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The Nursing Home Hoax
In this fresh take for grown-ups on the classic Nancy Drew series, crime-solving duo Taylor and Marilee investigate suspicious activity at a small East Texas nursing home.
Taylor, a semi-retired lawyer, and Marilee, whom she met in college, reunite in their eighties with a bang. They bond over the return of their college friend Edith, a doctor working in Africa who returns to the US for medical treatment and ends up in rehab at a local nursing home not far from Taylor and Marilee.
But when Taylor and Marilee visit, all is not as it seems. Several long-term patients have been victimized by a cybercriminal, and local law enforcement seem as uninterested as they are inept.
With the help of two high school seniors, amateur sleuths Taylor and Marilee must solve the mystery of who is taking advantage of wealthy residents so they can spend more time dealing with their romantic feelings, which have evolved during their sixty years apart.
Taylor, a semi-retired lawyer, and Marilee, whom she met in college, reunite in their eighties with a bang. They bond over the return of their college friend Edith, a doctor working in Africa who returns to the US for medical treatment and ends up in rehab at a local nursing home not far from Taylor and Marilee.
But when Taylor and Marilee visit, all is not as it seems. Several long-term patients have been victimized by a cybercriminal, and local law enforcement seem as uninterested as they are inept.
With the help of two high school seniors, amateur sleuths Taylor and Marilee must solve the mystery of who is taking advantage of wealthy residents so they can spend more time dealing with their romantic feelings, which have evolved during their sixty years apart.
192 pages, Paperback
First published July 15, 2025
About the author
Shelley Thrasher
9 books9 followersShelley Thrasher, world traveler and native East Texan, has edited novels for Bold Strokes Books since 2004. With her PhD in English, she taught on the college level for many years before she retired early, and still teaches one fine-arts course online. She has published numerous poems and several short stories and essays, as well as one scholarly book. Shelley and her partner Connie, with their two dogs, cat, and parrot, live near Dallas in the piney woods of East Texas, where her first novel, The Storm, is set. (from the publisher's website)
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 2, 2025
A cosy crime featuring two older lesbian sleuths determined to stop their nursing home friends falling victim to AI scams. An important story not just because of the subject matter but also for the way that it shows that older people still have value and can solve crimes perhaps because they are dismissed. The characters are a little flat and occasionally it dips into telling rather than showing, overall a quick, light, engaging read.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 27, 2025
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
The Nursing Home Hoax is a cozy amateur sleuth series starter featuring a pair of octogenarian friends written by Dr. Shelley Thrasher & Ann Faulkner. Released 15th July 2025 by Bold Strokes Books, it's 176 pages (ebook format) and is available in paperback and ebook. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
Although the characters' ages are firmly in the senior range, they act and think (and speak) like much younger characters. There's a definite Scooby-Do meets Nancy Drew vibe, very light, campy, and whimsical.
The mystery itself is engagingly constructed and does eventually tie up most of the loose ends. It's told in third person, but the characters are so interchangeable that it's somewhat difficult to keep them straight. There aren't an overabundance of characters, but it's not always easy to remember which is which (especially given their similar dialogue patterns and behaviors).
Three and a half stars. The romantic subplot is sweet and it's fun to see older protagonists who aren't only included for comedic effect.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Nursing Home Hoax is a cozy amateur sleuth series starter featuring a pair of octogenarian friends written by Dr. Shelley Thrasher & Ann Faulkner. Released 15th July 2025 by Bold Strokes Books, it's 176 pages (ebook format) and is available in paperback and ebook. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
Although the characters' ages are firmly in the senior range, they act and think (and speak) like much younger characters. There's a definite Scooby-Do meets Nancy Drew vibe, very light, campy, and whimsical.
The mystery itself is engagingly constructed and does eventually tie up most of the loose ends. It's told in third person, but the characters are so interchangeable that it's somewhat difficult to keep them straight. There aren't an overabundance of characters, but it's not always easy to remember which is which (especially given their similar dialogue patterns and behaviors).
