Sunday 14 July 2019

Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody (Jane Darrowfield #1) by Barbara Ross



Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody (Jane Darrowfield #1)
Jane Darrowfield is a year into her retirement, and she’s already traveled and planted a garden. She’s organized her photos, her recipes, and her spices. The statistics suggest she has at least a few more decades ahead of her, so she better find something to do . . .

After Jane helps a friend with a sticky personal problem, word starts to spread around her bridge club—and then around all of West Cambridge, Massachusetts—that she’s the go-to person for situations that need discreet fixing. Soon she has her first paid assignment—the director of a 55-and-over condo community needs her to de-escalate hostilities among the residents. As Jane discovers after moving in for her undercover assignment, the mature set can be as immature as any high schoolers, and war is breaking out between cliques.

It seems she might make some progress—until one of the aging “popular kids” is bludgeoned to death with a golf club. And though the automatic sprinklers have washed away much of the evidence, Jane’s on course to find out whodunit . . .  (Summary via Goodreads)



OMG !!!  I could not put Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody down....nor did I want to !!!  Barbara Ross knows exactly what to write to draw the reader into the story and keep them there !!!


Ross's main character Jane Darrowfield is retired and leads a simple life until she gets asked by friends to help with "uncomfortable" situations.....little problems that they cannot resolve themselves because they don't want to upset another person.  So Jane steps in and helps the situation resolve itself.  This is all innocent until Jane is approached by the director of a 55 and over living community.  He would like Jane to move into the community as a potential buyer looking to move in but really to snoop and help him with a delicate situation.....unfortunately he doesn't tell Jane what that situation is and before she gets the hang of things, someone is found dead on the golf course.

Jane has her hands full getting to know the residents and employees of the facility as well as understanding all the groups and their dynamics.  She is reminded of high school and all the groups and the bullying that went on back then that she feels like she went back in time in a way......

Determined to make Walden Spring a better place and try to solve the murder, Jane muddles through.   Even when they find out the man that was murdered isn't who everyone thought he was and when Jane's friends try to convince her to leave and move back home, her determination becomes even stronger !!

Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody is a great book to get lost in....there is a lot of relatable things in this story for all readers......you will love Jane and her group of friends.....you will even develop feelings for the residents and employees of Walden Spring and may even want to move there by the time you finish reading this amazing story !!!


Review by Missi M.

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