The Professional Busybody is the 1st book in a new series by Barbara Ross. Jane Darrowfield is retired and is looking for something to do. She has helped friends with relationship problems so one of her friends gave her name to Paul Peavey who is the manager of Walden Spring, an assisted living development. Paul talks Jane into helping him with his unruly members but she needs to stay at Walden Spring to get to know everyone. There are food fights and fist fights and water balloon fights! What did Jane get herself into? Then one of the residents ends up dead. There are quite a few suspects and some surprising twists and turns to keep you guessing! An enjoyable cozy mystery!

This was absolutely fantastic! I loved the warm characters and the world of the book. Jane is a brilliant heroine and it was great to read about a amateur detective/sleuth/fixer protagonist who is neither a grizzled Ex cop nor a young, beautiful damaged girl. Thoroughly enjoyed this well paced book

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Jane, a retired, divorcee has a knack to figure out crime. A senior living center hired her to help with a “situation”. Such a funny story about the ins and outs of a retirement community - gangs, couples, relations, gossip. Pretty cute! #janedarrowfieldprofessionalbusybody #barbaraross

4.5 stars

This is the first book in the Jane Darrowfield series by Barbara Ross.

Jane is known for helping friends out of sticky situations. Somehow, the management at an elder condo community hears about Jane and asks her to come and work a bit undercover to find out who is disrupting the residents. Before she realizes it, one of the more popular residents is bludgeoned to death on the nearby golf course. Now her job is to find out who killed this person and what is really going on. In the meantime, she is trying to find a man for her dear friend and is interviewing candidates. Strangely enough, one of the men is just her type.

This book waffles between Jane trying to find her way in the regular world, interviewing men for her friend to date and dating a man she finds fascinating. When she is not doing that, she is living at the condo community and getting to know the residents.

This was a pretty fun book. It did help me get my mind off of my own troubles which is always a good thing when life seems to want to intervene and make our lives crazy stressful.

Definitely recommend this book highly. Barb Ross is just a great writer that I truly enjoy.

Also, if you love a good cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. What a fun read!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Jane Darrowfield is a sharp, intelligent, newly-retired lady (I've got her mid-ish fifties for some reason?) who has taken to resolving neighbourhood concerns: the child that keeps sneaking into the neighbour's garden to pee; the peeking into the background of an unsuitable man for her friend's daughter; and the need of a neighbour to change her hairdresser, but with the unwillingness to do the deed herself. In each case, Jane resolved the issue, and it turns out she has a knack for this sort of thing.

When the director of a local seniors condo residence approaches her with an offer to pay her to look into some 'shenanigans' that are going on, Jane decides that she must do it. She moves into the residence under the premise of 'try before you buy', and to keep the residents in the dark about the real reason she's there. What is unexpected, however, is a murder.

Jane gets involved and has to untangle several threads involving blackmail, cheating, secrets and people who are not who they claim to be. With the help of a friendly and supportive dectective, and also juggling a potential new romance with a lovely man, Jane digs her way into and out of the ensuing puzzle.

Well written, enjoyable and with some great characters. I am very much looking forward to the second in the series. It was refreshing to read about an older MC who wasn't painted as helpless or frail, but fully self-aware, capable and yet mindful of her physical limitations. It was nicely done.

A great cozy with a very interesting take on senior living. Made me remember my high school days and not being in the popular crowd- wish I knew then what I know now!! Love the "Busybody" and her wisdom and curiosity. The characters were very believable because they were adults acting like high schoolers! Lots of red herrings and twists. A great summer read for the beach.

Jane is such a lovely person, ready and able to help where she can. Recently retired, she is recommended to assist with an internal matter at a local retirement estate. She’s surprised when the request for help actually attracts a fee! Thus the “professional busybody status.

She’s intrigued by the behaviour of this community of over sixties and plays a key in resolving just what is going on! As always, things are never quite what they seem and the reader is kept guessing throughout.

While I didn't really connect with the community setting, I enjoyed Jane’s approach and role in getting to the bottom of things.

The author’s choice of a senior leading lady will resonate with many. She’s living life with a solid friendship circle, dating on the internet and taking on new challenges.

With thanks to #NetGalley, Kensington Books and the author for my free advanced reader copy to review in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is the first in a new series by an author that has another successful series. While I thought the premise was interesting of having Jane in a retirement home taking care of things that went wrong; I just never connected with the characters. Jane never seemed real to me and I had a hard time getting into the storyline and caring enough to really enjoy it.

Barbara Ross's Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody (Jane Darrowfield#1) was an interesting cozy mystery/whodunit. Jane has a reputation as a fixer among her friends. An administrator for a senior condo community approaches Jane about helping him at his facility. When Jane temporarily moves to the community she soon sees the problem. The residents belong to different cliques and there is friction between two of them that is steadily escalating. One of the main leaders/instigators is found murdered soon after Jane moves in. Meanwhile, Jane is also called on to meet some older men from a dating website for a friend and she reluctantly agrees. A fast paced, multi-faceted story with amateur sleuths, romance, suspicions, unlikely partners and plenty of good old fashioned "busybodiness".

I received this ebook in exchange for an honest review, and boy am I glad that I did!

