the corner from where the murder happened many years ago. I loved the character of Birdie who was haunted by the loss of her love and the coming together of the seniors who try to help her. Great plot twists and suspense.

This book has everything: humor, sadness, splendid writing, an intriguing plot that is well paced. I could not put it down. Payne is now on my auto buy list. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

I loved this book. From the cover and the characters I didn’t want to put this book down. I want to see what the author has next.

This novel has it all and I absolutely adored it!
Taking place in a a community facility, where Birdie and the "older" folks reside, there is definitely something going on that Birdie needs to figure out.
Fifty years past, Birdie's love and best friend was murdered and it was considered a "suicide". But, Birdie knows better and is still haunted by the memories of this tragedy and needs closure.
Now... there have been some recent killings in this area and they have not been solved.
Who did this? Who is safe?

Well... Birdie will find out and is on a mission to try to get some retribution for past and present murders.
Stay tuned! You will be right in the middle of this journey!

I loved this book!
It has heart, friendship, mystery and laugh out loud moments at times.
This truly needs to be a movie!
Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Lake Union Publishing for this terrific ARC and allowing me to provide my own review.

In The Beautiful Dark
Synopsis
We follow Birdie as she goes through life, digging through her memories. She lost her mother to suicide when she was young. This has haunted her throughout her life as she never felt close to her mother. She struggles to make sense of the world around her.

Thoughts
The first few pages have a really interesting twist, I thought the story was going to go differently. The writing flows nicely and there are no jumping around in terms of plot. The plot makes sense and the characters develop a lot. I liked the mixture between talking and descriptions. I really like it so far, There’s a poem included in the middle of the novel which is an interesting insertion. The ending surprised me! I enjoyed the book and can’t wait for more by the author.

Audience
This book is definitely 18+. I would not recommend this book to younger audiences, even young adult. New adult would be a fine choice. This book could be marketed to a wide arrange of people. If you like crime and mystery books, this one is for you.

5 stars, thanks to the author and publisher for getting me this book.

Are you looking for your next thriller? Pick up In the Beautiful Dark by Melissa Payne. This book kept me interested until the very end.

Birdie Allen is the newest resident of Sunny Pines Retirement Community. After a losing battle with her son, Birdie starts what he hopes to be her new life with new friends and new adventures. But Birdie is still haunted by her dark past, of a deep loss she can’t let go of. Her son, Felix, hopes this will be exactly what Birdie needs to finally move forward, but weird things start happening at Sunny Pines that bring Birdie’s past barreling into the present.

In the Beautiful Dark starts out with a mild pace. So much so that I wasn’t entirely sure how much I would end up liking the book. However, each Chapter piqued my interest more and more until I found myself not wanting to stop. This book was such a surprise and the story was so well done up until the very end.

I truly enjoyed every character and it’s probably the most I’ve liked characters in a book in a very long time. Melissa Payne is so good at character building that Birdie and her gang of friends seemed to jump off the pages, easily coming to life in my mind.

Having a soft spot for the elderly, I was so entertained by this ragtag bunch. I also thoroughly enjoyed the fact that this went beyond your normal thriller/mystery and also had elements of family bonds, unlikely friendships, and a true love story.

Being the first I’ve read by Melissa Payne, it certainly won’t be my last. Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me the joy of reading In the Beautiful Dark. I can’t wait to recommend it to everyone I know!

I really enjoyed reading this book! I liked the perspective being from an older generation and seeing how secrets and things of that nature were looked at from that POV. I think it was a good pacing and the writing of the book were also good!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!