When a typically closed-off Peg attempts online dating at Rose's strong urging, the experience plays out like an embarrassing mistake. At least, until she matches with Nolan Abercrombie -- intelligent, attractive, and a self-proclaimed dog lover. The two share an instant connection that has Peg cautiously excited to finally bring someone special into her busy world of Standard Poodles and conformation shows.
Laurien Berenson is the award-winning author of the long running Melanie Travis canine mystery series and the new Senior Sleuths series starring Peg Turnbull and Rose Donovan as a pair of seventyish sisters-in-law who are learning to put aside old grudges as they work together to solve mysteries. DIE ANOTHER DANE (#31 in the Melanie Travis series) is out now.
Laurien's work has appeared numerous magazines and the New York Times. She and her husband live on a farm in Kentucky, surrounded by horses and dogs.
Peg and Rose are at it again when they stir up trouble in book 2 of Laurien Berenson’s Senior Sleuths series. Nothing gets past these 2 and that includes clues. In this second book Rose takes the lead in solving the current murder. Not that Peg has stood back and handed Rose the ranes.
No not by a long shot. In fact they are still arguing over who’s going to drive. When Peg joins a dating site and is smitten with a handsome suitor things aren’t the way it seems. Someone has it in for Nolan Abercrombie. Enough to kill him! Who would do such a thing to such a charming man? Peg and Rose aim to find out who and why someone wanted him dead.
I so enjoyed book one, Peg and Rose Solve a Murder that I couldn’t wait for book two to be available. I liked it better than book one if that is possible. Laurien’s books seem to only get better and better. I like that these two sleuths can put aside their differences and work together to solve murders and bring whodunits to justice. The book is humorous, edge of seat a time or two and unpredictable. I thought every suspect was capable of murder but I couldn’t begin to figure out which one killed Nolan. I thought the book was a page turner and hard to put down. I loved it and hope there will be a book three in the future.
I highly recommend this book to readers of Cozy Mystery Fiction and fans of the Author. This book could be read as a standalone. To better understand Peg and Rose I recommend reading book one first. This book is scheduled to be released on 7/25/23.
I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions about the book expressed here in this review are entirely my own.
When Rose encourages Peg to meet up with a man she met on a dating site, the last thing they expect is to see him on the news as the victim of a hit-and-run, let alone to find out that there’s plenty of people who would want to see him dead.
This is the second book in the Senior Sleuths cozy mystery series, which follows long-estranged sisters-in-law Rose and Peg as they become better friends and solve murder cases that they unexpectedly stumble into.
This book follows all the good points of the first book, Peg and Rose Solve a Murder – an amusing odd couple of main characters with a complex relationship, plenty of good-natured humor, and a likable supporting cast. The mystery is an intriguing one without becoming too complicated, and there’s a plethora of suspects to sort through, all of which we are made to sympathize with. I also enjoyed the compassionate way in which the author approached romance scams.
However, it’s not a perfect read for a few reasons. I thought Peg and Rose’s reasons for getting involved with the case were somewhat flimsy, especially as it’s not clear off that bat that Nolan was purposely mown down. There’s also a fair few bits and pieces that show up in the story, like Melanie’s parenting troubles and Helen’s miniature horse farm that felt like word count padding, though they were enjoyable enough to read.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
I usually enjoy cozy mysteries, mainly as a break from more “serious” books, but this one just did not hit the spot for me. I’m of a similar age to the two main characters but I simply could not relate to either of them. The idea that Rose is running a shelter for battered women is admirable, but the situation doesn’t seem realistic at all. Also, there was a lot of dog talk, about breeding and judging dogs; all of that bored me, but if you’re a dog lover, you may feel differently about that.
The main plot involves someone who preys on older women, and that is a real concern, no doubt about it. Seniors (and not just seniors!) need to be on the lookout for scam artists of all types.
Sorry to say, I won’t be looking for more books in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Cozies for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was rather late to it. Because I was late to it, I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. All opinions are my own.
This was a fun read! Senior sleuths Peg and Rose are back! Love these two together...it feels like the odd couple meets golden girls! I would recommend this series to fans of senior cozies! I would like to thank netgalley, the author Laurien Berenson, and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book!
Peg and Rose Stir Up Trouble is another fabulous story by a favorite author. We all know Peg from the Melanie Travis mysteries, and Rose is her sister in law. Peg and Rose are headed into another murder investigation, and this one is personal. A potential suitor for Peg is the victim of a hit and run, and when Peg learns the horrible truth about him, she isn't surprised by the long list of suspects. Rose takes the lead in this investigation and surprises and impresses Peg with her investigative skills.
This is a great story and I hope others enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book. #PegandRoseStirUpTrouble #NetGalley
I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you to the publisher and author.
