The Grandmother Plot by Carolyn B Cooney is a frightening tale of the horrors of Alzheimer's and dementia, not only to the afflicted, but to their loved ones; the paranoia that can be part and parcel with marijuana use; and the real reality of the criminal element. Freddy was living in his grandmother's home, using it as his own as she languished in a home for those in need of memory care. He visited every other day or so and truly cared, although there was not much her could do. The rest of the time he made things out of glass, both beads and drug paraphernalia. He was loaded much of the time. He had helped a guy launder money through his occasional booth at arts shows, but had realized that was not for him and was trying to break the relationship off, unsuccessfully. His friend had been arrested for dealing coke and so now Freddy had his dog; a dog he didn't want. His only friend was Mrs. Maple, another caregiver whose aunt was a patient alongside his aunt. His sisters were all over him about Grandma, but were they there helping? She had things going on in her life, as well. The world was going crazy around him and there was nothing he could do.

Freddy was a stoner, but he was basically an OK guy. A little too laid back about taking care of business: things like care insurance and letter Social Security know his mother was dead. He cared about his grandmother but had little skill in navigating the system and his sister. This is so typical, people who weren't helping, but wanted to boss the one who was. Some of his troubles he imagined; some of his troubles were really happening, inexplicably. To some he was assigning the wrong cause. It was a moving book: showing the realities of dementia and the realities of memory care, one of which is inevitably elder abuse in some form. This time it was manipulation for financial gain. The whole thing is beyond frightening. The reality is Freddy's marijuana use was the least of it. A book well-written.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Grandmother Plot by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #thegrandmotherplot

Caroline B. Cooney was one of my favorite authors when I was growing up, but I lost track of her over the years. So I was very excited to see she just came out with a new book: 👵🏼THE GRANDMOTHER PLOT👵🏼.

Synopsis: Freddy – a lampworker (i.e. glassblower) and a stoner – is staying in his grandmother’s house, trying to make the perfect glass pipe in between visits to his grandmother at the memory care center where she lives. The intersection of Freddy’s passions – making beads and drug paraphernalia out of glass – has gotten him tangled up with some shady characters. One of them wants something Freddy doesn’t want to give him, and has sent his goons to find Freddy and make him comply. Now, one of the residents at his grandmother’s nursing home has been murdered, and Freddy can’t rule out that it’s because of him. With help from his friend Laura – a sixty-something musician with a passion for pianos, organs, and smashed brass – Freddy tries to uncover the identity of the murderer… before his beloved grandmother becomes the next victim.

I was expecting a thriller, but what I ended up with was a surprisingly honest and candid portrayal of dementia and how it affects those afflicted with the disease and all the people they love. It was never sappy, because it was told in such a matter-of-fact and sometimes sardonic manner. But I found it moving nonetheless. Freddy, the protagonist of this book is a wonderfully drawn and deeply likable young man, and I found myself sincerely caring about him and his attempts to do the right thing – moreso than I did about getting to the bottom of the mystery.

This book was marketed as a thriller, and there is, indeed, a murder and a mystery to solve. But it didn’t read like a thriller. The tension fell a little flat for me, and the stakes didn’t seem very high. And the resolution didn’t feel particularly satisfying for me. I guess I got too caught up in what Freddy and Laura were doing in their spare time, and just wasn’t that interested in the actual murder investigation.

The only other complaint I had was that I felt that Laura’s fascination with Charles Ives took up too much real estate in the book and didn’t really go anywhere, for me.

For me, this wasn’t an edge-of-your-seat thriller, although the mystery is solid. But the book has plenty to recommend itself nonetheless: It’s an easy read with vivid, truly likable characters and offers a very moving portrait of the effects dementia has on its victims and their loved ones. I think it’s well worth your time.

Thanks so much to the author and publisher and NetGalley for the free eARC of this book!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded intriguing to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Caroline B. Cooney’s latest cozy mystery bring together an assorted group of visitors at the Middletown Memory Care institution in a small Connecticut town. Freddy, a 26 year old stoner and lampworker who had been designated by his deceased mother, Alice, and his three sisters Emma, Jenny, and Kara, to take responsibility for his grandmother, Cordelia Chase. Freddy visits his grandmother almost daily and interacts with family members of the other Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. Freddy also has financial problems that he is trying to hide from his sketchy business partners in the glass bead business. When a patient at the memory care facility dies a suspicious death, Freddy becomes a suspect. Through the heart of Cooney’s story is the pressure and responsibility of families to visit relatives who may not know them, but still need love and attention. Cooney treats the issue with sensitivity and provides an entertaining who-done-it.