I started and finished it in the same day. I did not want to put it down. Jane is a strong character that wasn’t afraid to be a ‘busybody’. The characters were well developed and believable. The representation in this book was very well rounded.

The world building was very well done, I felt like I could find my way around as if I lived there. I will be reading more books from this author!

A well written cozy with excellent characters and a plot that's pretty good for this genre. Definitely a good start for what can become an interesting series.

I was so pleasantly surprised by 'Jan Darrowfield, Professional Busybody.' In the beginning I thought, another aged detective character, boring. I was duly chastened. Jan was complex and intriguing. The story was very suspenseful. The surrounding cast of characters were engaging. I look forward to many more as this was 'the first in a new series.'

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Jane Darrowfield is my new favorite amateur sleuth. I cannot wait to see her further adventures. It's so incredibly refreshing to see a protagonist who is older, happy in her life, and smart as a whip.

Jane Darrowfield Professional Busybody by Barbara Ross Reviewed on May 29, 2020
I loved this title and thought yes Jane is someone I know I would like!
I was totally in the mood for a comfy cozy mystery.
Cast of interesting/fun characters. A nice break from my typical psychological dark & creepy thrillers!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 30, 2020

Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody is the debut of the Jane Darrowfield series set in West Cambridge, Massachusetts and featuring divorced, retiree Jane Darrowfield. Bored and just one year into her retirement, Jane's penchant for nosiness has landed her a role helping her friends out of sticky situations - ones that don't necessarily need police assistance but instead a firm yet delicate hand in intervention and resolution.

Jane is surprised when Paul Peavey, director of the nearby retirement community Walden Spring approaches her and offers a well paying job to come and help resolve a conflict between the residents. It appears that a high school clique mentality has developed between the "popular" kids and the "motorcycle" gang. While nothing dangerous has happened between the dueling parties..yet, the pranks each group is playing on each other are starting to escalate.

After agreeing to move in temporarily, Jane soon discovers the root of the problem between the two group leaders - Bill Finnerty and Mike Witkowski. Based upon her observations Jane offers up a solution to Paul Peavey but, before he can act on her advice the body of Bill Finnerty is found bludgeoned on the private golf course.

Further investigation reveals that the playboy Bill isn't really who he claimed to be and there are a lot of people whose feathers he'd ruffled lending them to be prime suspects. Determined to uncover the real killer, Jane's reputation as a busybody puts a target directly on her back.

A quick moving plot with likable characters. Subplots include a secret relationship between two Walden Spring employees, the sensitive subject of Alzheimer's and a woman's quest to look after a relative, the challenge of navigating a romantic relationship where there is a significant age gap and the difficulty of Seniors getting back into the dating pool. Faithful readers of the author's Maine Clambake series will enjoy this new cozy collection.

I received an advanced copy of Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

Jane is retired and a little bored. She also likes to help. She gets a reputation for 'fixing' things and her friends recommend her to others.
She gets a position in a retirement home to solve a problem with the residents, right before a murder and snoops around to find information from the residents. Her ally is a policeman from her home town, with secrtets of his own, and eventually, bit by bit she does find the answers, almost too late for the most important one. Who the killer was ..
This was an interesting peek into the way a retirement community could go awry with colorful characters, intrigue and humor.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse and offer my opinion freely.

This was a delightful first in a new series.
Entertaining characters and a well written whodunit.
I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

There are so many things I loved about this book! Jane is definitely one of them. She is a smart and sassy 55 year old fixer. This in and of itself is intriguing. An image of a fixer usually brings to mind a tough guy. Jane softens this perception. She loves to help, but finds herself in the center of an interesting investigation. This book does an excellent job of setting the stage for this great cozy mystery series. I look forward to reading more about the adventures of this strong, yet lovable professional busybody!

Jane Darrowfield is divorced and retired. She has her bridge club, her friends, her garden, a son whom she rarely sees... but she finds that she most enjoys helping people out of little problems. Over time, her reputation for this kind of friendly service grows.

She has become Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody. She finds herself involved in a retirement community that has some problems with communication dynamics.

It seems more like a high school than a retirement community, though, with cliques and gangs and the Big Men on Campus. There aren't many secrets in this close a community anyway, but soon the secrets of the past begin to unravel.

Jane's life quickly becomes more exciting -- and maybe too exciting.

The book is well written and Jane somehow is being played by a well-preserved Lauren Bacall in my mind when I read it. The characters are well-developed and interesting without an artificial level of eccentricity. The plot is well developed, too, with clear and logical threads building to a solution for the mystery. I look forward to reading more of Jane's adventures.

Jane Darrowfield is finding retirement to be very dull. While she has a history of helping friends solve sticky problems, she’s shocked when the manager of an assisted living community hired her for a paid undercover assignment within the community, namely to help deescalate tensions among the resident factions. While there, one of the residents is murdered and soon Jane’s life becomes anything but dull. ⁣
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This book was so fun! I absolutely loved Jane’s character and her friends. And I am SO HERE for protagonists that are older than their twenties or thirties. Why are older women so underrepresented in every fictional genre?!? The mystery was well-plotted, the premise of the series is fantastic, and I really liked the writing style. I will he all in on the next one in this series! Check it out if you’re looking for some fun sleuthing escapism with a likable heroine! ⁣
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Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital copy!
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