Widowed Peg Turnbull, is content with her life raising Standard Poodles and traveling to dog shows. When her sister-in-law Rose encourages her to complete a profile for Mature Mingle, she reluctantly agrees. Once the matches start coming in, it’s a whole new world for Peg. Unfortunately, most of the dates are duds, until Peg meets handsome Nolan Abercrombie, and Peg starts thinking about a future with the man. However, Nolan is not quite what he seems and soon PEG AND ROSE STIR UP TROUBLE trying to find the truth.
When Nolan is hit and killed by a vehicle, his carefully constructed scheme starts to unravel. Peg and Rose learn the man lied about many things in his life and left behind a group of angry elderly women. Peg and Rose know a con man when they see one. The key is finding out who was angry enough to kill the man. Was it a former best friend, a co-conspirator, an estranged son, or a bilked woman with a much bigger axe to grind? As the senior crime solvers continue to investigate, someone takes offense and decides to put an end to their sleuthing. Can Peg and Rose uncover the truth before the killer strikes again?
PEG AND ROSE STIR UP TROUBLE is the second novel in the Senior Sleuths Mysteries and it’s a fun, fast-paced, enjoyable mystery. Author Laurien Berenson knows how to write a good mystery with strong characters and excellent storytelling. Peg and Rose are polar opposites and were estranged sisters-in-laws for thirty years. Their reconciliation and budding friendship are filled with lively bickering, disagreements, foibles, and fun. Peg is physically more intimidating and aggressive in her approach, whereas Rose is craftier and more cunning in her sleuthing style. Together, they are a formidable crime-solving duo. The storyline involving senior online dating is relevant and realistic and provides a great mystery setup. There is a secondary storyline involving a neighbor and possible elderly abuse that pulls readers into Rose’s world and stirs up strong emotions. With relevant topics for seniors, canine companions, dog show details, con men, and chaos, PEG AND ROSE STIR UP TROUBLE is an excellent mystery with relatable characters living out their senior years with tenacity and purpose. This is fast becoming a series favorite for this reviewer.
Murder, She Wrote meets The Odd Couple in award-winning author Laurien Berenson’s brand-new mystery series, spun off from her much-loved Melanie Travis Canine series and featuring Melanie’s elderly aunts—tough-as-nails Peg and soft-spoken Rose—who’ll put their differences aside to stop a killer, if they don’t throttle each other first. The latest installment will tickle all cozy lovers, especially fans of “senior” sleuths in the tradition of Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher. When a typically closed-off Peg attempts online dating at Rose’s strong urging, the experience plays out like an embarrassing mistake. At least, until she matches with Nolan Abercrombie—intelligent, attractive, and a self-proclaimed dog lover. The two share an instant connection that has Peg cautiously excited to finally bring someone special into her busy world of Standard Poodles and conformation shows. Before Peg can admit that Rose was right and let down her walls for the budding romance, a terrible accident claims Nolan’s life. As details about his background and tragic death come to light, Peg has a serious hunch that someone successfully plotted to kill her first real date in decades . . . With suspects galore and a slew of puzzling clues to peel through, Peg and Rose team up to solve a dangerous mystery unfolding before their eyes. The question is: Can the unlikely duo turn their radically different personalities into an advantage as they scramble to ID the guilty culprit—or will they manage to work against each other and find themselves precisely where a meticulous murderer wants them to be?
No excerpt available.
© 2003-2026