This was a blast of a read, akin to the kind of great caper novels written in the past by Donald Westlake, and more recently by talented writers like Jeff Cohen and Catriona McPherson. This is a caper novel with a broken heart at the center. While Westlake stuck pretty strictly to the caper element, Cooney brings the reader in emotionally as well.

The story centers on sweet, stoner Freddy, who makes glass beads and pipes for a living, and who has ended up caring for his grandmother who has dementia. Freddy is a regular visitor to his grandmother’s memory care home and knows the staff and patients well. He slips in the back door of the facility and doesn’t sign in, doing this, like everything in his life, just off the grid.

He lives in his grandmother’s house, collects his dead mother’s social security, and drives his grandfather’s cars without a license and uninsured. Because he smokes so much weed his short-term memory is not always great and he’s terrible with details, but he loves his grandmother and visits every day without fail.

He takes her for walks in her wheelchair and agrees to be remembered as her long dead son, Arthur. He loves blowing glass and is clearly an artist. He takes his beads to bead shows and ekes out a bit of a living, though there’s more money in the glass pipes he makes. He’s gotten into a bit of trouble: a mover and shaker has asked Freddy to take him on as a “partner” at bead shows, supplying Freddy’s entry fees and travel expenses, but what he’s really doing is having Freddy launder money for him.

When Freddy first agreed he felt it was no big deal but now he wants out, and the man’s goons are after him. There seems to be no way out from this terrible deal. When someone is murdered at his grandmother’s memory care, Freddy is sure the goons are behind it, though everyone at the facility suspects the husband.
Freddy’s parallel universe of glass blowing – which supplies the action – and the universe of dementia patients at the memory care home work on parallel tracks to power the narrative. One minute you’re breaking your heart over the descriptions of the patients and what the families go through, the next Freddy is picking up someone’s difficult, bite-y dog because that someone has been arrested.

This book had humor, heart, and a great plot, and most of all it had Freddy, who, like all of us, is not only doing the best he can, but has his heart is in the right place. I ended the book with an appreciation for the love Freddy has for his grandmother but for the portrayal, on Cooney’s part, of this difficult and heartbreaking aspect of aging. She’s a clear-eyed storyteller and seems omnivorous in her interests. She’s as interested in Freddy’s glass blowing (you will be too) as she is in the details of caring for an aging relative, and what it might mean to have a goon on your tail. I was both surprised and delighted by the ending.

This book confused me. From the blurb it sounded like a very promising premise, but the execution was a bit lacking. While I enjoyed the basic story, and found the main characters of Freddy & Laura to be interesting, I feel like their stories ended abruptly with no real resolution. Plus there were a couple of side-plots that sort of fell by the wayside. I am not sure if the intention was a cliff-hanger for a future book, or just some sort of modern literary device that I just don't understand.

I enjoyed the story for the most part; I just wish the ending had been more satisfying.

I guess as Caroline B Cooney ages the more aging is on her mind. The realities of memory and end-of-life care were a little too realistic for me but I enjoyed the mystery. I love books with quirky people with interesting interests and glass blowing and brass instruments fits the bill. Throw in some money laundering and you have a lot of plot! It really reminded me of books I read as a kid, a lot of characters who did a lot of different things all connected by one thing--in this case the memory care center. If there weren't a few more "adult" bits and the realities of the care so grimly presented it really could have been a middle-grade mystery. This isn't a bad thing and maybe speaks to the almost 1980s feel to the book as much as it does the plot.

Freddy is a stoner. But he loves his grandmother very much. Unfortunately, dementia has its hold on her so tightly that Freddy has to put her in a memory care home. Despite being busy glass-blowing beads and pot pipes, Freddy visits his grandmother frequently. But Freddy has his own problems with The Leper, who is cleaning his dirty money through Freddy’s sales at bead conventions. With all of that going on, now Freddy finds The Grandmother Plot being run through his grandmother’s care home when a resident is murdered. Doesn’t Freddy already have enough worries?

The Grandmother Plot is trying desperately to emulate Elmore Leonard or Tim Dorsey’s wild and crazy crime books. The zany setup of stupid, violent and druggie criminals is present. The problem here is the humor is missing. Part of the issue may be mine. The impact of dealing with dementia is perfectly written. It brought back flashbacks of my own history with my grandmother in an extremely painful way. However, it would be hard for any author to find humor in something so serious and heartbreaking. 3 stars.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Grandmother Plot is a warm and delightful mystery featuring Freddy, a rather hapless glass artist who does lampwork, not glassblowing, and he surely wants you to know the difference. He is an artisan, but like many of his kind, he makes ends meet making bongs for pot-smokers. The story opens with Freddy heading off to visit his grandmother in the memory care home. He sees an enforcer for a man who has asked him to launder money through his sales at craft fairs. He really does not want to do this.

