Getting Old Can Hurt You

Gladdy Gold #8

by Rita Lakin

The unexpected arrival of a long-lost granddaughter leads to mystery and mayhem in the thoroughly entertaining new Gladdy Gold mystery.

Life in sunny Fort Lauderdale's Lanai Gardens is about to be turned upside-down. Ida’s long lost granddaughter, Tori, gatecrashes the ladies’ deli lunch, demanding protection from men she insists are out to kill her. Determined to assist Ida and her granddaughter, Gladdy Gold’s Detective Agency is on the case.

But the stubborn and resentful Tori is not easy to help, she’s secretive and regularly sneaks off to the puzzlement of Gladdy and her girls. A whole host of family secrets leave a grudge heavy in the air between Tori and Ida, but will Gladdy’s gals be able to reunite Ida and Tori in time to figure out who the sinister men chasing Tori are?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2018

About the author

After being widowed at a young age with three small children, Rita Lakin began an extensive writing career, which has included staff writing on television programs such as Peyton Place, Mod Squad, Dynasty, and Strong Medicine, as well as creating original series such as The Rookies. She has won an Edgar Allen Poe award for her screenwriting, as well as receiving several other award nominations, and her two original theatrical plays, No Language But a Cry and Saturday Night at Grossingers, are still being produced around the country.

Series:
* Gladdy Gold

Reviews

[Cozybooklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting Old Can Hurt You is a laugh out loud mystery that will keep the reader guessing until the very end.
All the ladies in the story are comical and are sure to put a smile on the reader's face.

I volunteered to read and review an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting Old Can Hurt You (Gladdy Gold, #8) by Rita Lakin.

Just when you think it can't get any better R.L. comes up with another winner. The characters in the beginning were off. I didn't like them. they just didn't come across to me as likable, definitely not people I wanted to know. Then the story begins to unfold...slowly just one step at a time.
By the closing chapters the speed increased as did the characters I had originally not liked. This was a story that uncovered the reasoning behind Ida's loneliness. The people/family that lay hidden all those years.
This was a winner for me.

[T K Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a 7 year gap between this book and the last one in the series. I wondered how the author would bring us up to speed after that length of time. She opted to forego any kind of time jump and all that would likely entail with retirement community residents. We find Gladdy and her girls at Lanai Gardens right where we left off. There are brief refreshers of the characters we’ve met before but no more than you’d find in any other continuing series.

When a young woman shows up claiming to be Ida’s granddaughter from California the close-knit group can’t help but be shocked. Ida has never been one to reveal much about her past. The girl’s name is Gloria but she prefers to be called Tori. She claims men are chasing her and want to kill her. Gladdy senses a case for her and the girls to solve. But getting answers won’t be easy with Tori offering no information.

The twists and turns of the mystery were what you’d expect in a cozy. If you read cozies and intend to go all in with our amateurs solving crime, you’d best be prepared to suspend belief. Spanning multiple decades it was at times a challenge to follow the narrative as the author bounced back and forth from present day to back when the original crime occurred to various spots in between.

Any complaints I have about the book I blame on the editing process. Almost all of the book is first person narration from Gladdy. But out of the blue a chapter is written from Ida’s perspective. Several other instances may be considered minor spoilers.
1) There’s a lengthy bit about an alligator in the Lanai Gardens’ pool. So lengthy I assumed it would eventually have some importance to the story. Nope. Apparently included because old people being endangered by an alligator is humorous.
2) Marijuana use is included because apparently old people buying illegal substances is humorous (as of the date I write this, it is still illegal in Florida without a doctor’s prescription).
3) In the most blatant error, at the very end of the book Ida is calling from California. Before hanging up she says “Love to all and Tori says hi”. Evvie asks Gladdy “Did you hear the last thing Ida said? She said ‘Gloria says hi”. Gladdy responds “That’s a really good omen.” Except after flipping back and rereading, Ida does not say Gloria. She says Tori.

Having read all the previous books in this series, I highly recommend this book. I’m honestly interested to see if others reading about the Gladdy Gold Detective Agency for the first time find it as entertaining

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always with this series I enjoyed it enormously. The Gladdy Gold books always give a good mystery and always gives lots of laughs.

This time the focus of the book was on Ida, one of Gladdy’s friends, and her granddaughter Tori who she hasn’t spoken to in many, many years. Logically there’s a lot of bad blood between the two, so why is Tori at Lanai Gardens? She gives Gladdy, her friends (with whom she has a detective agency) and Gladdy’s husband ex police officer Jack a story about three men following here in a black SUV. The gang doubts the story until after an afternoon of shopping, which also sees Ida and Tori patching things up, a black SUV pops up and kidnaps Gladdy and Tori.

There’s a second storyline going on simultaneously which also intertwines with the story around Tori. Izzy, grandpa bandit, is at it again with his old tricks of robbing. We had already met him in book 5. Gladdy and her detective agency are in hot pursuit to catch Izzy in the act again.

