by: Marcy Blesy
Series: Tucson Valley Retirement Community
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: November 8, 2023
Thirty-nine-year-old Rosi Laruee—named Rosisophia Doroche after her mother’s beloved Golden Girls—decides that the end of her twenty-year marriage and her dad’s impending knee replacement surgery are all the excuses she needs to visit Tucson Valley Retirement Community. But the drama follows Rosi when she finds the body of local tart and business owner, Salem Mansfield. The information she discovers using her newspaper reporter sleuthing skills coupled with the clues she picks up from lackluster Police Officer Dan Daniel lead to a surprise discovery when the murderer is revealed. Along the way, she meets a cast of characters in her parents’ social circle who leave her questioning her parents’ choices in friends while simultaneously befriending many of the residents, including a handsome landscaper and a brand-new Golden Retriever puppy she names Barley. Rosi’s visit to Tucson Valley proves more than she’d bargained for, but maybe, she realizes, it’s just the kind of change she needs.
Laugh out loud with Rosi, and be prepared to get the happy feels along the way!
I’m okay. It’s been quite a year. I’m a recent divorcee, and I’ve been called down to the Tucson Valley Retirement Community to help my parents when Dad has his knee replacement surgery this week. Our only child is off in college, and I may have lost me job, but let’s not talk about that. To be truthful, my week has been a little crazy. Did you know that I stumbled upon a dead body at the local bookstore? And, that goofy police officer, Dan Daniel, actually wanted to take my fingerprints. Crazy indeed. At least there were puppies at the bookstore. Puppies have a way of making everything seem better.
Oh wow. That’s a lot. Before we get started, can you please tell us a little bit more about yourself?
Hi. My name is Rosisophia Doroche Laruee, Rosi for short. My mom is a huge Golden Girls’ fan, but I’m too embarrassed to tell anyone my real name. I am 39 years old. I can’t believe I’ll be entering my forties as a single lady. That wasn’t in the plan. I’m a trained newspaper journalist in Illinois, but let’s just say I’m going to have to look for a new job when I get back from Arizona. My son Zak is amazing, but he’s busy living his life in college. He doesn’t have time to talk to his mom every day. I guess I’m at the stage in life when my own parents need me more than my son. I don’t mind that much. My parents are pretty awesome, though my mom drives me a little batty sometimes.
Tell us about some people we’ll meet in your story.
The first people you will meet are my parents. I love them a lot. I’m a bit of a Daddy’s girl, but that’s only because he’s more chill than my mom. She’s a big-time gossip as are all of her friends, though she means well. I can’t say the same about some of her friends like Jan and Brenda. They are busybodies and rude and judgmental. Karen is sweet, though. She’s a widower.
When I walked into Tucson Valley on my way to the bookstore, I met a really cute landscaper named Keaton. I hope to see him again. Things took a turn for the worse when I entered the bookstore. I found the owner, local tart (as my mom’s friends described her) Salem Mansfield. She was dead.
Officer Dan Daniel and Officer Morgan Kelly came right away. There’s not much crime around a retirement community. That Officer Daniel is a real tool. He wanted me to come to the station to get my fingerprints taken just to rule me out as a suspect. Can you believe that? I think he might need my investigative skills to solve this case.
One positive part of finding Salem is that I got to take the puppies in her store back to my parents’ house. They were very surprised especially since Dad had just had his knee surgery. I was only holding onto the puppies until their owner Bob Horace (Salem’s ex) could pick them up. He insisted that I keep one of the puppies. I agreed, reluctantly at first, to keep a caramel-colored Golden Retriever puppy named Barley. Now I can’t imagine life without her.
Tell me about a defining moment in your life.
Well, I don’t want to spoil it for you, but let’s just say that I might have made a very poor decision with my ex-husband’s mistress’s car while he was still my husband. That decision led to an abrupt career change, and now I have lots of time to help my parents in Arizona. It’s been quite a year.
What’s your most prized possession?
My most prized possession is my son Zak. He means the world to me followed by the rest of my family. Family is everything. I wish someone had told my ex-husband that, too.
What do you love about the Tucson Valley Retirement Community?
I love the enthusiasm of the Tucson Valley Retirement Community. Life doesn’t end at retirement. It’s only the beginning for these people, and that’s awesome.
Why do you feel the need to put on your sleuthing hat and investigate murders?
I’ve been an investigative journalist for years. I love solving mysteries and figuring things out. When the community that my parents love is patrolled by such a nincompoop police officer like Officer Daniel, I am going to step up and help.
When you aren’t investigating murders, what do you like to do?
I’d really love to relax and read a little. My mom wants me to learn pickleball, but I’d rather take my puppy for a long walk.
I know you recently got out of a long long term relationship, but is there someone who has caught your eye? If so, I want ALL the details!
LOL Who told you? Yes, I met Keaton on my way into town one day. He’s a landscaper. I sweat the first time I met him, and it wasn’t because of the Arizona heat in February as it’s really comfortable outside this time of year. I’m open to getting to know him better, but I haven’t kissed another man for twenty years. What is happening to me?
What’s next for you?
Well, I may have a new job lined up that would keep me in Arizona. If I take the job, I’ll be spending a lot more time in the senior center at Tucson Valley planning programs for the residents. I have a big life decision to make. I just hope that whatever I decide, things will quiet down. I have a very foreboding feeling, though, that won’t subside. Hmmm….
Rosi, thank you so much for your time.
You’re welcome. Enjoy your day, and be careful out there!
And here I am, Rosisophia Doroche, a conglomeration of the Golden Girls’ names smushed together, mom’s favorite show in the ’80s, a most hideous name that I’d managed to keep a secret for all of my life until my mother filled out my high school graduation forms for my diploma. I didn’t learn she’d done this until my name was called in front of my 120 high school classmates and their families before I walked across the stage for my diploma. The look of shock on my face is forever etched into the photos of that moment, and even the laughs and extra cheers have been captured on a video recording that I will never watch for any amount of money.
After showering and dressing in a light blue sundress and applying a bit of foundation, I wander into the kitchen where Mom is putting some sort of breakfast casserole into the oven. Mom turns to look at me, pausing in judgment as is her modus operandi. “Can’t you apply a bit more makeup, Rosi? You’re not a spring chicken anymore, you know?”
“Mom, I really don’t think your friends will care if I’ve applied mascara.” I grab an orange from the fruit basket on the table.
She swats my hand. “Save your appetite for breakfast. And Jan will care. It’s her nephew that’s coming to town next week for a visit. She needs to sell you, Rosi.”
“Sell me? I’m not a horse. And I am not the least bit interested in dating.”
Mom takes a deep breath and sits down at the kitchen table, tapping the seat next to her for me to do the same. I count to five before sitting down.
“I’m sorry, Rosi. I’m worried about you. We all know that Wesley is dating again. I just think it’d be good for your self-confidence if you started dating again, too. You don’t want to be alone at your dad’s and my age, do you?”
“Wesley isn’t dating again,” I say through gritted teeth. “He’s engaged to his mistress. And I don’t need a partner to live a happy life. I’m here to help you and Dad when he has his surgery later this week. I am not here as your pet project.” I stand up. “I’m taking an orange and going for a walk around the block.” I grab the orange out of the fruit bowl again and storm outside.
After showering and dressing in a light blue sundress and applying a bit of foundation, I wander into the kitchen where Mom is putting some sort of breakfast casserole into the oven. Mom turns to look at me, pausing in judgment as is her modus operandi. “Can’t you apply a bit more makeup, Rosi? You’re not a spring chicken anymore, you know?”
“Mom, I really don’t think your friends will care if I’ve applied mascara.” I grab an orange from the fruit basket on the table.
She swats my hand. “Save your appetite for breakfast. And Jan will care. It’s her nephew that’s coming to town next week for a visit. She needs to sell you, Rosi.”
“Sell me? I’m not a horse. And I am not the least bit interested in dating.”
Mom takes a deep breath and sits down at the kitchen table, tapping the seat next to her for me to do the same. I count to five before sitting down.
“I’m sorry, Rosi. I’m worried about you. We all know that Wesley is dating again. I just think it’d be good for your self-confidence if you started dating again, too. You don’t want to be alone at your dad’s and my age, do you?”
“Wesley isn’t dating again,” I say through gritted teeth. “He’s engaged to his mistress. And I don’t need a partner to live a happy life. I’m here to help you and Dad when he has his surgery later this week. I am not here as your pet project.” I stand up. “I’m taking an orange and going for a walk around the block.” I grab the orange out of the fruit bowl again and storm outside.
Purchase Dying to Go (Nothing to Gush About) from:
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The Tucson Valley Retirement Community Series:
Dying to Dance (Cha-Cha-Ahhh): Book 5 releasing March 15, 2024
Marcy enjoys searching for treasures along the shores of Lake Michigan. She’s still waiting for the day when she finds a piece of red beach glass. By day she teaches creative writing virtually to amazing students around the world.
Marcy is a believer in love and enjoys nothing more than making her readers feel a book more than simply reading it.
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Thank you so much for posting about my cozy mystery series! I appreciate your support. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Marcy. Thank you for stopping by.
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