Cruising in Your Eighties Is Murder: A Paul Jacobson Geezer-Lit Mystery

In the first chapter of Befeler’s lively fourth mystery featuring octogenarian Paul Jacobson (after 2011’s Senior Moments Are Murder), crotchety Paul, who suffers from short-time memory loss, has an unpleasant run-in with the police after discovering a corpse in a public park in Seattle, Wash., where he and his devoted new wife, 70-ish Marion, are about to embark on an Alaskan cruise. His problems only worsen aboard ship. A bizarre murder, several acrimonious altercations that result in violence, and a passenger’s baffling disappearance all lead directly to Paul. Hounded relentlessly by the ship’s security director, Paul phones his 12-year-old granddaughter, Jennifer, in Boulder, Colo., for help in getting to the mayhem’s source. Jennifer, with her quick mind and technical know-how, soon puts him on the right path. While some of the shtick is at Three Stooges level, the story’s endearing zaniness keeps boredom at bay. (Dec.)