This is my first introduction to Ms. Berensen’s work, and what a lovely one it was. This is Book 2 in a new series. I very much enjoyed this, so much so that I’ll read Book 1 as well. Peg and Rose are sisters-in-law, not always on the same page, and with very different personalities. I liked both of these women, as well as what I call a “gentle cozy” plot line. I thought it was the perfect “curl up with a cup of tea” book, and a series that I look forward to continuing.
With the sass of the Golden Girls and then cleverness of Murder She Wrote, Peg and Rose are some of my new favorite sleuths!
Even though this is the second book in the series, I feel like I was able to pop in and know what was happening, and who was who within the first few chapters. The dialogue was well done, I LOVED the banter between Peg and Rose. They reminded me so much of the Golden Girls and I want to have cake and solve crimes with them!
AS far as the mystery goes, I thought it was well done. I had a feeling it was one of the scorned ladies, but I just couldn't figure out who until just before the reveal!
Overall I can see this becoming another favorite series of mine, I can't wait to read more!
I just love these 2 ladies!!! I've always been drawn to older people for their stories and personalities. Peg and Rose are the coolest duo of investigators as long as they an stay our of trouble!! LOL not an easy thing for them to do it seems!!! I just love both books and can not wait for their next great adventuer/mystery.
Peg and Rose Stir Up Trouble is a cute comfortable cozy filled with charismatic and stubborn seniors who it seems are always in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s comedic, sentimental, heartwarming and suspenseful all rolled into one. Oh, and we can’t forget about the dogs!
Peg Turnball and her sister-in-law Rose Donovan have put their past issues behind them. They are beginning to get comfortably reacquainted with each other. So much so that Rose convinces Peg to put herself out there and create a profile on a senior dating site. First item on Peg’s list…must love dogs, of course!
Although Peg is really doing this for Rose, she does go on a couple of dating misses, but incredibly, the third times really is the charm. She matches with a very handsome senior who loves dogs, Nolan Abercrombie. As they begin to get to know each other Peg actually believes Rose was right, but all good things must come to an end. Noland has a fatal accident.
See…Peg knew it was too good to be true! And now it seems the accident may have actually been a homicide! What Peg and Rose soon discover is not only was Nolan hiding things about himself, but he seemed to be charming the money out of many women which leads to a long list of suspects! It seems Nolan was an enchanting con man!
So once again the two friends find themselves involved in a murder. But when Rose is almost killed, the situation because even more urgent as to who killed Nolan. Clearly Rose and Peg are getting too close to the truth.
Peg and Rose’s chemistry makes for a terrific combination with their witty banter and headstrong determination. Dogs, dating and death. Who could ask for anything more in a cozy!
Thank you #NetGalley #KeninstonCozies #LaurienBerenson #PegandRoseStirUpTrouble for the advanced copy.
The second book in Laurien Berenson's Senior Sleuths series is a quick read and worth a reader's time. Once estranged sisters-in-law Peg Turnbull and Rose Donovan have barely recovered from their first venture in sleuthing (Peg and Rose Solve a Murder) when Rose enthusiastically launches Peg into the realm of online dating. Peg's characteristic skepticism seems be flagging when suitor Nolan Abercrombie pursues her. Then Nolan is killed in a hit-and-run accident. Peg opts to attend his funeral only to learn that she was one of many women on Nolan's contacts list. Now Peg's incredulity is resurgent and Rose's inchoate competitiveness is both helpful and hazardous.
Berenson provides a wealth of secondary stalwarts from Stamford PD Det. Rodney Sturgil to Melanie Travis (star of an earlier Berenson series) to Rose's husband to Peg's three standard poodles and Rose's kitten Marmalade. A substantial troupe of new characters is useful to the plot and promising for future intrigue. The ground is is set for cultivation, and I was happy to hear (several days after posting the original of this review) that Peg and Rose Play the Ponies will be published in the spring of 2024.
A good cozy mystery with two older lead sleuths who cant help themselves from lending a hand to solve a murder and "Stir Up Trouble" along the way. Sister-in-laws, Rose and Peg are still feeling their way through a fragile but strengthening friendship when Rose suggests Peg try an online dating service and creates an enticing profile for her that snags her the perfect man. Dating was great for a while then questions like "is he really that good?" until there was no longer a need for those questions as the new ones of "who he really was" and "who killed him" replaced them. A quick read.
Another well-crafted mystery from Laurien Berenson. I love the Melanie Travis mysteries and I love her cameos in these books; I just wish they were longer. Peg is still not my favorite character but she is growing on me. I loved the vulnerability shown as she navigated the craziness of online dating. Rose is so cute with her naïve views of the world and how she blushes at just about everything. The mystery itself is well paced and i enjoyed following along with them as they figured out who killed Nolan. Looking forward to seeing what they get up to next.
I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.
Peg Turnbull, who is a dog lover and a supporting character in the author's excellent Melanie Travis series, has her own series now. She is joined by her sister-in-law Rose Donovan from whom she had previously been estranged in this fun series. This is the second book in the spin-off series but works fine even if you are new to this one or the original series.
Peg and Rose couldn't be more different, but they're able to find common ground when solving crimes. This is the second book featuring Peg and Rose and the story starts out with Rose signing Peg up for a dating website! Peg is surprised when she gets several matches, but the guy she likes just may be too good to be true. Before Peg has the chance to find out what he may be up to, Nolan Ambercrombie is murdered and it appears there are plenty of female suspects! Peg and Rose once again team up to catch a killer. Their strengths complement each other and the two women are learning to like each other in spite of their past differences. As always, I enjoy the dog show scenes (Peg is a judge) and the humor throughout the book. I rated it 4.5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advance copy of this ebook. My review is voluntary and unbiased.
Peg and Rose are back at it! In this installment, Rose has encouraged Peg to sign up for a dating website. She does, and goes out with a charming man, Nolan. But, later, Nolan ends up dead, hit by a car. The ladies are suspicious, and believe he was murdered. As they dig into his past, they find out that he was quite the ladies' man, dating many women. Was one woman wronged by him and wanted revenge? When Rose is put in the line of danger, things escalate quickly. Another fun entry into the sleuthing of these two friends/sisters-in-law.
I'm really glad I gave this series a second chance. I really enjoyed this book. I loved the mystery and the premise. People scamming old people are the worst. The writing sucked me in and I had a hard time putting the book down. Rose is definitely my favorite. I can't wait to read more of this series.
Rating: 3.5 The characters are the feature that made this book an enjoyable read for me. The "mystery," not so much. The two did seem to be pretty intrusive in the lives of others just to satisfy their curiosity. I thought Jason hit the nail on the head with his comments at the diner. But if not for their nosiness, there'd be no story, so I can accept that. The premise of scamming lonely, elderly women was a unique choice as it is often in the news but rarely in a novel. I enjoyed watched the two prickly women spar a bit but also grow a little bit closer in this edition, and Rose really came out of her shell and was entertaining to watch -- as well as Peg's sarcastic responses to those changes. I'll look forward to the next book in the series.
This is cute if you want an easy to follow cozy mystery. I listened to the audio. This is the 2nd book in the series but I did not feel confused by not having read the first one.
With the sass of the Golden Girls and then cleverness of Murder She Wrote, Peg and Rose are some of my new favorite sleuths!
Even though this is the second book in the series, I feel like I was able to pop in and know what was happening, and who was who within the first few chapters. The dialogue was well done, I LOVED the banter between Peg and Rose. They reminded me so much of the Golden Girls and I want to have cake and solve crimes with them!
AS far as the mystery goes, I thought it was well done. I had a feeling it was one of the scorned ladies, but I just couldn't figure out who until just before the reveal!
Overall I can see this becoming another favorite series of mine, I can't wait to read more!
Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This one was even better than the first! I'm really enjoying the new-found friendship between long-estranged sisters in law, Peg and Rose. I was lucky enough that the next installation of the series was already available immediately after returning the first to the library, so I snatched it up post-haste! I'm finding this series well-written, well-paced, creative, and entertaining, and it's keeping my attention and hard to put down. Peg and Rose are more than worth the time to read.
Sisters-in-law Rose and Peg have always had a difficult relationship. So difficult, in fact, that they didn't speak to each other for over 30 years. Now that Peg's husband Max has died, the two women have begun to thaw their frosty friendship. Rose, a former nun, left the convent to marry Peter, a former priest. Together with their cook/housekeeper Maura, the couple operate Gallagher House, a women's shelter. Peg keeps busy as a judge at dog shows, something that Rose can't comprehend as all the dogs look alike to her. Feeling that Peg should look for human, rather than predominantly canine, companionship, Rose convinces her to put a profile up on the dating website Mature Mingle. Peg is skeptical, but open to the idea. She soon finds a man that seems to good to be true, Nolan. As she and Nolan get to know each other, Rose cautions her to be careful. Her advice isn't needed as soon after they begin dating, Nolan is dies in a hit and run accident. When Peg and Rose notice nearly all the mourners at his funeral are women around their same age, they decide to look closer into Nolan's life and the circumstances of his death.
The story was very cute and Peg's fascination with dogs and dog shows was obvious. The differences between the women provided an interesting contrast as they battled each other (in a gentle way) while searching for the truth. The one thing that was a bit strange was how Rose was so open and eager to tell everyone she met about the women's shelter she ran and where it was. I thought that information needed to be kept secret for everyone's sake??? Other than that small issue, the story was good fun.
I have been waiting for this since I won and read the first last summer! Once I found out this one was in the making I checked almost every month for updates and then checked Netgalley and couldn't believe it was on there already. Thank you to Netgalley, publisher, and especially the author for letting me get my hands on this ARC. This is now one of my favorite cozy mystery series and I'm already ready for a 3rd! I will admit that it took me a couple of weeks to read, I apologize for taking so long to get it read and reviewed. I ended up in the high risk labor unit for a bit and couldn't focus enough to read while there.
Peg and Rose get into even more shenanigans in this one. With even more bickering back and forth, and even more cake. Rose makes Peg an online dating profile, a match for Peg ends up getting in a hit and run and they decide to solve the case themselves in this one. I love how their relationship is evolving so far and how they're getting closer. I really love Rose's growth and branching out on her own even more and taking lead from Peg in this one (whether she approves or not, lol). Melanie making an appearance also made me happy. I hope the next one has the summer camp for the kids tied in somehow too and we see what happens with that! Solving mysteries or not I'd read whatever Peg and Rose get up to. If you like breed specific dogs, cute cats named Marmalade, gardening, cake, or cozy mysteries with lots of laughs then this is for you! *not sure if super spoilers or not so I'll add the spoiler button just in case*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I enjoy Peg & Rose and their cozy mysteries. They make me think of Dorothy and Rose from the Golden Girls.
Rose convinces Peg to try out a dating site. Peg meets a man that seems too good to be true. Rose has a talk with Peg after meeting her new love interest and expresses her concerns that Nolan seems too good to be true because he actually seems like a bit of a fake. These girls have no idea how true that will turn out to be.
Soon after, Nolan is the the victim of a hit and run that seemed intentional.
Of course Peg and Rose get involved and are determined to find Nolan’s killer.
Peg and Rose are back! This is the 2nd book of the series and I loved it (but not as much as the first). This book picks up where the first one left off. I did have to do a little bit of re-reading of the first book to remember the full story. My favorite part of this book was the humor and all the animals! This is a very quick read that I would recommend reading in one sitting! I hope the author continues this series!
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Cozies for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Not so subtle racism laced in a poorly written murder mystery featuring busy body white women. From the very beginning these white women are snooping on their elderly neighbor because there are “suspicious” characters entering the home. These characters literally have a key to let themselves in. Under the guise of concern for Maybel…they feel the need to insert themselves and decided they can conceal the fact they’re snooping on their presumably black neighbors (although their race is never explicitly stated) by bringing over some tomatoes from their garden. See, we’re nice white people!
Spoiler alert: This part of the story has absolutely nothing to do with the murder mystery. But in the end they seem vindicated that they convinced the police to add their neighborhood to the patrol schedule so they can nab this kid playing the loud music with baggy pants. Come to find out he had unpaid parking tickets so they booted his car. This is (probably) a black teenager with little resources just visiting his grandmother every so often. And now the police are taking away his freedom/autonomy. But the author seems to think it’s the nice little gratifying bow the end of this story really needed. Not only did we catch a murderer, we caught a black kid. Justice! NOT!
The main character has a personal relationship with the police and can just ask them for whatever they want. Talk about corruption much? The police are seemingly put off by this rag tag crime solving duo but then just do what they ask so it’s all just in good fun?
The women’s shelter element in a residential neighborhood was beyond wild. You do not advertise the whereabouts of these types of places, but all the neighbors were relieved the house wasn’t bought by rich millennials??? As a millennial I can tell you we are not rich. Also I’m pretty sure you need more than a just a couple of honkies (and former clients????) to operate a women’s home. Do not spend money on this book or waste your time reading it. I am a white woman in my 30s if that is helpful information to you. 😄
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Princess Fuzzypants here: It is refreshing to read a series where the two senior titular ladies are neither overly quirky nor a menace to society. Both are accomplished in their own right with the smarts to solve mysteries, much to the chagrin of their friend whose job it is to investigate the murders. This time Rose thinks it is time for Peg to join an online dating site for seniors. Peg is not convinced but is shocked when she receives interest from several men. She is even more shocked when one of them seems too good to be true. Sadly, he is in fact too good to be true, something Peg does not learn until after he is killed in a hit and run.
The ladies learn there is a large number of women whom he has swindled and although Peg was not a victim, she is incensed that she did not sniff him out. Some of his victims still think fondly of him. They felt that what he gave them compensated for any money he took from them. Others have had their lives torn apart. By talking to the women and the people who enabled him to do his swindles, they learn more about the man. He even has a son with whom he has not had contact. There is lots of anger and resentment. Many fantasized about doing him harm. Who actually did the deed?
There is a lot of excitement before Rose actually figures out the who and the why. It is a very sad story but the killer is prepared to go to any lengths to hide the truth. Will Rose survive?
A truly enjoyable read with great characters including the animals ones. It is only the second stand alone in the series. Do yourself a favour and read them both. Five purrs and two paws up.