The Granddaughters

by Margaret Belle

Underestimated by crooks and cops alike, three “over-the-hill” women become formidable amateur sleuths when they find themselves entangled in a decades-old, unsolved crime.Mystery writer Ellie Russo invites her cousins Sandy McCabe and Franny Baker to join her, as she travels to picturesque Orange Lake in Newburgh, New York to research a story for her newest book.Looking forward to staying in the lake house their grandmother once owned, the mini-reunion turns dangerous for these “women of an age”, when they become targets of the criminals they seek to expose.Having overcome personal loss, and suffering from ailments not uncommon to older women, Ellie, Sandy, and Franny find that age has not diminished their strength or personal capabilities, and that they are willing to do whatever it takes to protect each other – including murder.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

319 pages, Paperback

First published April 23, 2021

Reviews

[Elizabeth M Houlihan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a terrific story. I really enjoyed the three gals who are all seniors for their spunk and tenacity.
Well-written and all the characters are distinct and believable. A excellent crafting of a drama that has all the elements of a good mystery. Highly recommend. A perfect book for women of any age.

[Ginny Nickles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family Ties

Great story of these cousins reuniting after many years. Made me think of my two favorite cousins and laugh at the thought of doing what these three did. A family drama, a good mystery, a villain, and several good guys! There's always a lovely ending that brought tears. I'll definitely be checking out this author's other books.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A daughter in law decided to come take care of her husbands mom after he passed away. Two weeks later the lady was dead. She owned a big house by the lake and just about all the family went there often. Things happened fast. The daughter in law planned the funeral and everything. The other family members didnt think it was right. They wanted to see their grandmas will. Could not find it. On of the cousins husband abused and beat her for years now 25 yrs. later she up and left him for good. So her and her two cousins went to Grandmas home to find out what was going on. The older one was in the meantime writing a book. In the process of all the goings on they found something really big that no one else had known. Where did these millions of dollars come from and who does it really belong to?

[Elizabeth Quigley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, suspenseful and so well written

Oh my goodness I can put myself in these 3 Ladies place as I am around the same age! I laughed when they laughed and cried when they cried. Identified with one of the granddaughters abuse history. It’s a wonderful read and I will read it again. There’s not very many books in my life that I would re-read.

[Wanda Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book a ten star review

This story has all the points of a good read. Mystery, suspense, good story line, not too many characters to keep up with, a grab your attention plot and an ending that tugs at your heart strings. The granddaughters are from a close and caring family for the story to build around. Loved the book.

[Joanne Richel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read! Hard to put down.

This is my first time reading anything by Margaret Belle, but it won't be the last. The Granddaughters held my interest right to the very last page. This was a very moving and believable story. Ms. Belle takes you through a myriad of emotions, from fear to love. I highly recommend this book

[Kristina Creighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Granny Sleuths

What a fun book! Seeing the senior ladies in action solving a crime, finding new paths, and moving on in their lives, along with a bit of humor, makes this a favorite for me.

[Pat Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book

The storyteller did an amazing job of putting you right in the middle of it every step of the way. The sisters, the area, the lake house were so clearly defined you could touch them. Thank you for this treasure.

[Gloriajean Dodds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great human interest story

Enjoyed this book.. Hard to put down. The characters were great, very believable
It had a good flow, not too slow... Moved along to keep you interested.

[Debra H. Wruble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo!

Well written story about a lake house that was supposed to be inherited by the grandkids is instead willed to a daughter-in-law . The granddaughters search for the truth many years later and discover many things from the past. Very enjoyable reading

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Untangling of a crime

I really enjoyed this story and the characters especially the one spunky granddaughter. There was plenty of action, mystery, suspense, and some humor. Highly entertaining.

[Heart DeCoupeville · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps one of the worst written good stories I've ever encountered. I felt sorry for the book, for the characters, for the plot, even for that lovely, evocative cover, that such a great story was ruined by terrible writing.

DNF at 55% and the preverbal fly on the wall.

[helen j bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

Couldn't put this down! The characters were believable and I really liked them. So surprised to find out this story was developed from s real news story. Well done.

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[John McKinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must Read Mystery

Loved the mystery trail. Enjoyed getting to know the family background of each character. It was so true to life. I would recommend this book to all who love a good mystery. I would definitely recommend this book to mystery lovers over the age of 60. I can relate to the Granddaughters aches and pains.