Freddy is a sweet guy even if he doesn’t look like a success on paper. He’s living in his grandmother’s house without a steady job, supporting himself by selling glass beads and paraphernalia. No girlfriend, no job, no prospects. But Freddy is all heart and he visits his grandmother several times a week even though he often thinks he is someone else. He is full of empathy and compassion for the other patients, as well, though watching people lose themselves to Alzheimer’s seems horrific to him.

But one of the residents was murdered and the police seem willing to suspect everyone, even Freddy’s grandmother and then, even Freddy. Luckily, Freddy has a partner in crime-solving, Mrs. Maples, whom he calls Mapes. She is as intrepid as Miss Marple, but not quite so quick, though she can run circles around the amiable, but thick, Freddy.



Caroline B. Cooney excels at creating characters you cannot help but love in cozy mysteries that are rich with humanity. It would be easy to miss that The Grandmother Plot breaks the first rule of The Detection Club’s Ten Commandments. (Don’t click if you hate spoilers.) Aside from that, though, the book is full of possible suspects with so many motives you will struggle to guess what is going on.

Cooney is creating a niche market in senior cozies with The Grandmother Plot and Before She Was Helen. Her compassion and writing about the people living, working, and visiting at a memory care home is manifest. I think many people will find themselves reflected in these pages.

The Grandmother Plot at Poisoned Pen Press | Sourcebooks
Caroline B. Cooney author site
My review of Before She Was Helen

This book is more than a mystery/thriller. It explores complex relationships and emotions, highlighting the conflict we often feel as we see the people we love change over time. The author is able to make everyday details so vivid as to be part of your own reality - very clever in how she uses descriptive language. Highly recommended to readers of all genres.

The Grandmother Plot
A Novel

By: Caroline B. Cooney

Poisoned Pen Press

Mystery/Thriller

Publish Date July 6, 2021

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I am so glad that I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley. I have always like her writing. Unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of this book. I only gave it 3 stars.

This book is mainly set in a nursing home for the memory impaired. The main character is Freddy who is a druggie and in charge of his Grandmother because one his is the youngest of four children and doesn't have a family or a solid job. He makes his living making glass beads and bongs. He does a great job designing unusual bongs and gets high bids on his Instagram account.

His visits his Grandmother at least once a week at the nursing home for about an hour and then spends the rest of his time smoking weed and hanging around not doing much. He is also dealing with a dealer who wants him to finish up an agreement on with shows for his beads.

One day when he visits his grandmother one of the residents dies and the police are looking into the death and they deem it murder because of the results of the autopsy.

This makes Freddy visit every day and having to deal with his sisters who want him to bring her home and for him to take care of her because he doesn't have anything else to do. He isn't sure what to do but knows he can't take care of her like she needs.

This book goes into some of the resident's lives and their families who are close to Freddy.

Freddy has a lot going on and he is scared. There is a lot happening in this book and there are some twist. The murderer isn't who I thought it was so that is always a good thing.

There just were a lot of people to keep track of and too much time on Freddy issues. I am still trying to figure why the book was titled this because it didn't seem to fit.

I will continue to read her books because I like her writing.

I've read and loved most of the stories written by Caroline B. Cooney so I had high expectations for this one, but this book didn't quite meet my expectations, unfortunately. While I liked some of the book, there was some that seemed to move a bit slow and I had to push through to finish reading it, but that's just me.
This had some interesting parts, plot and ideas with the main character, Freddy and his challenges with his lifestyle choices and trying to figure his life out and see if he wanted to or could change for the better for his family and grandmother who he tries to take care of and visit while she's in a home. Freddy is the one who ends up with the brunt of responsibility for his grandmother simply because he lives the closest and his siblings live in other states and always want him to grow up instead of playing/creating with beads. Freddy has some risky lifestyle choices and behavior and finds himself trying to hide from a person he got involved with and when someone is murdered in the nursing home his grandmother is in, he worries about if his poor choices could have lead to the death of this person in the home and if his grandmother is in danger. There are other interesting characters throughout the story and another main playing character that has their role concerning finding out who the killer is in the end.
If you like murder mysteries, Caroline B. Cooney, and such, then keep this on your radar. You might enjoy it more than I did.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for letting me read and review this story. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

The first book I remember borrowing from the library was Caroline B. Cooney's The Face on the Milk Carton, and then quickly taking out the rest of the series, followed quickly by all of Cooney's other works. As soon as I saw this title, I knew I had to read it.

