A skillfully written first novel. One that is full of psychological and moral complications! An interesting premise and setting - moral challenges and a disillusion with our justice system in a senior living facility. This is a great novel for book clubs as it invokes many thoughts and questions. I look forward to Rebecca Keller's next novel.

I loved this book! Frannie was a retired nurse who was moving into a retirement facility. She had a hard time recently with the loss of her granddaughter in a drunk-driving accident. She is smart and sassy, and it was so interesting to have an older main character. Very twisty - just a little slow at times, but worth it!!

4/5

What a unique and addictive story. Listening to this brought back such fond memories of my grandmothers time in her assisted living / retirement community.

The emotions and disdain of having to move into a smaller space with on site help and a community of other retirees. The friendships she made (though none as scandalous or leading to the plot of this book).

I wouldn’t say this was a thriller but the mystery of what really happened to the judges wife and the intertwined pasts and story lines of the characters who ended up at the same facility was really well executed.

I’m highly considering buying copy of this book for my mother to read.

I loved Frannie and Katherine’s friendship and shared love for Y&R. I also loved Evan and Frannies eventual friendship.

Thanks for the audio book netgalley!

i unfortunately dnf'd this because i wasn't able to connect with the story & care about what happened next. it might just be because I'm coming off of reading an extremely gory thriller & have a bookhangover. i can definitely see people liking this tho. it's a good story about a good person who did a bad thing because she succumbed to her emotions & impulses. i think my issue was that the initial half of the book doesn't have a lot of mystery elements & it's very slow burn in that sense which isn't something i like

After moving into a retirement community, Frannie comes across Katherine with who she creates a close and unexpected friendship. But the friendship is short-lived when Frannie recognizes Katherine's husband. The Judge, as he likes to refer to himself, played a crucial role in Frannie's life. Dark thoughts invade Frannie's mind, and she makes a move she later gravely regrets.

An interesting story and fast-paced narrative keep the reader on top of things as the characters rush through a series of events. The story was not what I expected at the beginning, however, it turned into something of a healing piece. The book is a readable and pacey drama about the devastating impact of a horrific fatal car accident on victims, lawbreakers, and the corrupt justice system.

Thank you, NetGalley for a free and advanced copy of the novel.

This is the story of the retired nurse Frannie Greene. When she moves into a senior living apartment, she makes friends with Katherine whos husband is not really Frannie's cup of tea. Even more so when she finds out that he used to be the judge who played an important part in Frannie's past.
Frannie is up for revenge but will she really go through with it?

Things start to get out of control with one inhabitant of the senior living facility dead. Who is to blame?

Throughout the book we learn a lot about Frannie's past which is not boring at all! I really enjoyed a story with an elderly protagonist who isn't always as strong as she would like to be.

Thank you #Netgalley #Dreamscape Media for this advanced audio version

I really enjoyed this. It read like a cozy thriller due to the cast of characters. Frannie was such a lovely main character and I loved following her antics. I love when an author misleads the reader so that we are pleasantly surprised by the end, which is exactly what Rebecca Keller did. I found this book to move quickly and it held my attention throughout. I loved watching Frannie grapple with her emotions pulling her every which way. This was not at all what I was expecting based on the cover but I really enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I knew this book was going to have some kind of mystery type element to it going in, but for the first at least 50% of the book, well honestly the vast majority, it was about aging, family, and remembering. It starts out with Frannie being forced to live in a long-term care center. Luckily they found one that was pretty amazing. Honestly, if I had to live in LTC this would be the place I'd want to live. It is one of those facilities that varies in the services depending on the need and the needs can change. You can have full care or moderate care with just meds being passed.

I will say that the med pass in this facility, and possibly all LTC, is sketchy. It's been a hot minute since I've done anything in LTC (like not since nursing school) but the med techs have a ton of people to pass meds on in a certain amount of time. There are a lot of distractions as well. Why am I talking so much about this, well it's a plot point in the story.

This story is quite lovely actually. We get to see that it's hard to age gracefully, and I got angry and Frannie's children for taking a way her choices, even if they thought it for the best. You see how life keeps moving on even as your world slows down and changes.

This story paints the picture of how hard it is to loose a child, how hard it is to let go and the memories that hold on and the ones we forget. It is a nice little book with so much more to it than a murder mystery. The author did a fantastic job bringing you into this world.

The narrator also did a fantastic job with the voices and portraying all the emotions that were written in the story.

An elderly woman, Fannie, moves into a care facility. When she arrives, she stumbles upon a judge who sat on a case of a man who killed her granddaughter
The elderly woman befriends his wife and plans to sabotage the judge, but then the judges wife suddenly dies
Will the judge learn a lesson
Will Frannie get her revenge

I was so interested in this one at first, but it quickly lost me. The narrator was decent, the premise was good, but about half way in, it felt like nothing much was happening.

this book reminded of the old show murder she wrote. i really enjoyed this read. i liked the narrator a lot. really helped explain the characters.

