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Better Late Than Never
“The story of what goes on behind the private stone walls of a futuristic retirement community”
Phil Greenfield retired to The Glades looking for maintenance-free living, unlimited golf, and sunsets by the pool. Days later, what he found wasn’t published in any of its brochures.
With the ratio of unmarried women to men approaching 5-to-1, feminine companionship of any size, shape, or age was readily available -- and usually willing. That in itself wasn’t all that unusual for the 60-year¬-old, silver-haired, bachelor from Richmond. What was truly bizarre was the fixation on youth and the intensity of the sexual revolution he’d found behind the gates of the posh retirement community. Nips and tucks, hormonal therapies, blue pills and much more were commonplace.
What Phil had not yet discovered was this youthful exuberance came at a price – a costly, painful, and sometimes deadly price. Once sucked into its ageless pleasures, what would Phil do when he finally uncovered the complete story of The Glades?
Phil Greenfield retired to The Glades looking for maintenance-free living, unlimited golf, and sunsets by the pool. Days later, what he found wasn’t published in any of its brochures.
With the ratio of unmarried women to men approaching 5-to-1, feminine companionship of any size, shape, or age was readily available -- and usually willing. That in itself wasn’t all that unusual for the 60-year¬-old, silver-haired, bachelor from Richmond. What was truly bizarre was the fixation on youth and the intensity of the sexual revolution he’d found behind the gates of the posh retirement community. Nips and tucks, hormonal therapies, blue pills and much more were commonplace.
What Phil had not yet discovered was this youthful exuberance came at a price – a costly, painful, and sometimes deadly price. Once sucked into its ageless pleasures, what would Phil do when he finally uncovered the complete story of The Glades?
365 pages, Paperback
First published January 9, 2013
3 people are currently reading
254 people want to read
About the author
D.R. Shoultz
19 books125 followersAn author of mystery/crime novels, D.R. (Donn) Shoultz hails from Delavan, a small town in central Illinois, but has resided in the Southeastern U.S. most of his adult life. Donn and his wife Claudia have recently moved from their longtime residence in the Carolina Mountains to a home atop the Cumberland Plateau in Crossville, Tennessee. Claudia continues to share her considerable editing experience in shaping Donn's novels. In their free time, they both enjoy traveling and hiking nearby wooded trails with their dog, Milo.
Donn began writing fiction more than a decade ago following a sales and marketing career that took him across the world. His early work featured Miles Stevens, a time-traveling CIA agent, sent back from 2050 and his home in Langley, Virginia to intercept historic tragedies already in the history books.
Donn’s recent focus is adding stories to his Mountain Mystery Series. In each Mountain Mystery, tension rises quickly. The mystery (usually a murder) makes an early appearance. Hometown heroes spring into action, searching for clues, often competing with local law enforcement as they move closer and closer to danger. The stories are set in fictitious mountain communities with the Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop. Clues are sprinkled throughout with twists keeping readers off balance. These books are great for weekend reads, offering crisp, fast-moving chapters and up-all-night suspense.
If you’re looking for a mystery series with legs, this is it. Your favorite sleuths from the initial stories return in future novels, making them a series within the Mountain Mystery collection of novels.
In order of publication, his books include:
Miles Stevens Series
* Melting Sand
* Cyber One
* Gone Viral
Mountain Mystery Series
* At the River's Edge (Emily Edwards #1)
* Butcher Road (Jack Fowler #1)
* Fallen from Sight (Ryan Nelson #1)
* A Town Divided (Luke Maxwell #1)
* A Town in Fear (Luke Maxwell #2)
* Dark River (Emily Edwards #2)
* Road to Justice (Jack Fowler #2)
* Rising River (Emily Edwards #3
* Border Town (Luke Maxwell #3))
Donn's short stories, which he interweaves between writing novels, are an eclectic collection of tales looking at the lives of lovers, schemers, everyday people, and even pets. Each includes a twist and is designed to bring a tear and/or a smile to the reader. His stories have received national contest recognition, including from Writer's Digest magazine. His short story collections include:
* It Goes On
* Most Men
You can find more about Donn and his writing at DRShoultz.com.
Donn began writing fiction more than a decade ago following a sales and marketing career that took him across the world. His early work featured Miles Stevens, a time-traveling CIA agent, sent back from 2050 and his home in Langley, Virginia to intercept historic tragedies already in the history books.
