"The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp" by A.C. Huntley

 

I have read some of the author's previous books and loved them, so I jumped at the chance to read her new book. I wasn't disappointed! "The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp" by Leonie Swann is a dark and humorous mystery novel that revolves around a group of house-sharing seniors who find themselves entangled in a murder mystery.

 Agnes Sharp shares her English country house, Sunset Hall, with a group of other seniors consisting of Agnes with the hearing problems, the athletic Edwina, the blind Bernadette, the strategist Marshal, the wheelchair-bound Winston, the new resident Charlie, the turtle Hettie, and the wolfhound Brexit (I loved the wordplay).

When the body of a neighbor is found next door and another death soon follows, Agnes Sharp and the other inhabitants of Sunset Hall see this as a chance to pin the death of one of their housemates on the murderer. Now all they have to do is catch the murderer. Not an easy task, as they are not in their prime.

Quirky residents, an inspiring turtle, and escapades aplenty made this a great read. I loved the book, the writing, and the themes of aging with dignity and independence. I didn't guess the identity of the murderer, and the twist at the end caught me by surprise.

A gun that appears in the first act will go off in the last act (Chekhov's gun), and the author applied it well. From the first page to the last, I was simply charmed by the book and enjoyed the characters' antics.

 The narrative flowed at a steady pace, albeit a bit slow, as befits a group of seniors and their turtle. The characters are wonderfully drawn. I admire the way the author succeeded in conveying the characters' deep thoughts and emotions. The author managed to expose their innermost thoughts and emotions without crossing the line into boredom, thus making them feel like real people.

 The author has woven an intelligent mystery that stroked a chord with me. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and highly recommend it!

For more info about the book: The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.