Three and a half stars. The romantic subplot is sweet and it's fun to see older protagonists who aren't only included for comedic effect.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
March 25, 2026
First let me be transparent and say I am acquainted with one of the authors. One of my books clubs read this and both authors came to our meeting. I liked the book more after hearing about how they worked together to write it. Some of the issues I had with the ending were explained by a short deadline after a major rewrite.
The book was extremely well written from a grammatical point. Not one misplaced comma or other error that is often present in books that are put out by smaller publishing companies. A tendency to tell and not show and some awkward dialogue made it a bit slow in parts.
I admit, I initially was disappointed in the fact that it was “cozy” to the point there was no murder,but upon finishing and reflecting I feel the hoax of scamming people (especially elderly people) out of their life savings is a crime worth investigating. Several people in our club had this scam attempted on them, and like in the book the police refused to investigate. And speaking of elderly people, I liked the fact that our main characters were octogenarians who were still active and mentally sharp-no stereotypes in this book. I could have done without the romantic element, but that is my personal preference.
Both Shelley and Ann were delightful and interesting speakers. We enjoyed hearing how the book was written. All in all, a good effort for their first collaboration as co-authors.
July 1, 2025
This could be quite amusing - but you have to be prepared to put the work in to read it. And I found it a hard read.
The concept of having a group of 80 somethings team up with a couple of teenagers (who can do the running around and get jobs in the nursing home as undercover sleuths) is interesting.
The actual crime that they investigate is ok - although the perpetrators are obvious from their first mention.
They all suck as far as tailing someone - they are advised at the end of the book that they need to take a module in how to do it!
I found it overly wordy - chunky and clunky.
I liked the fact that the main characters were all in their 80s - and there were plenty of them.
I'm going to assume that there will be more of the Senior Sleuth Mysteries in the future. Hopefully without having to do lots of introductions they will be easier reading.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The concept of having a group of 80 somethings team up with a couple of teenagers (who can do the running around and get jobs in the nursing home as undercover sleuths) is interesting.
The actual crime that they investigate is ok - although the perpetrators are obvious from their first mention.
They all suck as far as tailing someone - they are advised at the end of the book that they need to take a module in how to do it!
I found it overly wordy - chunky and clunky.
I liked the fact that the main characters were all in their 80s - and there were plenty of them.
I'm going to assume that there will be more of the Senior Sleuth Mysteries in the future. Hopefully without having to do lots of introductions they will be easier reading.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 30, 2025
**A big thanks to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc for this ARC, this in no way affects my honest and unbiased review**
The writing in this is so chunky/clunky, and is extremely tell instead of show, like who is saying this out loud; "As an African American active in civil rights, Edith helped us engage with the world in a new way", ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU BOTH KNOW EDITH! like why say that or bring it up?! authors you can 100% show this and never ever just tell me something like this!
Lots of random characters to keep track of, kinda gave up on that. The actual mystery wasn't too hard to figure out itself.
If you cleaned up the writing and stop providing way too much information by having characters just spitting out random shit, this could be decent enough.
The writing in this is so chunky/clunky, and is extremely tell instead of show, like who is saying this out loud; "As an African American active in civil rights, Edith helped us engage with the world in a new way", ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU BOTH KNOW EDITH! like why say that or bring it up?! authors you can 100% show this and never ever just tell me something like this!
Lots of random characters to keep track of, kinda gave up on that. The actual mystery wasn't too hard to figure out itself.
If you cleaned up the writing and stop providing way too much information by having characters just spitting out random shit, this could be decent enough.
December 6, 2025
This novel was a bite-sized cozy adventure with two endearing main characters and quite a lot to say about everything that older people have to offer - not despite, but rather thanks to, their age. Lifelong friends Marilee and Taylor have grown tired of the monotony that comes with retirement, and when they catch wind of a series of suspicious scams happening at a home for the elderly in their vicinity, the two women take it upon themselves to find out what's going on and, more importantly, who is behind it. In their quest to untangle the mystery, they recruit two teenage girls who turn out to, just like Marilee and Taylor, have many more resources and aces up their sleeves than one might think!
