Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody

Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody by Barbara Ross is the debut of A Jane Darrowfield Mystery series. Jane Darrowfield is retired from the telephone company and her only son lives on the west coast. After organizing her house and traveling, Jane is at loose ends. Playing bridge with her three friends does not take up all her time. Jane has discovered that she is good at solving problems and word has spread within the town. Now Jane has a paid assignment. She needs to uncover why the various cliques at an over 55 community are at odds with one another. Things go well until one of the ring leaders turns up dead. Jane Darrowfield is a spirited main character. She is smart, notices details, and likes to be active. I like that she is an older protagonist. Jane has her three friends (Helen, Phyllis, and Irma) with whom she plays bridge regularly. Phyllis enlists Jane's help in weeding through the men interested in dating her since her own judgement is not to be trusted. Phyllis has created profiles for the two of them on a dating site and arranged coffee dates for Jane with the top matches. I found the dates to be entertaining. I just loved the baristas reactions. I thought Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody contained good writing, it was just the right length, and it had a steady pace. The mystery was interesting with a variety of suspects. Jane questioned people, followed leads, and searched for clues. It was fun solving this clever whodunit. I look forward to the next A Jane Darrowfield Mystery. Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody is charming cozy mystery with a gone golfer, suspicious suspects, surprising secrets, a crafty killer, and a smart senior sleuth.