Cliff an ex-cop couldn’t forget his detecting skills with him being 80 now, his instincts were still in tack. His quiet town was changing with the invasion of the motorbike thugs and murder. Sleuthing was like wearing an old glove for Cliff, it was his health he was concerned about, with the young thugs and the murderer.

retired-cop, retirees, friendship, local-law-enforcement, local-gossip, local-politics, murder, relocation, cooperation, Canadian-author, Canada, extortion, gangsters, threats, suspense, small-town, rescue, situational-humor, verbal-humor*****

For this septuagenarian former ER and jail nurse addicted to mysteries, this story was the best and funniest I've read in ages! At the instigation of an old friend, Cliff leaves his solitary digs in Toronto and plans to rent a room in Hans house back in the home town he escaped years ago. When he first arrives he observes a crime scene, meets a young smart constable, and finds that his friend's son is a local cub reporter. He is also surprised and dismayed to find out that the room comes with some irregular conditions. Let the fun begin! His fellow housemates are also of an age and become staunch allies. LOVED IT!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Chantry Publishing House via NetGalley. Thank you and hope for more!

This was a pleasant little story about an 82 year old former police detective moving from Toronto to the small town of St. Marys. Cliff grew up in St. Marys and swore he'd never go back, but the offer of a room in a house with his best friend Hans brings him back. There's action at the train station when he arrives and he learns the local OPP have discovered the body of a young man beneath the nearby bridge. It's assumed he commited suicide, but since he was a visitor to the town, no-one knew him. Cliff meets his house mates and is dismayed to find out he's to live with seven other seniors in the Limestone Manor (he's a loner). But he's quickly caught up in social activities and gets involved into investigating the death of the young man.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this cozy mystery.

The Limestone Manor by Jonny Thompson is a nice, light read with elderly sleuths which was quite lovely.

I liked all the characters, they were such a pleasant bunch and interesting to read about. All of them are quirky in their own way. It was intiguing to see things from older people's perspective and life experience.
The mystery was pretty engaging although it dragged from the middle and it was a bit difficult to continue reading.
I also liked the setting, it was very picturesque little hilly town.
If this series continues I will read another installment.

With a few minor tweaks this could have possibly been a 4 star book for me. I was initially interested in checking out this title because the description was giving off some "Thursday Murder Club' vibes and I have loved that series. This is by no means a rip off of that series, but it does create the same kind of quirky senior citizen team of detectives. I loved the interactions between all the residents of Limestone Manor. And although Cliff is a bit too cantankerous at the beginning, it doesn't take long to take a liking to him. The biggest weaknesses in this book are the dialogue (not all the time, but enough to throw off the flow of the story) and the mystery itself. With the dialogue I just felt like there were times when the words coming out of characters' mouths were not realistic and/or a little cheesy. When that happened it took me out of the story for just long enough to have trouble believing the events that were going on. And with the mystery I felt like Cliff figured it out so early that then it just came to waiting around for the proof. It's made clear at the end why the police were behaving in such an incompetent manner, but until then it just seemed like they were really bad at their job. Other that those two aspects, I really enjoyed the story and following Cliff as he went from loner to part of the family of residents at Limestone Manor. I would most certainly read more stories involving these characters. Jonny Thompson is definitely an author to keep an eye on!

A fun and entertaining cozy mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed. Well plotted, solid mystery, fleshed out and likeable characters
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Great Book! Esp for a new author. I both laughed and held my breath. I would defiantly read it again. I have also shared the book with others already. I enjoyed the description of the town. But the people were what actually kept me interested. I really hope their is a sequel.

I was enchanted by this book's gentle charm! The Limestone Manor crew stole my heart with their quirky personalities and adventures that defied age. Cliff's reminiscing about St. Mary's whispered secrets of a bygone era, making me yearn for a small-town life. Jan captured my heart, and the cast's camaraderie redefined aging with humor and zest. This cozy mystery debunked my anxiety about growing older, showcasing life's beauty at any stage. I crave more tales from this endearing group and the magical world of St. Mary's.

It took me a bit longer than usual to get into this story, but I was pleasantly surprised! I loved that our main character, Cliff, was elderly. I also loved the banter between the other Limestone Manor residents. I personally found the story itself a bit dull from time to time, but I definitely still enjoyed this Cozy Mystery.

"The Limestone Manor" is a captivating mystery novel that takes you on a journey through the life of a retired police detective and his return to his hometown. Thompson achieves an interesting blend of a mystery that encompasses murders, friendship, and reflections on the past.
The story develops quite quickly, keeping the reader stuck from beginning to end. The characters are well constructed and feel real, which helps to feel empathy for them as the plot progresses.
In addition, Thompson does a great job in creating a tense, dark atmosphere, capturing the mysterious atmosphere of the city and the feelings of the protagonist Clifford Shaw.
It's a kind of cozy mystery that I've loved from beginning to end.

