Series ✦ Penny’s Take 🎧 Audiobook
Retirement Homes Are Murder
Mike Befeler · 2009
🎙 Narrated by Jerry Sciarrio
74/100
👍 Worth It
Befeler's Paul Jacobson series earns genuine credit for inventing its own lane — an octogenarian detective whose short-term memory loss is not a gimmick but a real plot mechanic that creates both comedy and emotional texture. The retirement-community setting and gentle pacing make this a niche pick but a sincere one, best enjoyed by cozy-mystery fans and readers who appreciate age-positive storytelling. Jerry Sciarrio narrates consistently across the series, so starting here sets you up well for the rest.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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🎙 Narration: good Jerry Sciarrio narrates this and subsequent Paul Jacobson books, providing welcome consistency. The Books In Motion production is competent and suits the cozy tone well.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety86
Substance / usefulness75
Craft & writing74
Originality78
Evidence & accuracy76
Hype vs delivers71
Age-fit68
👁 Human-eye gut-check73
Penny’s verdict74
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