I listened to this audiobook as an ARC courtesy of NetGalley. I really enjoyed listening to this story on my work commute! The narrator was a great pick and easy to understand and follow. The story itself reminded me a lot of my first job in high school working at an old folks home, in a wholesome light. I didn’t think a murder-mystery story could be wholesome, but at the end of the day it wasn’t really a murder, was it? Really good! I am rooting for Frannie and Evan :)

Rebecca Keller’s debut novel didn’t disappoint me. Her book is filled with incredible characters, with believable strengths and weaknesses. Her descriptions transported me to a setting that was filled with emotional tension. At times the situation and setting were uplifting, others slightly depressing. 

The narrator of the audiobook, Petrea Burchard, was wonderful. Speaking clearly with the appropriate amount of emotion and tension, brought the book to life.  Her various voices for the characters demonstrated an amazing talent. Both the outstanding novel and narration easily pulled me into the story and held my attention. 

Former nurse Frannie Greene is in her early 70s and widowed. Unfortunately, due to a fall, her son and daughter feel more comfortable with her residing in an assisted living facility. A move Frannie hates to make. But in time she agrees to sell her house and accept that her children are right, though a lack of independence is hard to give up.

Little do any of them know that this move will bring up a past emotional experience and impulsive actions.

My Concerns

This is a personal note. I wish more children were as available to their parents as those in this book. Especially elderly who are in assisted living or nursing homes.

I had no legitimate concerns.

Final Thoughts

This story had such a creative feel to it. The setting was unique and the characters and surroundings believable. The plot was one that left me thinking about morality, friendship, justice, revenge, managerial hierarchy, mortality, regrets, and much more. But those looking for a mystery as the main plot will likely be disappointed.

I loved the writing style and definitely will watch for more books by Rebecca Keller. I will also be on the lookout for another book narrated by: Petrea Burchard. 

My thanks to #Netgalley and #DreamscapeMedia for my advance audio copy.

This is a slow paced book. It’s about a retired nurse that recently moved into a nursing home after a few too many falls. While there someone dies and an innocent person is blamed. Can Frannie make it right? This book stands out since its basis is rather unusual. Most books are about younger people. It’s an interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was pretty interesting and gripping. I enjoyed the thought of a mysterious death in a senior care facility. The book was a decent and enjoyable read.

What is going on between the covers

After a fall that worried her family, Frances reluctantly agrees to move into Ridgewood Assisted Living Center. She is slow to make friends, and when she does, she is shocked to see someone she recognizes bring up a trauma that has devastated her family. Themes of aging, entitlement, accountability, revenge/justice, accountability, forgiveness, grief, and corruption while blurring the lines of morality.

My Two Cents

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator’s voice, who narrated from Fannie’s pov. It was easy to listen to while walking and doing chores around the house. The plot is carefully plotted, with the compelling inner battle that consumes Frannie drives the story forward, and I enjoyed the moral questions she provokes us to think about. I found myself lost in Frannie’s head as she battled with her grief, thoughts, motivation, and actions, and at times I wanted the story to move forward faster. The story comes together well with a rewarding payoff.

It was refreshing to see an immensely thought-provoking story set in an assisted-living home with well-developed older characters while weaving in themes of aging with common themes, adding more layers to the story. It made me think about the invisible elder’s secrets and stories that will go with them to their graves because we dismiss them.

Are the higher levels of the law untouchable? Are Judges held accountable for their actions? Frannie investigates, but does she get too close?
Frannie Greene makes friends with her wonderful neighbor, Katherine. However, Frannie has reason to believe that Katherine’s husband is responsible for her granddaughter’s death. Frannie tends to make impulsive decisions, someone dies- is it Frannie’s fault? She becomes anxious as the investigation ensues. What happened?
Petrea Burchard, narrator, was easy to follow, character voices were distinctive and emotional when necessary. Her voice was calming and soft. She has a good storytelling style.
Overall impression, this book met my expectations as a mystery/thriller.
I would recommend this book to lovers of thrillers.

This was a unique and compelling premise for a book, although I would not describe it as a taut mystery. We meet retired nurse Frannie Greene as she’s moving into assisted living after one too many falls at home. I loved her insight as the main character, looking back on her life, analyzing the things that she’s done, and what it is like to leave independent living. We also see her adult children as they try to navigate what is best for their mother while she has frustrations with growing older. These are very realistic, flawed characters.

Frannie quickly makes a new friend in Katherine. They share a love of pie, Young and the Restless, and reading.

A few years ago, Frannie lost her granddaughter to a drunk driver and a judge who was too lenient in the past. Imagine Frannie’s surprise when she discovers this judge is at her same new facility and that he’s married to her new friend Katherine. As you say, the plot thickens as Frannie devises her revenge! Is it a crime to think about revenge? What about if you act on it? How do you handle the remorse and guilt? Or can you just chalk it up to justice?

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Frannie and the other residents at Ridgewood Apartments and the people that worked there to care for the residents. This well-written and compelling story was one that I am happy to have discovered.

*sort of spoilers in review*

Thank you to the author and publisher for this audio of the book! When I read a blurb about this book being for Helene Tursten fans, I was intrigued and excited to read this. The major plot twist (red herring) half way through I audibly gasped and had to know how this book ended! There's a lot to unpack with this. Between loss, grief, wanting revenge, getting older, and the ol' 'good people doing bad things and bad people doing good things'. I wasn't expecting the ending to end how it did at first tbh. Overall, I did enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed the narrator for the audiobook. I liked the story but at times it drug along. I wish there was more suspense and thrills. Overall an ok book.