First time reading this author. I found it entertaining from the beginning. I liked the retired group wanting to be involved. The mystery kept me guessing and I enjoyed the characters & the setting. I do hope there is more in this series.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, I was pleasingly surprised by this book! I had a lot of fun reading it.

I would say this is definitely a cozy mystery. The main focus of the story is on Cliff and his friends living at the Limestone Manor.

I've never read a book where the main characters are elderly people. I really liked that. It was so fun reading about their adventures and how they interact with each other. This book really helped me feel better about growing old. I've been thinking a lot about how each day I'm closer and closer to death and that makes me feel so much anxiety. It's very overwhelming. These characters helped me realize that being old is not that bad. You can know you don't have much time left on Earth and still have fun and feel happy.

The cast of characters is amazing. They're so unique and funny in their own way. I would love to be a part of their friend group. I particularly liked Jan. And by liking, I mean that I have a tiny crush on him. I also grew to like Cliff more and more as the story went on.

This book is full of nostalgy, as Cliff reminisced of his old days in St. Mary's. I really liked the descriptions and the overall vibe of this small town in Canada. I think it's so charming and magical. I would love to live there.

It would be wonderful if this story turned into a series. It definitely feels like this first book was a setup for a future series. There's nothing I wish more than to be back at St Mary's and see these lovely characters having more adventures.

This is a wonderful mystery about retired detective Clifford Shaw, who after many years, reluctantly returns to his hometown to rent a room from his old friend Hans. The room comes with strings as it is a shared home for five senior citizens and Cliff has to decide if he wants to buy in or not. A young man is murdered and Cliff gets drawn into the murder investigation with some unexpected help from his new roommates. There are lots of suspects for the group to investigate and each roommate contributes to the investigation, resulting in an unexpected but nice ending. These characters are all very well written and each have their own quirky personalities. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

The Limestone Manor by Jonny Thompson

My Thoughts /

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Author, Jonny Thompson's third novel, The Limestone Manor is a terrifically fun cosy mystery (which I hope will be turned into a series) that follows retired Toronto police detective, Clifford Shaw. Eighty-two-year-old Cliff returns to his hometown of St. Marys - a town he once swore he'd never go back to - at the invitation of his long-time friend Hans. Hans, who owns the yellow brick house, (lovingly known as Limestone Manor) is using the rambling old manor house as a sort of share house, which he shares with six other retirees.

The story opens with Cliff arriving at St. Mary's by train. It's been a while since he last visited, leaving St. Mary's some fifty years earlier. Approaching St. Mary's station, an announcement over the speaker system causes a small amount of concern: 'However, we're experiencing some delays at this stop for anyone continuing on with us to Stratford, and we apologise for the inconvenience.'

When the train finally pulled into the station and Cliff disembarked, he found he was immediately surrounded by the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police). Trying to surreptitiously listen in to the many conversations going on around him, Cliff managed to deduce that someone (or something) had fallen from the tracks and into a creek. What he couldn't work out from the conversations was if that someone (or something) jumped or was pushed and whether they were now dead or alive. Cliff is questioned by the OPP and then escorted by an officer to Limestone Manor.

With similarities to 'The Thursday Murder Club', Cliff, together with the retired residents of Limestone Manor get together unravel the mystery of the body in the lake.

Thompson has written a cast of wonderful supporting secondary characters. The other residents of Limestone Manor - Kitty, Sol, Bunty, Hans, and Mrs Chen are wonderfully described and each have their own unique personality quirks. This is another case of underestimating the capacity of our elders! 'Remember son, it’s a gift to be young but it’s a privilege to be old.'

The mystery itself is well plotted and moves along at a clipped pace, with enough red herrings and twists to keep you from guessing the plot ending. Thompson's writing flows well and the ending of one scene seamlessly segues to the next. Once you start, you'll be wanting to finish this in one sitting.

I was not particularly enthralled with this book. Although I liked the characters well enough, I was never really able to get sucked into the mystery, preventing me from caring very much about the outcome. However, if this author writes another book in the series, I will give it a go.

I really enjoyed this book and finished it all in one evening. The characters were a group of senior citizens living in a house together and a murder happens in their small town. The characters were relatable and funny. They all begin to slowly unravel the situation and each character’s personality really shines through. When the main character was talking with a young cop who was calling him old and and being dismissive of his point of you He told him “You know you make these old references as if it’s somehow a negative. But you forget I’ve lived nearly three of your lives, so whatever you think you’ve learned during your minute existence on this planet is barely a drop in the bucket. Whereas myself, and the people who live here have done it all tenfold. Remember, son it’s a gift to be young but it’s a privilege to be old.” This really resonated with me, so I immediately stopped to write it down.. This quote fit so perfectly in this story and really made me think. Just because a person is older doesn’t mean they don’t know what they are doing.and can’t put the pieces together to solve a mystery. I hope this book becomes a series because I would love to learn more about these endearing characters..If you love cozy mysteries than this is the book for you.