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clacksee's review
This was not my cup of tea. I found every single character deeply unlikeable. And the number of times I found myself shouting, 'That's not how this works' was really much too high. Why does everyone just go ahead and tell Winston things – confidential things that should get them sacked and sued? And how does a house get listed one day, have the price halved the next day, and have the new owners move in the following day? And if, as Winston keeps insisting, he's doing this for the money, then who's paying him?
Sorry, just too implausible for me.
Sorry, just too implausible for me.
brighthappyness's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed the mystery quite a bit, but really did not like nor care for Winston :/ Kristy was really too good for him and Marcy deserves a sweeter younger brother. But loved the mystery, at first I was confused at why the killer was revealed halfway through the book but then....Kristy totally saved the day ngl.
tarana's review against another edition
4.0
New cozy series and I really enjoyed this! It was intelligent and the author appeared to do reasonable research to ensure her sleuth was doing it right.
dollycas's review
4.0
Dollycas’s Thoughts
J.J. Chow introduces us to Winston Wong, a man trying to start over after his investments dry up and his sister bails him out by buying him a house to live in. He decides to become a sleuth like his favorite childhood detective. He is not licensed but takes out an ad in the Pennysaver to get his new business off the ground. A typo in the ad changes his plan just a bit. Instead of a Senior Sleuth he becomes a Seniors Sleuth and his first case has him investigating a death at an assisted living center.
The author gave us the requisite quirky characters for a cozy mystery. The residents of the Sweet Breeze are certainly unique, from the bejeweled Anastasia Templeton, to the dapper gent who plays the piano, Jazzman, and the curmudgeonly amputee Pete Russell. Nurse Kristen Blake seems to be the only staff outside of the manager of the place who spends more time playing video games than spending time with the residents. This part of the story didn’t ring true for me. A place like this would be required to have more staff. The meals are delivered by Meals on Wheels and that was odd to me too. Maybe things are different in California.
Winston’s first case starts out being just a small matter of easing someone’s mind but snowballs when he learns the man that died did not die of natural causes. Yet he kept stays on the case to find the killer. This was quite a mystery for his first case.
This is a very light mystery with all the cozy elements. A really good first effort to start this series. I enjoyed it but some of the details held me back from loving it. I am interested to see where the author takes her Senior Sleuth next.
J.J. Chow introduces us to Winston Wong, a man trying to start over after his investments dry up and his sister bails him out by buying him a house to live in. He decides to become a sleuth like his favorite childhood detective. He is not licensed but takes out an ad in the Pennysaver to get his new business off the ground. A typo in the ad changes his plan just a bit. Instead of a Senior Sleuth he becomes a Seniors Sleuth and his first case has him investigating a death at an assisted living center.
The author gave us the requisite quirky characters for a cozy mystery. The residents of the Sweet Breeze are certainly unique, from the bejeweled Anastasia Templeton, to the dapper gent who plays the piano, Jazzman, and the curmudgeonly amputee Pete Russell. Nurse Kristen Blake seems to be the only staff outside of the manager of the place who spends more time playing video games than spending time with the residents. This part of the story didn’t ring true for me. A place like this would be required to have more staff. The meals are delivered by Meals on Wheels and that was odd to me too. Maybe things are different in California.
Winston’s first case starts out being just a small matter of easing someone’s mind but snowballs when he learns the man that died did not die of natural causes. Yet he kept stays on the case to find the killer. This was quite a mystery for his first case.
This is a very light mystery with all the cozy elements. A really good first effort to start this series. I enjoyed it but some of the details held me back from loving it. I am interested to see where the author takes her Senior Sleuth next.
ker95's review against another edition
1.0
Just too far fetched and silly for me. Didn't help that I didn't connect with the main character at all.
I finished the book, but don't think I'll pursue the series (sorry Ms. Chow)
I finished the book, but don't think I'll pursue the series (sorry Ms. Chow)
kwil's review against another edition
2.0
The premise was intriguing, but the main character, Winston Wong, was less so. His habit of announcing to anyone and everyone who he was and what he was looking for, rather than downplaying his intentions and covertly gathering intel, was confusing. The ease with which he obtained most of his information was questionable. Additionally, many of the characters were difficult to connect with, and the mystery's solution was a bit of a letdown.
However, there is promise in Ms. Chow's writing. The mystery was well-plotted; it's execution was just slightly flawed. If the next book in this series could offer a less bland and more stealthy Winston, round out the other characters a bit more, and make Winston really have to work to discover whodunit (instead of discovering answers so serendipitously), it would definitely be worth checking out.
* I received a free copy of this eBook from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
However, there is promise in Ms. Chow's writing. The mystery was well-plotted; it's execution was just slightly flawed. If the next book in this series could offer a less bland and more stealthy Winston, round out the other characters a bit more, and make Winston really have to work to discover whodunit (instead of discovering answers so serendipitously), it would definitely be worth checking out.
* I received a free copy of this eBook from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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