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The Grandmother Plot

A Novel

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

An unforgettable new mystery from Caroline B. Cooney, international bestselling author of The Face on the Milk Carton

"Caroline B. Cooney is a master of taking a small, common moment—seeing a face on a milk carton, posting a harmless photo—and turning that moment into a thrilling story."—Jeff Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of Never Ask Me

Death isn't unexpected in a nursing home. But murder is.

Freddy leads a life of little responsibility. His mother is dead, his sisters are far-flung across the globe, and he can't quite work up enough motivation to find himself a girlfriend. Freddy has been forced to place his beloved grandmother, now deep in dementia, in a nursing home. Freddy visits her often, cherishing and also hating the time he spends with the grandmother he always adored, now a ghost of her former self.

When a fragile old woman already close to death is murdered in that nursing home, Freddy panics. His sources of income are iffy, as are his friends. He has to keep his grandmother safe, keep himself anonymous, and keep the police out of his life—or the complications could become deadly.

From international bestselling author of The Face on the Milk Carton Caroline B. Cooney, The Grandmother Plot is the story of a young man who can't seem to straighten out his life, his beloved grandmother, who can't seem to remembers hers, and the shadowy threat that hangs over them both.

This extraordinary new story will appeal to readers of bestselling mysteries and book club fiction such as:

  • A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman
  • What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr
  • The Shadows We Hide by Allen Eskens
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    • Reviews

      • Library Journal

        February 1, 2021

        With his mother deceased and his sisters distant and querulous, youngish Freddy is devoted to his memory-deficient grandmother. Then a resident at her nursing home is murdered, and Freddy frets about her safety even as he slides into a shady side business. Top-selling YA author Cooney entered the adult market last year with Before She Was Helen.

        Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

      • Kirkus

        May 1, 2021
        Murder at a memory-care facility leads the drifting but doting grandson of a resident to poke around. After his mother passed away, Freddy Bell moved to Connecticut to take care of his grandmother, Cordelia Chase. Technically, Middletown Memory Care is doing the heavy lifting, since Cordelia is best off being cared for by those who have the specialized training to do so. Freddy is perfectly happy with his regular visits, charming the otherwise unappreciated female caregivers. It's hard to believe that this is the same Freddy who's motivated the powerful drug dealer Doc to come all the way to Connecticut, or as Doc calls it, the land of trees, to get Freddy to do his bidding. Even though his main occupation is making glass pipes, Freddy doesn't want to be a dealer. Besides, a little pot isn't coke. But Freddy's wrong when he thinks the biggest problem in his life is Doc's demands, because the death of a longtime resident at the care center is way bigger. Sure, Freddy barely knew Maude Yardley, but when it turns out her death isn't the progress of her disease but murder, Freddy's afraid for his grandmother's safety. What he should be afraid of, though, are the concerns of his sisters, whose overachieving lives mean they're usually out of the picture but who are now threatening to descend on Freddy and get involved. To ensure his grandmother's safety and his own, Freddy scrambles to figure out what happened to Maude while trying to stay under Doc's all-seeing radar. Difficult to dig into, but the characters are so richly detailed that they feel real.

        COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

      • Publisher's Weekly

        Starred review from May 31, 2021
        Freddy Bell, the hapless protagonist of this bighearted mystery from Edgar finalist Cooney (Before She Was Helen), has come to Middletown, Conn., to visit his beloved, Alzheimer’s-afflicted grandmother, Cordelia Chase, who resides at Middletown Memory Care, “assisted living for the completely confused.” Unfortunately, Freddy has unfinished money-laundering business with a drug kingpin, who has sent an enforcer in search of Freddy. Despite the risk of being found by the enforcer, he won’t abandon his beloved grandmother, even though Cordelia no longer remembers who he is. He becomes especially concerned when one of the other residents is murdered, and he winds up an involuntary, in-fear-for-his-own-life sleuth. He’s aided by a woman who’s anxious to protect her own aunt but is also busily pursuing a lost musical manuscript by composer Charles Ives. The author does a remarkable job of combining tones, including sentimental and snarky, while being both wry and gently respectful in depicting mentally diminished people. Cooney should win new fans with this one. Agent: Kerry D’Agostino, Curtis Brown.

      • Library Journal

        May 28, 2021

        After the shocking murder of a resident at Middletown Memory Care in Middletown, CT, the police are scrambling to find the murderer but don't have any leads. Involved in the case is Freddy Bell, a glass worker who just wants to be free to do the thing he loves. His grandmother Cordelia, who has dementia, lives at Middletown Memory Care, where Freddy visits her as often as he can. Another frequent visitor to Middletown is Laura Maple, who collects pianos and other musical instruments to fill her empty house; she looks in on her aunt Polly. Both Freddy and Laura are the primary family members visiting and caring for their relatives. When another Memory Care resident dies, fear of more murders spreads through the facility. Everyone is a suspect, including the facility's staff, Freddy, Laura, and a resident's husband. If Middletown Memory Care is no longer safe, what are Freddy and Laura supposed to do, and what of their loved ones? Cooney's character-driven mystery looks at what it's like to care for a relative with dementia. Readers will see the struggles Freddy, Laura, Cordelia, and Polly go through and the difficult decisions they face. VERDICT For readers who enjoy light mysteries, and fans of Miranda James, whose books also focus on character development with a touch of mystery.--Victoria Kollar, Racine P.L., WI

        Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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    • English

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