Something that I rarely (if ever) see addressed in books, but sadly witness every single day, is ageism. How often do we assume that children are ignorant, that teenagers can't be trusted since they are lazy and volatile, or that elderly people are forgetful, slow and childish? Age-based prejudices harm most, if not all, age groups, but for some reason isn't discussed nearly as often as it should. In that sense, I appreciated that "The Nursing Home Hoax" was unapologetically critical of ageist attitudes and called them out. Neither our main characters nor the residents at the Silverado home for the elderly are, at any point, depicted in a negative light; nor are they relegated to passive roles while middle-aged adults take care of everything. This was really refreshing, and sets the novel apart for me. Not only does the book confront and debunk myths and negative stereotypes about elderly people, though. It also highlights how resourceful and experienced they happen to be in many ways, despite our tendency as a society to patronize them for struggling at times with technology or the digital world they did not get to grow up or work with, oftentimes.
In this sense, the book also addresses a very real issue that elderly people face nowadays, which are digital scams. AI phishing in particular plays a huge role in this novel, as it's used to deceive elderly people into giving up their life savings to supposedly help a family members. But there are also discussions of text scams; think your average SMS claiming that you've got a parcel at the post office, or claiming that you were given a speeding ticket that you must pay within 24h using the link they provide at the bottom. Both scams, but particularly the latter, target people across all age groups but often pose a greater risk for older people who might have trouble with understanding smartphones and computers - let alone detecting the subtleties that authorities recommend looking at to determine whether the e-mail or the SMS you received is legit. There is still too little discussion of these hoaxes and the impact they've got on elderly people, who are often patronised by their environment rather than taught adequate cybersecurity skills.
Regarding the younger characters, Zooey and Gloria, it was quite refreshing to have teenagers who were realistically mature. This might sound odd, but oftentimes teens written by adults outside of the YA genre don't feel authentic because they are either too childish, or too adult-like. In this novel, Zooey and Gloria felt like actual teens who had a good heart but were still a little impulsive and cheerful in that sweet sixteen kind of way. It felt really great to see an intergenerational team at work, and I loved that both the elderly and these teens were really respectful of each other.
I do think that the novel felt a little flat in terms of character depth, since they all had extremely similar narrative voices and weren't really fleshed out in terms of mannerisms, dreams and goals, vulnerabilities and backstories. There were a few instances in which showing was neglected in favour of telling, which might have worked better if they'd been written in a more dynamic and less expositive way, and I did also miss a little more work on developing the bond between Marilee and Taylor. Other than a quick dialogue they shared, there isn't much in the way of showing us how they feel about each other, and I wish there had been more emphasis on the characters' emotions and feelings because, at least in regards to Marilee and Taylor, it would've been a wonderful opportunity to explore how the different interpersonal relationships humans have look like for elderly people who might not have the same schedules, priorities, or opportunities that younger age groups do. In fact, I don't think I've seen more than a handful of books that featured older people falling in love or out of it, since oftentimes they are either widowed or already married and in a stable relationship that doesn't change much throughout the book. This was why it felt like a missed oportunity to have Marilee and Taylor remain quite ambiguous and static in the ways they behaved around each other.
While the plot had low stakes, and the whoddunit wasn't hard to figure out, I still appreciated that the characters had to put in the effort to crack the case. Not just that, though. Another thing that was amazing was that there was room for joy and celebration, rather than getting the book over with as soon as the case was solved.
Overall this was a nice read, and I hope that the authors will remain on this track.
Something that I rarely (if ever) see addressed in books, but sadly witness every single day, is ageism. How often do we assume that children are ignorant, that teenagers can't be trusted since they are lazy and volatile, or that elderly people are forgetful, slow and childish? Age-based prejudices harm most, if not all, age groups, but for some reason isn't discussed nearly as often as it should. In that sense, I appreciated that "The Nursing Home Hoax" was unapologetically critical of ageist attitudes and called them out. Neither our main characters nor the residents at the Silverado home for the elderly are, at any point, depicted in a negative light; nor are they relegated to passive roles while middle-aged adults take care of everything. This was really refreshing, and sets the novel apart for me. Not only does the book confront and debunk myths and negative stereotypes about elderly people, though. It also highlights how resourceful and experienced they happen to be in many ways, despite our tendency as a society to patronize them for struggling at times with technology or the digital world they did not get to grow up or work with, oftentimes.
In this sense, the book also addresses a very real issue that elderly people face nowadays, which are digital scams. AI phishing in particular plays a huge role in this novel, as it's used to deceive elderly people into giving up their life savings to supposedly help a family members. But there are also discussions of text scams; think your average SMS claiming that you've got a parcel at the post office, or claiming that you were given a speeding ticket that you must pay within 24h using the link they provide at the bottom. Both scams, but particularly the latter, target people across all age groups but often pose a greater risk for older people who might have trouble with understanding smartphones and computers - let alone detecting the subtleties that authorities recommend looking at to determine whether the e-mail or the SMS you received is legit. There is still too little discussion of these hoaxes and the impact they've got on elderly people, who are often patronised by their environment rather than taught adequate cybersecurity skills.
Regarding the younger characters, Zooey and Gloria, it was quite refreshing to have teenagers who were realistically mature. This might sound odd, but oftentimes teens written by adults outside of the YA genre don't feel authentic because they are either too childish, or too adult-like. In this novel, Zooey and Gloria felt like actual teens who had a good heart but were still a little impulsive and cheerful in that sweet sixteen kind of way. It felt really great to see an intergenerational team at work, and I loved that both the elderly and these teens were really respectful of each other.
I do think that the novel felt a little flat in terms of character depth, since they all had extremely similar narrative voices and weren't really fleshed out in terms of mannerisms, dreams and goals, vulnerabilities and backstories. There were a few instances in which showing was neglected in favour of telling, which might have worked better if they'd been written in a more dynamic and less expositive way, and I did also miss a little more work on developing the bond between Marilee and Taylor. Other than a quick dialogue they shared, there isn't much in the way of showing us how they feel about each other, and I wish there had been more emphasis on the characters' emotions and feelings because, at least in regards to Marilee and Taylor, it would've been a wonderful opportunity to explore how the different interpersonal relationships humans have look like for elderly people who might not have the same schedules, priorities, or opportunities that younger age groups do. In fact, I don't think I've seen more than a handful of books that featured older people falling in love or out of it, since oftentimes they are either widowed or already married and in a stable relationship that doesn't change much throughout the book. This was why it felt like a missed oportunity to have Marilee and Taylor remain quite ambiguous and static in the ways they behaved around each other.
While the plot had low stakes, and the whoddunit wasn't hard to figure out, I still appreciated that the characters had to put in the effort to crack the case. Not just that, though. Another thing that was amazing was that there was room for joy and celebration, rather than getting the book over with as soon as the case was solved.
Overall this was a nice read, and I hope that the authors will remain on this track.
November 4, 2025
Extremely fun and a cute read.
July 8, 2025
This cozy mystery centered around octogenarians trying to solve a scam in a local nursing home and featured a pair of teenagers who were helping to solve the case. While it wasn't a bad book, it simply wasn't for me. I found the writing style frustrating at times and struggled to connect with the characters; I didn't really like any of them, except for the two teenagers. The older women in the story seemed extremely stiff and overly formal, which I felt did not represent the elderly well. The character writing and dialogue felt unnatural to me. Having spent a lot of time with older individuals throughout my life, both growing up and currently, I found the portrayal lacking authenticity. It's unfortunate because I was looking forward to this book. I hope that if the author continues the series, she allows the characters to be more relaxed and less formal with one another.
I received an arc
I received an arc
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews