Granny's Got a Gun

Secret Agent Granny #1

by Harper Lin

Barbara Gold, a retired CIA agent, is bored out of her skull in Cheerville, a small town in New England-until a man is poisoned during a book club meeting for seniors. Everyone thinks Lucien had a heart attack, but from his symptoms, Barbara knows someone has slipped poisoned into his cake or drink. Even though she is no longer under cover, Barbara feels as if she's only playing the part of a sweet grandmother, but this may just be her most useful cover yet.

The clock ticks as she investigates who in the Cheerville Active Readers' Society would want Lucien dead. It's only a matter of time before his death is declared murder and the police start hounding everyone.

Suddenly Barbara's CIA training is useful again, and Cheerville is starting to seem not so dull after all...

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Humor

164 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2017

About the author

Harper Lin is the 3x USA Today Bestselling Author of several popular cozy mystery series—8 and counting!

When she’s not reading or writing mysteries, she loves going to yoga class, hiking, and baking with friends and family. 


Be the first to hear about early bird discounts and new book releases by signing up for Harper's Newsletter: https://goo.gl/R7XmFR

www.harperlin.com

Reviews

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a murder mystery, comedy the story beats have to be right on point or the entire thing can descend to farce, and there's no joy in that. The serious moments need to remain serious so that the humorous moments can be enjoyed. If you have eaten pie ala mode, the apple pie must remain warm and crispy while the ice cream melts and blends. If the pie becomes soggy then the desert loses its separate identities of pie and ice cream.

This mystery comedy works well because the funny parts are separate from the serious. Barbara Gold is retired. She once worked for the CIA as a secret agent. Now, she finds herself at a reading club meeting in her senior's community bored out of her mind, when one of the seniors is murdered. She immediately knows it's murder because the victim has a black tongue.

The body is carted away, and that's the beginning of Barbara's investigation. She knows that someone in her club is the killer and so she adapts her meek personality to become even less conspicuous. Throughout, Barbara uses investigative methods she used as an agent to find the murderer. It's not that big a stretch to figure out the murderer, so that was a tad disappointing, but the technique was pretty good, and the investigation was fun. More mystery than espionage.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara is a CIA agent in her twilight years. She not as quick as she once was and she has a few aches but so long as she's wearing her glasses she can still put 7 bullets on the target. When a member of her book club collapses and dies, everyone thinks it's a heart attack. But Barbara immediately spots the signs of a poisoning. And the worst of it is, one of her friends is the killer.

Granny's Got a Gun is quick (less than 200 pages) so character development is thin on the ground. Thankfully the author kept the cast small and didn't bother with unnecessary details. It works. If you want a quick, fun read it's well worth the money.

[Melissa Borsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. Harper Lin has a wonderful knack for putting out fun, creative characters into interesting situations! Barbara is a Grandmother and a retired CIA agent who is downright bored until while attending a book club meeting a man is murdered. Granny Barbara is back in action! This was a fast and fun read and I look forward to reading more books in this series!

[Deb✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read about Barbara, a retired CIA agent who has had an exciting life of solving international crime and dangerous experiences all around the world in her younger years. Now, she is a bit slower but still has all of her knowledge and acute weapon skills, even though her eyesite may not be as good as it was but she lives in a small town where nobody knows of her background.

She is a member of a senior book club, and suddenly, after eating some cake and drinking some beverages during one of their meetings, one of the men falls over dead in the kitchen. He had been nice enough to offer to take all the dishes to the sink. Everyone thinks he had a heart attack, but then Granny Barbara can see the tell-tale signs that he had actually been poisoned.

She is secretly instantly on the case to solve who the killer is and also glad to not be so bored! She starts working on it right away before the police even get there.

This was a delightfully cute, fun murder mystery novella, and I enjoyed getting to know Granny's lively, sneaky, and witty character, especially since this is the first in a series written by Harper Lin based on her.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator, Sara Morsey, did a great job as Granny. 2 hrs, 56 min.
I am moving on to the next book in this series.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved characters, they were hilarious but there were also some thoughts about childrens' and parents' relationships. This tasted like a life :) This was really cozy and pleasurable read, just perfect for me after a rough week. I had so much fun with this story!

