I always seem to pick up a mystery series with the third book, but I always recommend readers start with the first one. The latest Bucket List mystery,Murder at the Male Revue, by Elizabeth Perona, is a fun book with a serious backstory.
The septuagenarian members of the Brownsburg, Indiana Summer Ridge Bridge Club all have bucket lists. Joy McQueen’s list includes “Go to a Male Strip Club”. Joy, a reporter for the Indianapolis ABC affiliate, is now the announcer for the male revue fundraiser for the town’s park department. But, she panics at the thought of the men stripping, and she disappears just in time to find the town council president dying after she was stabbed. Now, the women have a new goal, to find the reasons why someone would want her dead.
Francine McNamara and her friend, Charlotte, are on the case. They can’t hide their eagerness to find a killer from Jud, the local police detective. He warns them not to meddle, but Francine and Charlotte look for answers everywhere from the victim’s home to a private cemetery to the American Legion. And, each time, they’re either caught or end up in another disaster involving food and a stripper. Not quite what anyone would expect of amateur sleuths in their seventies.
Charlotte and Francine are fun and funny as Charlotte pushes Francine into the case. Charlotte is the comic relief, a short woman who enjoys the male strippers, bingo, and a little too much to drink. But, she’s also a mystery reader, an astute observer, and recognizes the truth behind the murder. Despite the funny scenes involving strippers, the women take murder seriously. Murder at the Male Revue is fun, with a group of active seniors who challenge perceptions.
Elizabeth Perona’s website is www.ElizabethPerona.com
Murder at the Male Revue by Elizabeth Perona. Midnight Ink. 2017. ISBN 9780738750644 (paperback), 312p.
*****
FTC Full Disclosure – I received the book to review for a journal.
