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Essie Cobb Senior Sleuth #2
Papoosed
The Happy Haven Assisted Living Facility is a home for senior citizens--not newborn babies. So, when one of the kitchen workers asks ninety-year-old resident Essie Cobb to secretly care for his missing co-worker's infant, she is flabbergasted but determined. Along with her intrepid friends--Marjorie, Opal, and Fay--amateur sleuth Essie sets out to hide and protect the baby--and find his missing mother. Unfortunately, Essie is expecting to deal with exterminators, suspicious neighbors, virus outbreaks, and the snowstorm of the century. Luckily, Essie is one smart cookie, and if anyone can manage to reunite a mother and child right before Christmas--it's Essie.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 4, 2012
22 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Rockwell
33 books149 followersPatricia Rockwell has spent most of her life teaching. From small liberal arts colleges to large regional research universities—and even a brief stint in a high school, her background in education is extensive. She has taught virtually everything related to Communication—from a fine arts speech-theatre orientation to more recently a social science research approach. Her Bachelors’ and Masters’ degrees are from the University of Nebraska in Speech and her Ph.D. is from the University of Arizona in Communication. She was on the faculty at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for thirteen years, retiring in 2007.
Her publications are extensive, with over 20 peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals, several textbooks, and a research book on her major interest area of sarcasm, published by Edwin Mellen Press. In addition to publications, she has presented numerous papers at academic conferences and served for eight years as Editor of the "Louisiana Communication Journal. " Her research focuses primarily on several areas of communication: deception, sarcasm, and vocal cues.
Dr. Rockwell is presently living in Aurora, Illinois, with her husband Milt, also a retired educator. The couple have two adult children. SOUNDS OF MURDER is her first novel.
Her publications are extensive, with over 20 peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals, several textbooks, and a research book on her major interest area of sarcasm, published by Edwin Mellen Press. In addition to publications, she has presented numerous papers at academic conferences and served for eight years as Editor of the "Louisiana Communication Journal. " Her research focuses primarily on several areas of communication: deception, sarcasm, and vocal cues.
Dr. Rockwell is presently living in Aurora, Illinois, with her husband Milt, also a retired educator. The couple have two adult children. SOUNDS OF MURDER is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 12, 2025
I JUST LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH! AN AMAZING HIDDEN GEM THAT DESERVES SO MUCH MORE EXPOSURE THAN IT GETS!
SERIES PREMISE: In this series we follow Essie Cobb, a senior that lives in the Happy Haven Assisted Living Retirement Community amoung her friends: Majourie, Opal and Faye.
In this Book: Santos, the waiter needs Essie to come into the kitchen with him. Surprised Essie follows. What does he show her? A nice steak or birthday cake? No! It's... a baby!
Turns out Maria, one of the cooks in the kitchen had a baby recently but her husband didn't want her to keep it. Maria asked Santos to look after the baby for a moment. Problem is, she hasn't returned and Santos can't take the baby home. Now Essie, along with Majourie, Opal and Faye are tasked to look after the baby and, since Maria still hasn't returned the four decide to find out what has happened to her.
THOUGHTS: I love this series so much which is saying something given this is only book 2. Book 1 was good but I didn't like the reveal. This book I couldn't fault.
I'll just say this "Imagine the Golden Girls, ten years after the show ended in a retirement home with different names and we follow the 'Blanche' character." <- That is literally this series!
As fun, funny and entertaining as you could imagine! Definitel a Hidden Gem in the Cozy Mystery World!
5 Stars!
xoxo.
SERIES PREMISE: In this series we follow Essie Cobb, a senior that lives in the Happy Haven Assisted Living Retirement Community amoung her friends: Majourie, Opal and Faye.
In this Book: Santos, the waiter needs Essie to come into the kitchen with him. Surprised Essie follows. What does he show her? A nice steak or birthday cake? No! It's... a baby!
Turns out Maria, one of the cooks in the kitchen had a baby recently but her husband didn't want her to keep it. Maria asked Santos to look after the baby for a moment. Problem is, she hasn't returned and Santos can't take the baby home. Now Essie, along with Majourie, Opal and Faye are tasked to look after the baby and, since Maria still hasn't returned the four decide to find out what has happened to her.
THOUGHTS: I love this series so much which is saying something given this is only book 2. Book 1 was good but I didn't like the reveal. This book I couldn't fault.
I'll just say this "Imagine the Golden Girls, ten years after the show ended in a retirement home with different names and we follow the 'Blanche' character." <- That is literally this series!
As fun, funny and entertaining as you could imagine! Definitel a Hidden Gem in the Cozy Mystery World!
5 Stars!
xoxo.
