Seventy-five-year-old former FBI agent Ethel Fiona Crestwater does her RBG (Ruth Bader Ginsberg) workout every morning while running a boarding house for FBI and Secret Service agents. Her age allows her precious invisibility, and she can outthink and outshoot most men and women regardless of age.
When one of her boarders is murdered, Ethel springs into action, and it's an eye-opening experience for her double-first-cousin-twice-removed Jesse Cooper who's staying with her while attending university. As he watches her photograph the crime scene, conceal evidence, and speed-dial the director of the Secret Service, it occurs to Jesse that there's more to this elderly relative than meets the eye, and when Jesse is attacked and some evidence stolen, he joins forces with Ethel to pursue their own high-stakes investigation.
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There are more and more bad-ass elderly sleuths making their appearances in crime fiction, and I couldn't be more pleased. In Mark de Castrique's Secret Lives, readers make the acquaintance of my new favorite, Ethel Fiona Crestwater. Call this seventy-five-year-old a little old lady at your peril. At the age of eighteen, this woman tracked down her father's killer, and she's been going non-stop ever since. Her knowledge is wide-ranging and her contacts never-ending. She doesn't suffer fools, and those who know her know to stand back and let her do her thing.
Ethel's mantra is Integrity, Fairness, and Justice, and she's willing to bend a few rules to ensure those three things happen. How far will she bend rules? As she tells someone, "I'm so far off the books, I'm not even in the library." There's some laugh-out-loud humor in Secret Lives as Ethel and Jesse investigate-- like her response when a bad guy tells her to show her hands-- but you'll be happy to know that the story is every bit as interesting as its main character. I didn't know all that much about cryptocurrency when I began reading, but I feel a bit more comfortable with the subject now due to the skillful way de Castrique weaved the information into the story.
It was an absolute pleasure getting to know Ethel and Jesse in this series launch, and I'm certainly looking forward to their next case. More, please-- and quickly!
Secret Lives by Mark de Castrique
eISBN: 9781728258317
Poisoned Pen Press © 2022
eBook, 288 pages
Thriller, #1 Ethel Fiona Crestwater thriller
Rating: A-
Source: Net Galley
I haven't even met her yet, and I already think Ethel's fantastic, Cathy! I love the fact that more and more, we're seeing sleuths who aren't exactly twenty anymore, and I'm as happy about it as you are. And what a great context for a mystery. Yeah, I can see why you loved this one...
ReplyDeleteI think you'd love it, too, Margot!
DeleteLike you, I am delighted to see the trend toward elderly sleuths. This sounds like another good one.
ReplyDeleteIt is, Dorothy.
DeleteI was hoping this one would turn out to be a good read. The whole premise is such a fun one; I've got it on my TBR list. :D
ReplyDeleteYay! :-)
DeleteI've enjoyed other books by this author, so I'm glad to learn that he's starting a new series. The premise strikes me as a case of "what's old is new again," because Miss Marple also took advantage of people overlooking the presence and abilities of senior citizens.
ReplyDeleteI think we're ready for Miss Marple again, don't you?
DeleteGosh, there are a lot of elderly sleuths. But assassins, too. I am interested in reading "Killers of a Certain Age," about aging women assassins who kill the bad guys.
ReplyDeleteI know I'll be reading that one sooner or later, too.
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