Remember the year 2020? I know I try not to. It was, for many reasons, an annus horribilis. However, one good thing to come out of it was Morgan Mayer’s cozy mystery, The Cruise Ship Lost My Daughter. The story, featuring an amusing pair of octogenarian detectives solving a mystery during an ocean voyage was a perfect bit of escapist reading.

Well, fortunately, 2020 ended, but escapist fiction is still welcome. And Sheila and Shane McShane once again provide it, this time by investigating the disappearance of the director at their new retirement home.

The Redwood Retirement Home holds many comical characters, but the standout has to be “Nasty Nancy”–a cantankerous ninety-something woman with a sharp tongue and a bad attitude. Dealing with the colorful crew is just one of the many challenges Sheila and Shane confront as they try to solve the case. Others include the more mundane, but no less irritating problems that come with aging. The book handles these moments with just the right mixture of empathy and humor.

All told, this is an excellent cozy mystery for readers who like a good deal of wit with their detective stories. Fans of Agatha Christie, and in particular the Miss Marple stories, are likely to enjoy puzzling out just what happened in the maze at the Redwood Retirement Home along with Sheila and Shane.

Oh, and if I may channel Columbo, there is one more thing: pay special attention to some of the character names—many of them are quite amusing.