May 29, 2014
This book was just awful. It seemed to be written on a second grade level, but the subjects were octogenarians. This wasn't actually much of a mystery. There was a missing woman. She was missing for less than 2 days. That's really about it. Also, the constant exclamations! Of the "Leaping Lizards" variety. About half way through the book, Essie started saying them about once every page or two. It just..no. This book was awful.
May 9, 2025
I received Papoosed from LibraryThing in return for an honest review.
Once again, we visit with Essie, Opal, Marjorie, and Fay for mystery and adventure. The ladies make 3 new friends, Santos, Clara, and Hubert.
The mystery begins when Santos asked Essie to help with a baby who's mother is missing. Maria works at Happy Haven, has an abusive husband, and seems to have deserted baby Antonio. But Santos believes she would never do that. Essie and the girls take care of the baby and try to find Maria. Meanwhile, they cannot let anyone know that the baby is in the facility, especially Violet the facility director.
Essie's neighbor is nosey, Hubert is infatuated with Essie, and Santos is worried.
The ladies are fun and very entertaining to read about. Papoosed is entertaining and a good read, but it wasn't as good as the first. This one was too focused on the care of Antonio, so the mystery was pushed to the side.
Keep baby quiet, feed the baby, change the baby, baby sleeps, repeat, repeat, repeat. There is only so many times I can read about the process and needs of a baby. I raised 3 boys of my own and 5 grandchildren, I know what a baby needs and does.
The story only takes about 3 hours to read. It is very light and fun.
Once again, we visit with Essie, Opal, Marjorie, and Fay for mystery and adventure. The ladies make 3 new friends, Santos, Clara, and Hubert.
The mystery begins when Santos asked Essie to help with a baby who's mother is missing. Maria works at Happy Haven, has an abusive husband, and seems to have deserted baby Antonio. But Santos believes she would never do that. Essie and the girls take care of the baby and try to find Maria. Meanwhile, they cannot let anyone know that the baby is in the facility, especially Violet the facility director.
Essie's neighbor is nosey, Hubert is infatuated with Essie, and Santos is worried.
The ladies are fun and very entertaining to read about. Papoosed is entertaining and a good read, but it wasn't as good as the first. This one was too focused on the care of Antonio, so the mystery was pushed to the side.
Keep baby quiet, feed the baby, change the baby, baby sleeps, repeat, repeat, repeat. There is only so many times I can read about the process and needs of a baby. I raised 3 boys of my own and 5 grandchildren, I know what a baby needs and does.
The story only takes about 3 hours to read. It is very light and fun.
December 16, 2018
A Sweet Christmas Story!
Our trim of senior citizens really find themselves in trouble this time when they agree to watch a newborn until she returns. I loved the creative way they clothed, fed and diapered the baby with what was at hand. Enjoy!
Our trim of senior citizens really find themselves in trouble this time when they agree to watch a newborn until she returns. I loved the creative way they clothed, fed and diapered the baby with what was at hand. Enjoy!
December 24, 2018
Had me smiling!
This is a fast paced story with wonderful characters. Taking place a Happy Haven for seniors, these oldsters had plenty on the ball. Quick witted and more than a little sass, a great read.
This is a fast paced story with wonderful characters. Taking place a Happy Haven for seniors, these oldsters had plenty on the ball. Quick witted and more than a little sass, a great read.
June 26, 2021
Touching
What a positive book to read in this day and age. I loved it all. The friendships both new and old were refreshing. The mystery was something the reader felt invested in. I will read more of this author's books.
What a positive book to read in this day and age. I loved it all. The friendships both new and old were refreshing. The mystery was something the reader felt invested in. I will read more of this author's books.
June 8, 2019
Fun and interesting!
This book is well written and a pleasure to read. A nice clean and lite mystery to relax with. Very enjoyable.
This book is well written and a pleasure to read. A nice clean and lite mystery to relax with. Very enjoyable.
March 19, 2017
Four Old Ladies and A Baby
I enjoyed this book as much as the first book in the series. It is an amazing tale of four old ladies secretly taking care of a baby in a retirement home. They barely managed to avoid detection. I loved the way the story ended. I am now anxious to read the rest of this series.
I enjoyed this book as much as the first book in the series. It is an amazing tale of four old ladies secretly taking care of a baby in a retirement home. They barely managed to avoid detection. I loved the way the story ended. I am now anxious to read the rest of this series.
January 18, 2012
The Happy Haven Assisted Living Facility is a home for senior citizens--not newborn babies. So, when one of the kitchen workers asks ninety-year-old resident Essie Cobb to secretly care for his missing co-worker's infant, she is flabbergasted but determined. Along with her intrepid friends--Marjorie, Opal, and Fay--amateur sleuth Essie sets out to hide and protect the baby--and find his missing mother. Unfortunately, Essie is expecting to deal with exterminators, suspicious neighbors, virus outbreaks, and the snowstorm of the century. Luckily, Essie is one smart cookie, and if anyone can manage to reunite a mother and child right before Christmas--it's Essie.