Donn’s recent focus is adding stories to his Mountain Mystery Series. In each Mountain Mystery, tension rises quickly. The mystery (usually a murder) makes an early appearance. Hometown heroes spring into action, searching for clues, often competing with local law enforcement as they move closer and closer to danger. The stories are set in fictitious mountain communities with the Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop. Clues are sprinkled throughout with twists keeping readers off balance. These books are great for weekend reads, offering crisp, fast-moving chapters and up-all-night suspense.
If you’re looking for a mystery series with legs, this is it. Your favorite sleuths from the initial stories return in future novels, making them a series within the Mountain Mystery collection of novels.
In order of publication, his books include:
Miles Stevens Series
* Melting Sand
* Cyber One
* Gone Viral
Mountain Mystery Series
* At the River's Edge (Emily Edwards #1)
* Butcher Road (Jack Fowler #1)
* Fallen from Sight (Ryan Nelson #1)
* A Town Divided (Luke Maxwell #1)
* A Town in Fear (Luke Maxwell #2)
* Dark River (Emily Edwards #2)
* Road to Justice (Jack Fowler #2)
* Rising River (Emily Edwards #3
* Border Town (Luke Maxwell #3))
Donn's short stories, which he interweaves between writing novels, are an eclectic collection of tales looking at the lives of lovers, schemers, everyday people, and even pets. Each includes a twist and is designed to bring a tear and/or a smile to the reader. His stories have received national contest recognition, including from Writer's Digest magazine. His short story collections include:
* It Goes On
* Most Men
You can find more about Donn and his writing at DRShoultz.com.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 1, 2014
As a recent retiree who's still daydreaming about how and where to spend my golden years, I was intrigued by this novel about a Baby Boomer who leaves his Virginia home and makes a fresh start at The Glades, a fictional retirement community in Florida. This is a fast read with something for everyone: romance, humor, mystery and tragedy. Definitely recommended.
March 6, 2014
A totally new genre for me, with a novel based in and around a retirement community in Florida, where everyone is beautiful and wealthy, and have to conform to a certain ideal in order to fit in.
Phil has just moved in and settling well, within a few days sleeping with his sultry next door neighbour and choosing a customised golf cart (Mercedes of course) so he can play respectable rounds of golf with his new retiree buddies. So far, so idyllic. But gradually he begins to realise that there are dirty doings underfoot, and that the superficial image of sun, sex and the over sixties is not all it's cracked up to be.
The writing is good and the premise convincing. Set in the near future, the paradise described sounds totally plausible and, arguably more crucially, fascinating. There is corporate intrigue, some slight shoe-horning in of politics and some genuinely amusing characters. I enjoyed it and I'm not in the same age bracket as the people in this book, though I did find the endless golf slightly distracting and the sex self-conscious. I'm guessing Schoultz doesn't feel totally comfortable writing intimate scenes, although there were quite a few of them. They were well done though, and not at all icky in that "thinking about your grandparents doing it" kind of way.
So what plays out is a hybrid of Cocoon mixed with Stepford Wives. There's a villain to boo and hiss at, and the surprising death of a main character. It is a very enjoyable time passer. A book to read on the beach, preferably Florida!
Phil has just moved in and settling well, within a few days sleeping with his sultry next door neighbour and choosing a customised golf cart (Mercedes of course) so he can play respectable rounds of golf with his new retiree buddies. So far, so idyllic. But gradually he begins to realise that there are dirty doings underfoot, and that the superficial image of sun, sex and the over sixties is not all it's cracked up to be.
The writing is good and the premise convincing. Set in the near future, the paradise described sounds totally plausible and, arguably more crucially, fascinating. There is corporate intrigue, some slight shoe-horning in of politics and some genuinely amusing characters. I enjoyed it and I'm not in the same age bracket as the people in this book, though I did find the endless golf slightly distracting and the sex self-conscious. I'm guessing Schoultz doesn't feel totally comfortable writing intimate scenes, although there were quite a few of them. They were well done though, and not at all icky in that "thinking about your grandparents doing it" kind of way.
So what plays out is a hybrid of Cocoon mixed with Stepford Wives. There's a villain to boo and hiss at, and the surprising death of a main character. It is a very enjoyable time passer. A book to read on the beach, preferably Florida!
March 20, 2016
Easy and relaxing read until the last 60 pages or so where the pace picks up and you really turn the pages to see what will happen. I like Mr. Shoultz's writing style. It was simple with just enough description to help you along the way, while leaving room for imagination.
The characters were engaging. The story was straightforward. To say that I didn't guess what was happening and why would be a lie but the mystery was so well implanted that it made me want to go further. If I could put the book down in the beginning, I sat and read the last 100 pages or so in one sitting.
The nip and tuck and the obsession to look younger nowadays made the story feel even more realistic. All I have to say is that I could see something like that happening for real.
Although I would recommend this book to any one over forty without hesitation, it doesn't mean that because you are younger you would not enjoy the story. The protagonists being in the 55+ range is the only reason for my restriction, so by all means, if you like a good story, don’t let that stop you.
I won this book in a First Reads contests. Posting a review was optional.
The characters were engaging. The story was straightforward. To say that I didn't guess what was happening and why would be a lie but the mystery was so well implanted that it made me want to go further. If I could put the book down in the beginning, I sat and read the last 100 pages or so in one sitting.
The nip and tuck and the obsession to look younger nowadays made the story feel even more realistic. All I have to say is that I could see something like that happening for real.
Although I would recommend this book to any one over forty without hesitation, it doesn't mean that because you are younger you would not enjoy the story. The protagonists being in the 55+ range is the only reason for my restriction, so by all means, if you like a good story, don’t let that stop you.
I won this book in a First Reads contests. Posting a review was optional.
April 20, 2013
I should start out by saying that I have recently retired and moved to a beach/resort type community. It's nothing at all like the 55+ community depicted in Better Late Than Ever, and I seriously doubt that such a place could even exist. But who cares? Mr. Shoultz has done an excellent job creating one in the reader's mind. Although the book moved a little bit slowly for me in the first half, don't despair. In the second half, the pace picks up considerably as the author weaves an intricate story line through a cast of very interesting and (mostly) likable characters. The writing style is crisp and has a nice, easy flow. Being told in the not-too-distant future, we are taken into the lead character's world of golf, leisure, hot tubs, sex and sometimes greed. The evil undercurrent in the community and ruthlessness of some of its members are ultimately outweighed by the kindness and love of the lead's friends and neighbors. If you are retired, you should read this book; on second thought, read it no matter how old you are.
April 10, 2013
I found this book intriguing. Not only was it a quick and easy read, but it had a touch of romance, suspense, and mystery. Without giving any spoilers, I felt the author presented and extremely believable view into a fictional retirement community a few years in our future, where the American ideals of youth and beauty permeate the local culture. I am not near retirement age, and worried that I would not identify with the characters in this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
January 9, 2014
I don't often read romance novels written by men, after getting into some that went down the sex and violence path. But this one was refreshing, with a little something for everybody: lust, excitement, happiness, intrigue, suspense, grief, and it all wraps up with a feel-good ending.
May 3, 2013
A remarkably entertaining read which will keep drawing you in deeper and deeper into the storyline and plot. Donn has done an outstanding job researching pertinent data which keeps the story close to reality which makes this a must read for us Baby Boomers. I have former business associates who live in adult retirement communities and from my experience the author has presented a story of fiction that could be too close to reality—great job!
I appreciated the authors style in giving the reader just enough description to keep the reader pointed in the right direction while not taking creativity from the reader. The story has no dead or flat spots as it advances the suspensions of the communities newest addition—Phil Greenfield. Don’t even try to guess the ending. Readers will get the option to like it, love it, or hate it which is our option as readers. I like the ending being the title of the story, reminds me of another writer.
Can’t wait to download Donn Shoultz’s other story Corrupt Connection. I’m already captivated by the title. Please keep up the entertaining writing Mr. Shoultz.
I appreciated the authors style in giving the reader just enough description to keep the reader pointed in the right direction while not taking creativity from the reader. The story has no dead or flat spots as it advances the suspensions of the communities newest addition—Phil Greenfield. Don’t even try to guess the ending. Readers will get the option to like it, love it, or hate it which is our option as readers. I like the ending being the title of the story, reminds me of another writer.
Can’t wait to download Donn Shoultz’s other story Corrupt Connection. I’m already captivated by the title. Please keep up the entertaining writing Mr. Shoultz.
August 28, 2013
Well first of all, I ought to start out by saying that I have recently started looking into this type of beach/resort type community, as I live on the East coast of Florida. From my research it is nothing at all like the 55+ community portrayed in Better Late Than Ever. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I started reading it as soon as mine came in the mail and finished it by that night. The author has done a remarkable job in creating a wonderful story. I cannot wait to read “Melting Sand”.
September 6, 2016
Though I did enjoy this book, it was difficult to keep reading continuously. I'm not a big fan of golf! I can actually see stuff like this happening especially in a retirement complex. Some people are so afraid of getting old and will go to any lengths to stay young, regardless of the long term consequences.
This was a giveaway book I received.
This was a giveaway book I received.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews