Pandemonium at Peacock Perch
Table of Contents
Pandemonium at Peacock Perch
Pandemonium at Peacock Perch is the latest short story to be checked off my to be read list. It is the third part in a series about the Secret Senior Sleuth Society, and a fourth story coming out later this year.
Since I had read the first two in the series and enjoyed them, and knowing a fourth will be released soon, it was time to read this one as well.
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Have you read Pandemonium at Peacock Perch? Come on in and let me tell you about it!
About Pandemonium at Peacock Perch
It’s Pandemonium in Peacock Perch.
Social Security checks are stolen. Identity theft is rampant. Credit card fraud is uncontrolled. Home conversations are recorded and posted on the internet. Technology has declared war on Peacock Perch with an epidemic criminal computer virus spreading like wildfire through the community.
And it’s up to the Secret Senior Sleuth’s Society to find the conspicuous culprit and solve the mystery. But can a bunch of senior citizens and their technophobe leader decipher and decode the electronic evidence to crack the case? Or without their lifetime of experience and knowledge, will this dilemma derail them?
In this third book in the Secret Senior Sleuths Society of Peacock Perch cozy mystery series, these seniors are tasked with a genuine challenge. Starting as a mystery book club, they’ve solved thefts, found missing persons and a murder, right in their own backyard.
People think retirement communities are quiet with sleepy residents playing bingo and cards and painting by the numbers, but in fact, Peacock Perch is a typical senior village full of misdeeds and mystery that keeps the detectives very busy. And thanks to social media and gossip, they know just where to look.
Thoughts on Pandemonium at Peacock Perch
I’ve enjoyed the first two stories in this series, and was certainly excited for the third. It is like The Golden Girls moved to a retirement home and started solving crimes.
My biggest complaint with this one was it was really hard to get into. We start with the “head” sleuth complaining that the other senior citizens have things going on besides solving crimes. You know, annoying things like helping their pregnant daughter deliver their grandchild. Because pregnancy and grandchildren shouldn’t be a higher priority than solving crimes in an old folks home. Neither should taking a trip because they have nowhere to live while their condo is being renovated.
There was zero character development in this story. But there rarely is with this series, and that is okay, if it had involved the same characters as before. Suzanne Rudd Hamilton has created a list of something like 15 characters, all with code names. These are almost impossible to keep track of because she rotates through them in each story. Which makes connecting with them or even remembering who is who almost impossible.
I think if she had picked five characters, max, and solely focused on them through the series, it would be much easier to connect with them, and she could have developed them through little snippets of their personality along the way. That would have made the series and each story a lot more memorable for me. Sometimes less is more when it comes to the number of characters and being able to be memorable.
Normally I can read a short story in an hour, maybe two hours if I’m distracted or take a break somewhere in the middle. This one took me days to finish, because it was such a struggle to really get into. There was nothing to draw me in and make me keep reading, so I stopped every five percent or so because I was annoyed and had to take a break.
I found myself really irritated by the fact this was so difficult to get into and there was nothing spectacular about it that made me want to keep reading.
Final Thoughts on Pandemonium at Peacock Perch
I definitely didn’t love Pandemonium at Peacock Perch, but I didn’t totally hate it either. Out of the three stories in this series, this one was the most disappointing so far. Which makes me both sad and annoyed. I found it a real struggle to read through the entire thing. I wasn’t prepared not to actively enjoy it when I started reading.
I have found myself becoming really picky about my reading time lately. If I don’t find a story enjoyable, I have no problem walking away and not finishing it, because my time is valuable. I will say that if the fourth story in this series does not capture my attention and keep me reading, it will absolutely be the last in the series that I read, and I’ll give it up entirely.
As with every book I talk about, my opinion is only one, and I’m here to highlight books and talk about them. Just because I wasn’t a fan doesn’t mean that you won’t enjoy it. I always encourage my readers to try new books and form your own opinions about them. Because it could be the perfect story for you, and I hope it is. I hope you enjoy Pandemonium at Peacock Perch far more than I did.
Discussion
Have you read Pandemonium at Peacock Perch or any other writing from author Suzanne Rudd Hamilton? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
About the Author
To my readers…
A friend once told me “Love what you do and you will never work a day in your life.”
I always wanted a mantra that I could truly believe and live every day. I spent my first career in journalism, public relations, real estate, and marketing, trying to find my bliss. But other than raising my children, I only had bouts of loving my various careers. It never lasted, but you have to make a living.
Now I’m in my second career, the search has ended. I moved from Chicago to the year-round warmth and gentle breezes of Southwest Florida. And I am doing things I have always wanted to do, just for the love of it. I am writing fictional novels, children’s books, short stories, and essays that relate and retell everyday life experiences in a fun-filled read. I am writing, directing, and acting in a series of mystery “whodunit” plays. And I am continuing my first love of singing. Now, I have a mantra.
I write to tell everyday women’s stories through fiction with heart, humor, and humanity, and all the flaws, choices, and discovery that come with their individual journey. I invite you to come along for the ride with me and meet some interesting people you may know or would like to know. It may even be you. I promise to try to make you laugh, love, and feel, and I will try not to bore you. I would be honored to be your guide. Welcome.
Purchasing Pandemonium at Peacock Perch
If you are interested in buying the paperback version of Pandemonium at Peacock Perch, click here.
Click here for the Kindle version.
Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.
More From Suzanne Rudd Hamilton
Did you enjoy my review of Pandemonium at Peacock Perch? Need another great story from Suzanne Rudd Hamilton to read? Here are my favorites!
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