An easy read (and a free one).
I enjoyed the story and the quirky characters, certainly a different setting to most mysteries. A home for senior citizens, where characters formed in adult life have to adjust to rules and regulations rather than make their own informed choices. Or so they should, but when a baby urgently needs to be cared for and kept hidden till his mother can be found, Esse and her friends are more than capable of rising to the occasion.
An easy read (and a free one).
I enjoyed the story and the quirky characters, certainly a different setting to most mysteries. A home for senior citizens, where characters formed in adult life have to adjust to rules and regulations rather than make their own informed choices. Or so they should, but when a baby urgently needs to be cared for and kept hidden till his mother can be found, Esse and her friends are more than capable of rising to the occasion.
February 24, 2014
Essie lives in Happy Haven, a retirement home. She is 90 years old, but has a good life with wonderful friends. One day, she was approached by Santos, a kitchen worker. He asked if she could do him a favor. Essie liked him. He was the server for her table where she and her friends ate their meals. The favor was to hide a baby! Oh my. She said that she would when it was explained that the mother gave the baby to Santos for safe keeping and expected her back the same day. Then things got complicated. A nosy neighbor, a flu outbreak, a quarantine at Happy Haven, a snowstorm and Essie's children wanted to come for a Christmas show by local children and take her out to dinner. How was Essie going to manage hiding a baby with all this going on? She managed very well with the help of her friends. Made diapers from 'adult diapers' that they all had. Made bottles out of plastic cleaning gloves and made baby formula out of protein drinks that they all had (but never drank because they tasted bad, but the baby loved it). Oh, and a dead husband. What a wild ride. Sit down with a cup of tea and enjoy the story.
September 12, 2012
PAPOOSED is the second in the Essie Cobb Senior Sleuth series. I haven’t read the first in the series yet, but will go back and make amends for this. PAPOOSED was a perfect Saturday afternoon read – a light fluffy mystery, a person in jeopardy, a child to be protected from harm; relaxing, humorous and you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand what is going on. I have older friends and relatives who live in aged care, and believe me they would get up to the mischief this lot did. If you were introduced to my friends you would think butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths but if you allowed yourself to believe that you would be very wrong!!!
January 29, 2012
This was a cute mystery story with Ellie and her neighbors at the Happy Haven Assisted Living Facility. Along with her intrepid friends--Marjorie, Opal, and Fay--amateur sleuth Essie sets out to hide and protect a baby and find his missing mother. Luckily, Essie is one smart cookie, and if anyone can manage to reunite a mother and child right before Christmas--it's Essie. I enjoyed reading about their escapades of feeding the baby, the diapers they used, having to deal with exterminators, flu epidemic, the worst snow storm that paralyzes the city, and many other humorous events that move the story along.
October 29, 2013
This book's saving grace is the friendships formed at the nursing home. If friendships were like this in assisted living facilities perhaps more folks wouldn't mind being in them.
The story had very little plot and much was repetitious with almost every movement accounted for in a 24-hour period. Very little was done to find the missing Maria; Most of it had to do with secrecy in hiding the baby.
The story had very little plot and much was repetitious with almost every movement accounted for in a 24-hour period. Very little was done to find the missing Maria; Most of it had to do with secrecy in hiding the baby.
July 28, 2016
In this one an employee left her newborn at work so she could go back home to prepare to leave her abusive husband. He ended up dead in a car crash and she had disappeared. 90 year old Essie is secretly babysitting little Antonio, while she and her posse of 80 somethings plus a few try to figure out what happened to Maria. Is she alive or dead? A really cute story. I enjoyed it and chuckled at the predicaments Essie finds herself in.
May 12, 2012
Ugh!! I really couldn't get into this book. There were too many alliterated exclamations!! Popping Peacocks!! Really? One or two I could deal with but they were in every chapter, at least once!! I couldn't get into the characters, and the poor baby whose mother they were searching for got NO sympathy from me! Why? because the story was so blah!! Well, there you go.
January 26, 2012
I nice little bit of fun read.
August 7, 2013
Slow moving and basically plotless but the characters are fun
July 23, 2018
A little bit simplistic, almost like the tone of a middle school reading level, if it wasn't about really old ladies. But a cute story.
March 17, 2014
A very very funny if unbelievable cozy
April 18, 2014
This was a short, easy read. Even though there really wasn't very much of a mystery and you knew where it was going quickly, I liked spunky Essie and her Happy Haven pals.
December 11, 2016
A cozy cozy--and a very charming Christmas mystery.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews