Getting Old Can Hurt You

The motto of the septuagenarian sleuths in Lakin’s entertaining eighth Gladdy Gold Detective Agency mystery (after 2011’s Getting Old Can Kill You) is “Never Trust Anyone Under Seventy-Five.” They all live in a group of apartment blocks in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where they spend their time between investigations kvetching, kibitzing, and noshing—a plate of cookies or a nice pastrami sandwich is never far away. Their usual confab at the Continental Deli is interrupted by the dramatic arrival of 15-year-old Tori Steiner, who announces: “They’re coming after me to kill me, Grandma Ida. You have to help me.” Between dealing with an alligator in a swimming pool and tracking down the perpetrator of hold-ups at various Starbucks locations, the gang joins in the search for Tori’s father, whom she has never met, and pursues the thugs who are following her. Fortunately, when push comes to shove, Gladdy’s crew is aided by her husband, a retired policeman, and her 40-year-old stepson, who’s still on the force. You don’t have to be a senior to enjoy the fun. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary. (Oct.)