There were so many funny scenes again, especially with Bella and Sophie and the little pills they took. I always get Golden Girls vibes when reading these books. This book again is fantastic! I only have one more left in the series to read and I know I will be so sad to see this one end!! If you haven’t read this one yet, I really recommend it! These books are a fun and easy read and just give a good feeling!

The only dislike I have is that the covers changed..... I liked the covers on the previous books way more!

[Lghiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first opportunity to read a book in the Gladdy Gold Detective Agency Mystery Series. I found it amusing, but not hilarious. The main characters in Getting Old Can Hurt You by Rita Lakin are a group of seniors who consider themselves a detective gang under the leadership of Gladdy. Just as young people are not all alike, neither are these seniors. They run the gamut from down to earth to not quite all there. They are generally up for an adventure even if it is limited by arthritis, pee breaks, and walkers and canes.

A long-lost granddaughter arrives at the senior apartments looking for the grandmother she hates. It seems, however, that she has other plans in mind besides reconnecting with her grandmother. Having survived a difficult childhood, she travels across the country to solve her personal mystery, hiding the fact that she is being followed. Will Gladdy’s gang be able to help her? They are determined to try!

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Severn House for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was thrilled to see this favourite series of mine return with this newest offering.
I love the characters in this series and was happy to read a new adventure of theirs.
However, I would have liked to see more emphasis on the ladies antics as per the previous books.
The back and forth chronological narrative was off putting and took away from my overall enjoyment of the book.
I would still like to read further books in this series.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been quite à while since I visited with Gladdy and her friends. I enjoyed finding out Ida's back story. Sophie and Bella had me in stitches. Looking forward to spending more time with these senior citizens!!!

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since Gladdy and the gang have appeared. So glad to have them back.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now happily remarried to retired policeman Jack, Gladdy Gold is still running her senior-citizen detective agency with the help of her friends, including grumpy Ida. What a surprise for everyone when Ida's teenaged (and very rebellious), unknown granddaughter Tori (formerly Gloria) appears, demanding Ida's help to protect her from unspecified menaces. Tori won't say what her problems are, and she resists Ida's guilt-ridden attempts to befriend her, although flashbacks from Tori's POV tell the reader more than Gladdy and her friends know. Only too soon Tori's problems catch up with her, and she and Gladdy are in big trouble, needing rescue by Jack and the police.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always nice to read novels featuring women of a certain age! Gladdy and her friends are quite....mature but they aren't down and out, that's for sure. This time out Gladdy is trying to sort out why her friend Ida's grand daughter Tori claims there are mysterious bad guys after her. The mystery is low key and not too twisty. The real charm of this is in the characters. I'd not read this series before so thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, which was fine as a standalone.

[Inspector Penny · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did get some enjoyment from the first seven of the series, but this one is pretty bad. The dialogue, especially Tori's, is bizarre. She talks like no teenager ever. There is also something off about the older ladies' behavior and attitudes, for their ages. I'm the same age they are, but they act and sound like women who were born in 1930. Ida's daughter and son-in-law might be in their 40s or 50s and they gave themselves nicknames of Helen Hayes and Fred Astaire? My kids barely even know who those people are. And Bella -- I know she is slowly losing her mental acuity, as I am. But she's portrayed as...well, stupid, not suffering from memory loss and confusion. "Voila!" says one character. Bella says, "Who's Viola?" By this time, they've become caricatures, not characters.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read this series in a while . They are fun !
And now I live the life style of the characters. Great escape reading ! Thanks to the author.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series was one of my new favorites and I looked forward to this addition with such anticipation. I found the story to not flow as well as the others. Additionally I did not find myself laughing out loud as I had with the others. I wasn’t too crazy about the character of Tori and thus found myself not caring about her back story. It all was just a little disappointing but I am glad I read it.

[L.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do like this series but the traditionally published books in this series were either written differently or were edited more heavily to smooth out the wrinkles. Each scene seems to have a cheesy happy ending that often feels forced and unnatural given what's actually happening in the story at that point. Slang words are used too frequently, and often misused. There's a lot of "giggling" and "laughing," usually in places where nothing funny is happening (though there are some really funny scenes). I will definitely continue this series though, it's one I do really enjoy.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice cozy with an intricate plot but we are talking characters A lot older/infirm than the cover implies. This one seems a bit more intense than previous always fun

[Becka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the previous Gladdy books, so was excited for this one. This book has a greater emphasis on the mystery and less on the antics of Gladdy's girls. I especially liked getting to know about Ida's background and understanding why she's so cantankerous.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already read a couple of book in this series and found them delightful.
This one was enjoyable and fun to read but it's not the best in the series.
The humour I appreciated is present as well as the cast of lovely senior detective.
I found the part related to the young Tori a bit forced and Tori grated on my nerves.
There were parts were I laughed a lot and other that found a bit boring.
It took a bit before I was involved in the plot but when it started going I was hooked.
I hope to read other instalment in this series soon and I recommend this book.
Many thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this ARC