Thirteen Diamonds

by Alan Cook

Lillian Morgan is bored with life in a retirement community, but she gets more excitement than she hoped for when a fellow resident drops dead at the bridge table--while holding a perfect hand of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1929925328
• ISBN13: 9781929925322
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: FirstPublish
• Length: 172 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.9" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Thirteen Diamonds

Cook has told a masterful murder mystery in the improbable setting of an assisted living facility that will break any stereotypical viewpoints you may have about the people who reside in them. Very humorous in spots. Great interplay between sleuth mother and exasperated son.

An entertaining read

Prior reviews have summarized the plot of this book so I'll only add that it is a fine mystery. Lillian, the protagonist, is a sharp, feisty and likeable retiree. Except for the villian and the villian's pawns, all the characters are attractive. Lillian's Watson, Tess, of the bad feet, is clever, practical and a true friend. There's even a sub-plot of a romance between Lillian's granddaughter and a bartender/student. We have plenty of suspects, lots of motives, and a scary ending. I neither play bridge nor understand math, except as it pertains to dollars and cents, but that fact didn't prevent me from finding this a very entertaining way to spend an evening.

Thirteen Diamonds

I don't have any trouble sleeping, but I did keep the night light burning late finishing this unusual mystery. Alan Cook has concocted an intriguing plot that keeps you turning the pages, not only to solve the crime (What IS the crime??)but also to figure out the puzzles he skillfully weaves into the story. (His heroine is a retired math professor). The setting isn't the international jet set scene, not is it the courtroom. Cook instead chooses a posh retirement community where the resident roster reads like a Who Was Who in America.(Do you recognize yourself?) Your stereotypes will crash as Cook details with accuracy and humour the shennanigans among the current inhabitants of the digs as he leads us down the investigative path. Besides writing a book that is just a great and easy read,Cook has achieved a wonderful characterization of the heroine not so much through description of her but through her dialogue and its tone. She is a pistol, and reminded me of Miss Marple as she goes about her dry witted and relentless pursuit of the scoundrel. You'll like her, and cheer her on even as her more conservative counterparts try to put the brakes on her activites. Keep an eye on this budding novelist; he's finding his voice!

Retirement Community Not for the Retiring

At first, Lillian Morgan, a senior citizen living in the Silver Acres Retirement Community in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, doesn't seem to be a likely prospect to become an amateur detective, even with Agatha Christie's Miss Marple as a precedent. However, after Gerald Weiss, a fellow resident, dies during a meeting of the bridge club while holding a hand of thirteen diamonds, Lillian's problem-solving talents start to become apparent. She is a retired mathematics professor from Duke University and because of her training she immediately realizes the enormous odds against being dealt a perfect bridge hand (greater than winning the lottery) and the even more enormous odds against getting that hand and then promptly dying. When an autopsy shows that Gerald died from a reaction to eating seafood, to which he was extremely allergic, Lillian becomes even more suspicious, especially since Gerald had been very careful about what he ate. Other people think his death was accidental, although some of them may have ulterior motives. Lillian shows great energy, bouncing from one clue to another, and speaks her mind because "when you're my age you can say anything you like." She enlists the reluctant support of others, including her sore-footed friend, Tess, and her beautiful granddaughter, Sandra. Along the way she helps to fix her granddaughter up with a new boyfriend, Mark, which is helpful because he has skills that are useful in the detective business. Lillian finds that several people connected with Silver Acres are not as bland or as good as they appear to be. On a trip to San Diego with Sandra and Mark, Lillian digs up skeletons from the past. She also meets Gerald's pretty grandniece and hopes that April won't be a threat to her granddaughter's romance. Lillian sorts it all out in the end, although not before undergoing several traumatic experiences, including almost getting herself killed. With four generations of characters, Thirteen Diamonds will appeal to readers of all ages, not just seniors.