Kay McKinney

[Jessie hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good characters and story line, as well as the lakeside setting. Loved it!

I truly enjoyed everything about this book. I love a good mystery but they sometimes are too dark. This was exactly what I was looking for when I opened it to the prologue. Great story and characters and I loved the lake and surroundings. Good job!

[Susan Garland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Love that the main characters are not 23 and gorgeous women, but older women. Totally loved this book. The characters are well developed and the story moves along nicely.

[cookie adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible Story

I was hooked from the first page! Several storylines, intricately woven together. Breath-stopping sequences… you will NOT put this one down! I cried at the poignant ending. Very, Highly Recommended.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery, fear, sadness, and joy.

This is the story of three cousins, on a quest to learn if their grandmother had lied to then. One has a husband who abuses her. It was a very interesting story.

[Deborah Croxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book!

This book is about family, cousins wanting to rekindle the life that had as children. Also it is about deliverence from past hurts, healing wounds and love that can be found in the healing.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare to read a story where the main characters are older, the senior citizens. When you do, often the plot is not that great. In this story, Margaret Belle hit the ball out of the park. Franny, Ellie, and Sandy are cousins. Their grandmother use to own the lake house in Newburg, NY, where they are visiting. Ellie is writing a story about money that was missing from the local bank, money originally deposited 100+ years earlier, with no known heirs found. Sandy is trying to escape from her abusive husband. Franny decides to go along, and being a single farmer, she brings along her gun in case she might need it.

So begins the story; where is the missing money, which was never found even after the man charged died in a hit-and-run accident? Why did Grandma change her will just hours before she died? Even her death is suspicious; two weeks earlier, she was in good health at her son's funeral. And Sandy's husband will obviously be looking for her, and she knows he will kill her when he finds her.

A good story, and it does hold your attention.

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The books starts with a cold murder that goes undiscovered. Flash forward and three granddaughters of the deceased come together at the old family lake home. Elle is researching a missing fortune for a book, Sandy is hiding out from an abusive spouse and Franny is just along for the ride. Their innocent questions stir up a group of bank robbers biding their time before retrieving their stolen money. Meanwhile, a police officer who had a high school crush on Sandy, works behind the screens to protect her from her husband. Except, what was he covering for his buddy all the years the guy was abusing his crush? Not acceptable. Bank robbers smart enough to lay low for decades suddenly panic and screw up? Not believable. The reward for solving the bank robbery is enough for the granddaughters to reclaim the inheritance they were cheated out of? Yet the murder remains as speculation and almost all the guilty parties are dead. Not satisfactory. The beginning had promise but the plot and resolution was disappointing to me.

[Ceashark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but as I started reading, the stories of these cousins touched me, bringing me back to the days when we were young and hung out with our cousins at our grandparents homes. I laughed and cried as I heard their stories, and appreciated that they still kept in touch even after all the years. As a woman around the same age as these characters, I applaud the author for making these ladies kind, smart, and kick-ass, lol, and not women who has let not always so kind lives bring them down. I highly recommend this book.

[Candy Lawless · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I relate to the three older ladies and love their spunk and tenacity. I felt so deeply for Sandy who was in a long term abusive marriage and feared for her life. The story was riveting and the end left me teary eyed. Great and lovable characters, with suspense with fun and laughs also. I highly recommend this book.

[Maison Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting and emotional

This book isn't what I would call a tear jerker, at least not till the ending but it was emotional and kept me interested all the way through. A real page Turing mystery that would make a wonderful television series.

[Brenda Bristow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Novel

I was not expecting a good mystery when I chose The Granddaughters. I should have read the review, but I like to be surprised. This is a great book that I would recommend to
Anyone who likes a really good mystery.

[Dorothy Lodahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this book - I could easily visualize the characters - had a few chuckles - hope there is a sequel - I want to see what these ladies will be up to next.

[Judy Dickson]

I couldn't put it down.

The subject tells it all. I loved this book and couldn't wait to pick it up again. I highly recommend it.

[Brenda S. Dvorak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nanaw

Heart warming story of cousins helping and uncovering long lost secrets of the pass. Enjoyed every minute of their journey.

[Jo Lerberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Read with beautiful Ending

I really enjoyed this book. Heroines are women my age and very believable. I have tears in my eyes from the surprise ending.