Grandpa's New Year's Relocation

by Catherine Dilts, Merida Bass (Illustrator)

A mysterious ninja kidnaps a lonely senior citizen and places him with a family in need of a grandparent.

Barry Strong, a seventy-year-old bodybuilder and widower, isn’t ready for romance. When his New Year’s Eve dance partner leads him away from the party, he attempts to resist her charms. Until a bag drops over his head.

Thorne Bramble, self-proclaimed Best Private Investigator in Colorado Springs, is determined to find his missing friend. After all, Barry owes Thorne a free celery juice. Bodybuilder Barry promised to help Thorne fulfill his resolution to whip his dad bod into shape. Resolution number two is trickier. When Thorne tries to improve his awkward relationship with his adult daughter Brie, he learns being a PI is much easier than being a dad.

True crime podcast fan and gym receptionist Brie Bramble reluctantly joins forces with her bumbling PI father to look for Barry. Twenty-five-year-old Brie steps out of her boring existence to go deep undercover with the help of a senior burlesque dance instructor.

Can the sleuthing father-daughter duo work together to find the missing senior citizen? Or will Barry Strong’s heart be kidnapped by a family in desperate need of a grandparent?

Praise for Grandpa's New Year's

Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation, by mother–daughter duo Catherine Dilts and Merida Bass, is a quirky, big-hearted cozy that opens with a lonely seventy-year-old bodybuilder kidnapped by a ninja—and only gets funnier from there. As a bumbling PI and his true-crime-loving daughter team up to find their missing friend, the novel delivers fast-paced laughs, vivid characters, and unexpected tenderness about family, belonging, and second chances. Warm, witty, and surprisingly moving, this is the kind of cozy that leaves you smiling—and glad Barry Strong’s story is the beginning of a series.
—Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Drowning Game Barbara Nickless

A humorous romp through older age with a cast of quirky characters including a kidnapping ninja, a bumbling private investigator, and a family of bodybuilders who want to adopt a bodybuilding grandpa.
—Mike Befeler, author of the Paul Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery Series, Death of a Scam Artist and Old Detectives Home

Carol, a BookSirens reviewer said

Loved this delightful book! Great characters with interesting backstories and real time quirks make the reader unable to put it down! Lots of humour and much societal problems to mull over (they don't detract from the story but are well written). Oh to be able to select your own family 😂😱… in some ways we all do as we gather around us a solid core of friends who look out for us as Thorne does for Barry!

239 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication December 31, 2025

About the author

Catherine Dilts is the author of the Rose Creek and the Rock Shop mystery series, and several installments in various Annie’s Fiction series, for a total of twelve traditionally published novels. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and the Pikes Peak Writers anthology. After a career in environmental compliance for a global corporation, Catherine now gets to write fiction full time. Most of her published works have a cozy mystery flavor. She is stepping into Indy publishing this year with her co-author daughter Merida Bass and the YA science fiction Tapestry Tales series.
https://www.catherinedilts.com/

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A humorous romp through older age with a cast of quirky characters including a kidnapping ninja, a bumbling private investigator, and a family of bodybuilders who want to adopt a bodybuilding grandpa.

[Delphia Von Heeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grandpa's New Years Relocation is Book 1 in The Ninja Grandparent Placement Mystery by Catherine Dilts and Merida Bass. I was not sure what to expect, but, Barry was a wonderful grandpa. I thought this mystery was so much fun. Who kidnaps a senior citizen and drops him with a new family? I thought that the ending was perfect. I think that this mystery is a home run! I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a humorous and cozy story with interesting and often quirky characters - most of an older age. There are relationship issues to get in the way and perhaps resolve, as well as a first date that….well, was truly unbelievable. Then there is a bumbling private investigator who is often very annoying, although he has a good heart. The body building grandfather is given a choice that seems impossible. There’s a cute detective, a ninja and many senior citizens with enough idiosyncrasies to fill a book of their own.


The plot moves along quickly as it is told by the alternating points of view of Barry, Thorne and Brie.

The story was definitely fresh and unique and the author rendered the characters vividly and multi-dimensionally. The humor was light hearted and refreshing. The ninja and the grandparent placement program was a bit far-fetched and yet it kept me reading to learn the result.

Overall, a fun book with entertaining characters and a fresh, clean story line.

I received an advance free copy of this book and am happy to write this review.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute, sweet, humorous, and entertaining read. I immediately felt empathy for the grandpa being taken advantage of by his grandson. I felt elated at the end of the story, and I was happily satisfied with how things ended up. It felt rejuvenating to see a family so happy to just be together and doing activities together. No expectations. I think everyone benefited from this transaction!! I voluntarily read a free copy of this book provided by book sirens and am giving an honest review. A 4 star read until this app lets me put the rating up. Frustrating!!!

[Estelle Bouldin]

Grandpa's New Year's Relocation is not your traditional cozy mystery. It is much more bizarre and heartwarming.

70-year-old bodybuilder Barry Strong gets kidnapped by a ninja on New Year's Eve and wakes up zip-tied to a bed in a stranger's home. The twist? The family that "adopted" him just wants a grandfather for their kids.

The humor is absolutely delightful. A geriatric bodybuilder fighting off a gang of raccoons? A PI who dresses like Inspector Gadget? Pure gold. Barry's journey from lonely senior to beloved grandpa was touching.

The premise requires MASSIVE suspension of disbelief. Kidnapping as a service for lonely families? It's played for laughs, but ethically… yikes.

If you can embrace the absurdity and focus on the heart, this is a fun, quick read perfect for cozy mystery fans who want something different. It's like "Knives Out" meets "Up" with a dash of "The Karate Kid."

[Geraldine Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really original read. It was written from the view points of three of the characters.
The plethora of characters was fascinating and the premise was quirky.
I really look forward to reading another book in this series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Shane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an ARC in exchange for an honest review, thanks to BookSirens (as well as the publisher and author) for this advanced copy. This one had a somewhat strong start that quickly dove a little too deep into the absurd. Some of the plot points near the end of the book in particular got a little ridiculous and there was no backstory explaining really anything. I wasn't able to emotionally attach myself to any of the characters, and some of them were annoying and/or incompetent. The mystery element in the beginning of the book pretty quickly dissolved and I just found myself confused by most of the choices ALL the characters made. There were some funny and oddly heartwarming moments but all in all I was just confused by the story the author was trying to tell here. 2.5 stars, I was mostly underwhelmed.

[Linda K Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first paragraph, you can tell it is going to be a great fun story. And it definitely was. Best New Years gift ever.

Ahhh, a 70 year old body builder is dancing with a unique older woman. Is she asking him to spend more time with him? Oh what joy, or is it. What is happening. She was such a smooth dancer.

Enjoyed the PI and his daughter. the grandson, not so much. The grandson is, nay, not going there. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Wonderful read.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this delightful book! Great characters with interesting backstories and real time quirks make the reader unable to put it down! Lots of humour and much societal problems to mull over (they don't detract from the story but are well written). Oh to be able to select your own family 😂😱...in some ways we all do as we gather around us a solid core of friends who look out for us as Thorne does for Barry!