The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp

Agnes Sharp Murder Mysteries, Book 1

By: Leonie Swann, Amy Bojang - translator

Narrated by: Moira Quirk

Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

A quirky group of seniors attempts to solve one murder while covering up another—with the help of an enterprising tortoise—in this twisty, darkly funny mystery from the author of Three Bags Full.

It has been an eventful morning for Agnes Sharp and the other inhabitants of Sunset Hall, a house share for the old and unruly in the sleepy English countryside. Although they have had some issues (misplaced reading glasses, conflicting culinary tastes, decreasing mobility, and unruly grandsons), nothing prepares them for an unexpected visit from a police officer with some shocking news. A body has been discovered next door. Everyone puts on a long face for show, but they are secretly relieved the body in question is not the one they’re currently hiding in the shed (sorry, Lillith).

It seems the answer to their little problem with Lillith may have fallen right into their lap. All they have to do is find out who murdered their neighbor, so they can pin Lillith’s death on them, thus killing two (old) birds with one stone (cold killer).

With their plan sorted, Agnes and her geriatric gang spring into action. After all, everybody likes a good mystery. Besides, the more suspicion they can cast about, surely the less will land on them. To investigate, they will step out of their comfort zone, into the not-so-idyllic village of Duck End and tangle with sinister bakers, broken stairlifts, inept criminals, the local authorities, and their own dark secrets.

©2023 Leonie Swann (P)2023 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Moira Quirk does an excellent job portraying a variety of senior citizens who are burdened with ailments in this mystery.... Numerous characters pop up in this audiobook, and Quirk gives each a distinctive voice. She is outstanding at pacing and narrating with appropriate emotion, both in dialogue and narrative. The story develops at a leisurely pace.... Quirk's fine narration should keep all engaged. (AudioFIle)

Very Enjoyable!

A very enjoyable laugh out loud tale of a group of aging hippies/ senior citizens with a very good story behind it. Kept my interest from beginning to end. Cleverly written with quite a group of lively characters, including a chubby little boy as well as a very lovable animal or two! Definitely worth a listen. 💕

homor

Hysterically funny yet with a serious & thoughtful message about life as a senior. I loved it!

Finally a murder mystery with Seniors

This was so fun for a Senior to listen to. I laughed a lot. The narrator was perfect for the characters. I’m so glad this story was translated and read. Including the animals in it was a plus. Bravo

Very entertaining!!

This book was hilarious!! I literally laughed out loud several times. You have to listen carefully sometimes to catch the subtleties. Really enjoyable. I’m tempted to listen again!

Excellent first book

Great narration, interesting mix of characters and a tortoise! I love stories involving elderly sleuths. This one leaves you wondering about the past lives of these elders. A fun mix of characters and a good storyline.

Geriatrics at its best

The unusual plot with elderly main characters was well developed and had some interesting twists and turns. The characters were well developed and easy to relate to.

Quirky story

I expected more of a mystery, and had that in mind while listening to it, so it took me a while to adjust my perspective, I was expecting more of a Thursday Murder Club cast of characters. Agnes and friends are a quirky bunch. At times, the story dragged on and the characters actions were too far fetched. There were some funny parts that were enjoyable. Overall it was an interesting listen. The narrator did a good job.

A fun geriatric romp!

I am a huge fan of the genres involving elderly detective sleuths. Most are cozy mysteries, delightfully plotted. “The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp” by Leonie Swann, translated by Amy Bojang is a wonderful story involving six plucky pensioners.

Sunset Hall, Agnes’s childhood home, is home to an array of interesting seniors. There is: Bernadette, a blind former spy; a cognitively declining Marshall; a wheelchair bound Winston; Edwina the yoga enthusiast; Hettie the tortoise; Lillith, a childhood friend, and Agnes, all of whom call Sunset Hall home. Agnes opened her home to other seniors who want to control, as much as possible, their sunset years. Agnes knows the importance of community and social engagement as one advance in age.

The story opens with a visit from a police officer to alert them to the discovery of a dead body in the home across the street. She was shot and left for dead. The group is thrilled in that they were hiding their own dead body, also shot in the head. Swann keeps the reader in the dark as to why the group had a dead body; she reveals who and why in good time. Now the group must solve the murder mystery to pin the blame on that murderer for their own dead body.

What author Swann does, so eloquently, is show the frustrations of aging, the loss of control. Obviously, there are mobility issues, let’s not even begin with the memory issues. There are medication mix-ups (some intentionally). But mostly it’s the knowledge, or the indignity, of not being believed or seen. The fear of being put in an elder facility looms large.

Agnes takes the reader down her memory lane, which allows author Swann to show how frightening it is when one questions the accuracy of their own memory. Swann builds tension in the helplessness feelings that plague Agnes. Balancing out the emotional frustrations are the comedic antics of the housemates.

For example, Marshall brought his grandson Nathan to stay with him at the house. Agnes is miffed, as he needed prior authorization. Well, Agnes decides to befriend Nathan, the enthusiastic computer gamer, and the two get into some amusing escapades, one involves saving the hungry animals. There is an evil twin, a cannabis hijinks, a death pact, and of course the tortoise, Hattie. Swann adds an author’s note explaining the responsibilities of being a tortoise owner. She didn’t want her novel to be misinformative as to the requirements involving the proper care and maintenance of tortoises. Hattie was a whimsical addition to the story, adding much delight. I personally loved her sleep stone. Plus, what better pet for a group of elderly, dare I say, tortoise-like humans?!

I chose to listen to the audio, narrated by Moira Quirk. Her voice range was interesting, yet a few characters sounded too much alike. Nonetheless, it was 12 hours of listening enjoyment. I love elderly sleuths❤️

I loved the characters

The characters were well-developed, and the listener has time to get to know them before learning their backstory. One negative review said the story was scary. I don't see that at all. I thought the outlook and personality of each character was interesting and believable.

I liked it but…

Too long to recommend. Difficult to listen to internal fugue states of dementia. I worked as a nurse for 45 years and I saw it enough.