[Alysia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I laughed so hard. If you like cozy and a good laugh then I highly recommend it. I think it could be longer. I can't wait for the other books.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea for the story is great. But it a bit of a basic storyline. Nothing to write home about.

[Coco.V]

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[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and fun read. Will definitely continue the series.

[Jey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barbara Gold, is now a retired Granny who spends her time participating in book clubs and babysitting her grandson. But she once was a CIA agent and this laid back life in a quiet suburb is not her cup of tea. When the husband of the book club host, drops dead during one of their meetings, Barbara can't help but get involved. Because it's clearly a murder and Gold has to find the truth.

I liked Harper Lin's choice of protagonist. Barbara Gold is sassy and smart. She might be a granny but she is a granny who can wield a gun efficiently. This was a light hearted and fluffy read with likeable characters. With clean writing and a little mystery, this book is a quick read.

If you are looking for a cozy mystery with an interesting protagonist, grab this audiobook.

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

After retiring 3 years previously, ex-CIA agent Barbara Gold is a bit bored with life. She was forced into retirement and would much rather be out travelling the world and beating up bad guys. Then life gets a little more exciting for Barbara when an elderly man drops dead in the middle of their book club. Using her experience and training, she is able to deduce that the man has been poisoned during the meeting. Barbara decides to investigate the murder secretly before the police have a chance to realise that he has been murdered...

So it's no secret that I hate cozy mysteries. I've said hundreds of times that I just don't get on with them and I'm better off not reading them. Then I pick up Granny's Got a Gun. And in a shocking twist of events, I absolutely love it!

The character of Barbara is so great. She's funny and smart and a badass! The concept was great and this was surprisingly well-written for a cozy mystery. I kinda wanna continue the series but I should quit while I'm ahead. Stop reading before I have time to be disappointed in them haha.

[FangirlNation · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Granny’s Got a Gun by Harper Lin, Barbara Gold is bored. After a lifetime career as an agent in the CIA, living in the small town of Cheerville, where she moved to be near her son and 13-year-old grandson, Barbara feels that life has become just plain dull. Then she attends her book club, which keeps reading books that Barbara thinks unexciting. But after they finish their book, lemonade, and lemon cake, the host, Lucien, goes to the kitchen and collapses, dead. Though not happy to see the nicest man in town die, Barbara gets excited at the prospect of getting to put her skills back to work, realizing that Lucien has died of poison and not a heart attack as everyone else seems to think.

Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at Fangirl Nation

[Erth · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great fast read! Maybe it's because I can relate so well to the main character and her friends, but something about this book just resonated with me. It is a lot of fun, no matter what age you are. You'll fall in love with the gun-toting, butt-kicking ex-CIA granny. Every series by Harper Lin is great, but this one really stands out. If you want humor, action, a fast pace and plenty of nostalgic moments, this book is for you.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the POV, the fact that it's a 70-year-old grandma, and how much charisma she had! And how she knew she had to solve the murder. I like how for once the POV actually had the relative information to solve the murder, and she had done the time to actually know what she was talking about, none of this new adult murder stuff. I also liked the sound of Lucien, he sounded like such a gentleman and a lovely helpful person.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

2-3 stars. This was fast and fluffy/silly. I enjoyed that the main character was a confident, bored granny, rather than younger woman worrying about her weight or romance. I’ll probably listen to more of the audiobooks of this series when I need something light running in the background.

[Katherine "Kj" Joslin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute Cozy mystery, I have read others by this author and really like her fun and sassy style. This series brings a 70 year old former CIA agent out of retirement to find a killer in her book club.

[Lexy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this book was good

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although she had been a CIA agent, Barbara Gold now fills her time with a book club for seniors. Not quite the excitement she’s used to until one of the members suddenly dies at one of the meetings. Everyone assumes he had a heart attack, except for Barbara. She suspects the man had been poisoned and intends to find the culprit.

This is the first book in the Secret Agent Granny series, and I devoured it. The premise of a retired CIA Agent living in a town called Cheerville is unique in a cozy mystery series. The setting is perfect. The supporting cast is quirky and so is our main character. Once Barbara is convinced the death is murder, she’s on the case and has no intentions of backing down.

It’s a short book, but it kept me on my toes. It's a solid start to the series. I do wish it were longer, but it made for a nice afternoon escape. I’ll definitely continue reading this series.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Granny’s Got a Gun
Secret Agent Granny, Book 1

I Picked Up This Book Because: The title.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Everand
Dates Read: 11/29/23 - 11/30/23
Stars: 4
Narrator(s): Sara Moresy

The Characters:

Barbara Gold

The Story:

Short but mystery and action packed. This former CIA granny is a spit fire in a sleepy little town. There was one plot hole but I can talk myself out of dwelling on it. I look forward to seeing what other messes Barbara gets into... and out of.

The Random Thoughts:

[Matthew Galloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just a short, fun mystery about... a granny with a gun... showing that just because she's retired from espionage work, she doesn't have to let her mind go to waste.

[Sandee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it and it had an interesting premise. The characters are developed considering this is a very short book. The writing is clean and flows nicely. I was a little disappointed at the lack of complexity in the mystery. I wasn't surprised by the solution. I wish the book had been longer to develop the mystery. However, I did enjoy it. So, if you are looking for a quick read, this will do it.

[Kirsten McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick easy read. I was told about this book at an author event, and bought it online to read on the flight home. A quick cozy mystery with a retired geriatric CIA agent at the heart of the story. Entertaining, with a low body count. If you want a quick read to see you through a short flight, then this is the book for you.

[Krista · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is my first and last foray into this mystery series. I found the story to be a bit predictable. I went in thinking it would be great to see an older 'Granny' solve a mystery. What soon came to grate on my nerves was that every time a movement (walking across the room, reading a book, etc.) was described it was with the added lament about how poor the faculties of the elderly are. They were couched as snide asides, but I could soon predict when the belittling comment would be made. Things like, (Not quoted exactly...) "I hurried to the door. Well I hurried at a somber walk as that was all my 70-year old bones could manage."

I'll give the rest of this series a pass as I found it quite ageist. The schtick about how decrepit all older people are wore thin VERY quickly.

[Carole T. Beers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad I found this series of small, sassy books. This first installment (and probably the others) is perfect for readers at or nearing “a certain age” who won’t relinquish style or relevance gladly—if ever! Or for anyone craving a cozy mystery built like a brick plot house with snark for mortar.
This read stars a somewhat relatable and reliable main character—older, wiser, reasonably fit. Sociable. With a cool grandson. And who’s professionally versed in intrigue and combat.
Who knew book clubs could harbor murderers? Let alone quasi-professional sleuths?

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was actually really fun to listen to. In the story we follow a 70 years old ex CIA agent grandma named Barbara. It starts off with one of her book club friends getting murdered, and she is determined to figure out who it was. She follows all the clues, but doesnt really catch a break until she talks to her grandson, who leads her to the pet store. I was definitely not expecting the murderer to be who it was.

[Kira · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book!

I liked the granny character with all her glory and cockiness lol, the murder mystery was pretty straightforward and the suspect pool was limited but it was still so much fun to eliminate people and cast suspiscions.

I especially loved her interactions with the grandson, Martin and I didn't realise he would play a vital role in Granny finally apprehending the suspect.

The whole reason for the murder was pretty absurd at best and it didn't necessarily made sense for me but I am judging this book entirely on my enjoyment level and that is why this is a solid 3 star lol.

[Shae Petersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a lighthearted mystery that made me laugh throughout. I loved the granny, she was really funny and I loved how she was trying to solve the mystery of Lucien’s death. She was also a bad arse with her skills from her past. I randomly picked this up with a friend, and it was a good, short and entertaining read.

[Sol · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars, rounded up because it was a very enjoyable read. A silly cozy mystery!

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hard a hard time motivating myself to finish this one. I think it just tried to hard too be funny. All the "funny lines" became distracting.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Granny’s got a gun is a fun fast exciting read. Ms Lin knows how to get her reader excited and interested in the story. Her characters are great and awesome. I love this gun toting, sarcastic, hip Granny.