Freddy is a glass artist who has been left in charge of his grandmother by his mother on her passing. At one time they lived together in his grandmothers house, but after a diagnosis of dementia she lives in a memory care facility, where he visits her frequently. Residents and families are shocked when a death in the facility turns out to be a murder, that Freddy and Mrs. Maple are determined to solve. Freddy has also accidentally gotten himself mixed up in a money laundering scheme, and this story line intertwines, leaving you wondering where the chips will fall.

The story evolved through two perspectives, Freddy's and his friend Mrs. Maple, who has an aunt living in the same facility. They both need the facility to stay open for their family members, so this murder continues to weigh heavily on their minds. We also get to see how Mrs. Maple has ended up caring for her aunt, and her relationship with her daughter, which is distant at best, begin to turn around.

I found the way that dementia was portrayed to be perfect. The day to day change in what someone remembers, if they know why/where they are somewhere is so real and accurate. The struggles dementia can cause for family members can be seen in a way I have never before seen in a book.

After reading this book, I remain a major Caroline B. Cooney fan, and will continue to recommend her books to all.

The Grandmother Plot
NML: Library rental. It was fine, but not amazing. I don't feel the need to own this book or read it again.

I want to start by saying that Caroline B. Cooney was one of my favorite authors when I was younger; I still have a few of her books on my shelves. So when I saw she was releasing a new book, I was tripping over myself to get a copy.

Freddy's life revolves around glassblowing and his grandma. He's suddenly forced to move back home to help take care of his grandmother who is afflicted with a rather severe case of dementia. She needs 24 hour care, so Freddy has her placed in a memory care home. The home is rather nondescript -- your usual nursing home full of prepared meals, puppet shows, and walks outside. That all changes one night after one of the residents dies under suspicious circumstances.

Unfortunately for Freddy, that's not his only worry. He's also found himself in a bit of trouble in the glass business. Freddy has gotten wrapped up in some dirty money laundering and he wants out. But Gary Leporov (The Leper) and his sidekick Doc won't let him go so easily.

It was just OK. Maybe I had too high of an expectation going into this one. Or maybe this story line just wasn't the one for me. If you are also a Cooney fan, I do recommend giving The Grandmother Plot a read.

Freddy might have his issues but he does care greatly for his grandmother, who has dementia and is living in a care facility. A glassmaker, he also works off and on for a drug lord of sorts who is not happy with him. He bonds with Mapes, also a caregiver for a relative but then there's a murder! Who would murder a fragile memory impaired person and why? No spoilers but know that this sets Freddy into a quest for answers and to set things right. This has an unusual plot line for what's more or less. cozy. I liked the inclusion of info about glass making and appreciated the attention to those with dementia and their families. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Not what I expected but nonetheless a good read.

It was so refreshing to read a Caroline Cooney book after so many years. I really enjoyed the Grandmother Plot and would recommend this for anyone who is looking for a good summer read. Characters, plot, setting, were engaging and I didn't want to put the book down. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for my opinions.

3.5 stars

This is an offbeat but appealing story, featuring the hapless Freddy. Freddy drifts along, making glass art beads and marijuana pipes. But, he's also the mainstay and go-to guy for the care of his dementia-addled grandmother who lives in a memory care unit.

There is a mystery in here, complete with a smothered body at the nursing home, and some bad guys after Freddy. But the real plot has to do with Freddy himself. Is he a stoner and a loser, unable to follow through with anything, vague and directionless? Is he a principled and loving grandson, who is tormented by his grandmother's slide into oblivion, and determined to be her champion? The answer to both questions, of course, is yes, and therein lies the tale.

A very different but entertaining read. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Not at all what I expected. I did not like at all nor did I finish this book. I don't recommend. Thanks for the copy.

I requested this book because it seemed like it would be a fun mystery novel. Unfortunately, this one was just okay. It had a unique plot and I enjoyed the mystery. But some of the details in the book were a bit too much for me especially the glass/bead-making process. It made the story dull.

What I loved most in this book is the relationship between Freddy and his grandmother. I was close to my grandparents and I could relate to it. My grandpa had dementia so it hit me close to home.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Although I loved the quirky characters, I felt Cooney’s writing to be stilted. Freddy, a glassblower now specializing in bong pipes draws the short straw and is living in his grandmother’s house while visiting her every day in her memory care facility. The death of a patient is ruled homicide and Freddy is a suspect in the murder. I found the story to be slow-going as well as tedious. It is not Cooney’s best writing.