The Cha-Cha Babes of Pelican Way

by Frances Metzman

Would you move a dead body for the sake of your best friend? Ask cha-cha babe Celia Ewing, a sixty-five-year-old widow who has just settled into Boca Pelicano Palms, the Florida retirement community of her dreams. When Celia’s best friend Marcy calls her and their friend Deb for help in the middle of the night, they find a naked Marcy trapped under the body of her beau, the community’s board president, Melvin. And he’s dead. The three friends secretly move Melvin back to his apartment setting off a chain of events that will threaten to tear their community apart and send them to jail. Melvin is one of a number of residents who are dying under suspicious circumstances; and soon Celia becomes an amateur sleuth in an attempt to identify what she suspects is a serial murderer.

 

Filled with humorous, witty observations about retirement communities, the realities of getting older, and the promise of new love, the Cha-Cha Babes of Pelican Way celebrates the deep bonds of female friendships, the desire for companionship at any age, and shows us that it’s never too late to learn how to cha-cha through life.

504 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 21, 2018

Reviews

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cha-Cha Babes of Pelican Way are three sixty-something women living in a Florida retirement community. Each one has many problems to deal with - Celia is a widow with an estranged adult daughter, Deb is having health problems and Marcy hides from her problems by getting involved with men. When the three of them get together and dance the cha-cha, their troubles seem far away.

Then one evening, Marcy calls in a panic. She’s trapped under a naked dead man. She begs Celia and Deb to help her move the body. She doesn’t want to be arrested, but moving a dead man’s body isn’t exactly legal. However, the three women work together to get rid of the body. Of course things don’t go as they plan and they wind up being accused of murder. It’s not just one murder, but it seems quite a number of residents of the retirement community have been murdered. It’s up to Celia, along with her friends, to figure out who is behind the killings and why they are being framed for murder.

It took me a little time to get used to all the players in this one. There were a couple of slow spots in the beginning, but then the story moved along at a fast pace and I couldn’t stop reading. I just had to know how it all ended up. I had a couple of sleepless nights because of it :)

The cast of characters are funny, emotional and eccentric. I loved the three main players - Celia, Deb, and Marcy. I wasn’t that fond of Celia’s daughter, but she grew on me by the end. The dialogue is witty and colorful. The plot is mainly mystery but there is a bit of romance as well. It made for a nice mix. There are a couple of sub-plots in this book which actually lead back to the main plot in an intriguing way.

I was captivated at all the twists and turns taken to get to the end. It had me laughing and crying at the same time. I never read anything by this author before, but it definitely won’t be the last time. She has a wonderful knack for clever, humorous storytelling.



FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

This heartwarming cozy mystery is surprising uplifting; it certainly raised my spirits. The trio of seniors starring in this novel are so unafraid to expose their vulnerabilities to each other, so honest, yet so persevering. They have to deal with bullying and intimidation and slander, just as much as do schoolkids or adults in their 20's or 30's. Apparently the drive to bully and intimidate doesn't recede with advancing age. Marcy, Celia, and Deb are far from perfect, of course, but they are each vibrantly human, and are each aspects of contemporary female life. Deb, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, was dumped by her controlling husband; Celia, who has suffered from depression, was shunted aside from her daughter Allison by her controlling late husband, who left her scarcely provided for; and Marcy, who once left her family for a guru, finds love in all the wrong places, even at age sixty-five. What draws them together are not only similar pasts, but emotional authenticity, and a shared love for cha-cha. These ladies are truly inspiring. See if this novel doesn't lift your spirits, while you puzzle out the mystery of too many demises in one small retirement community, along with these three women who are thrust into sleuthing in order to clear their reputations.

[Píaras Cíonnaoíth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mystery that was a fun and entertaining read...

Author Frances Metzman has written a clever murder mystery with The Cha Cha Babes of Pelican Way. This one had everything needed to make it successful - humor, suspense, and great characters. Marcy, Celia, and Deb are a very likeable characters that will keep the reader interested in their antics.

I found myself enjoying every part of this story. The book is ‘filled with humorous, witty observations about retirement communities, the realities of getting older, and the promise of new love, the Cha-Cha Babes of Pelican Way celebrates the deep bonds of female friendships, the desire for companionship at any age, and shows us that it's never too late to learn how to cha-cha through life.’

I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and that added to the book’s appeal. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much. It’s a first-class whodunit with plenty of humor, romance and drama. Perfect pacing ensures the reader is drawn in from beginning to end.

This is a novel all mystery fans will want to add to their reading list. I’ll be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. I would highly recommend this book and give it a well-deserved five stars.

[Tiffany PSquared · Rating 3 out of 5]

"We're the amazing cha-cha babes who live on Pelican Way. We dance till we drop or they haul us off to jail. Do they dance in prison?"

Celia found new life with her retirement community in Florida, and in particular with her two friends Marcy and Deb. They all Cha-Cha together and Celia has found the greatest freedom just from dancing and being with her new best friends. But when other residents start dying inexplicably, suddenly Celia and her friends find themselves in danger and the targets of a police investigation.

The Cha-Cha Babes of Pelican Way was initially engaging and seemed to be a kooky, off-beat mystery with characters that aren't the usual mystery book personalities. But as the book went on, I found it a little repetitive and slow.

Plus, these women were only in their sixties, but the impression from the story is that their age group is slow, decrepit, and basically at death's doorstep. That bothered me. I have plenty of relatives and friends in that age group who are very active and healthy.

The ultimate mystery, however, was well thought out and clever, but by the end, I think my interest in the story had waned too much for me to get excited over the ultimate resolution. (Plus the daughter in the story, Allison, totally put me off and I couldn't stand reading her chapters!)

Three stars because, although it wasn't the book for me, a certain audience might identify more with these characters and find it an enjoyable read; however, there are things about it that might keep me from recommending it to everyone.

*Thanks to Andrea and Smith Publishing for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[TheReadingCornerforAll Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when a Florida setting, a Golden Girls-esque trio, and the cha-cha mix together? The babes of Pelican way!




Celia, Marcy, and Deb all live in a retirement community where they became friends at first sight and learned to leave their worries behind through the cha-cha. Marcy lives on thrills, Celia is reconnecting with herself, and Deb’s quick tongue makes for perfect comedic moments. Through Celia’s descriptions, it seemed as though the trio had settled into an average lifestyle in their community.



Cue the phone call in the middle of the night!



Marcy rings Celia and asks her friends to help her with a “big problem”; when they show up, Marcy is in a rather compromising position with Marvin, the retirement community’s board president. In order to keep Marcy from being kicked out, the trio all move Marvin back to his room.



Before long, more people begin to die from mysterious conditions. Celia sees more to the case and vows to get to the bottom of things. Even if that means getting closer to the murderer than she realizes.





I found The Cha-Cha Babes of Pelican Way to be a delightful story. You don’t typically read stories of this nature involving characters 60 years and older that are so upbeat and full of comical dialogue. There were some moments where the phrasing became a bit repetitive, but Metzman pulled through with a killer ending. This is a great summer read perfect for the beach!

[Candice Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Smith Publicity for the copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

This was such an unexpectedly fun and uplifting read! I read a lot of thrillers and this proved to be the perfect reading palate cleaners for me - a cozy mystery that had just enough suspense to hold my attention, and more than enough laughs to keep my giggling all the way through.

Maybe it was the fact that the story centers around a trio of women who have an amazing friendship - they are flawed and honest and caring and supportive, and those are women I can get behind. It is fantastic to read women who love and support one another, rather than sabotaging one another. It was completely friend goals and I sincerely hope this is my and my gf's once we find ourselves in a retirement community (minus the dead body of course).

Overall, just a super fun read that I think many readers would really love - take a chance on this one and cha cha your way into a perfect afternoon of reading fun.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love mysteries with senior and this one was really good. The characters are fantastic, it's full of humour and tenderness and the plot is great.
A very good book, highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

[Lillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really feel like this book should have been split up into 2 or 3 books. There were too many plotlines to follow and too many characters to get to know. It wasn't a bad book, it just was too much.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, fast murder mystery, perfect for a day at the beach. Read it in two days.

[Terry Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a fun read about senior citizens trying to make their way in a senior community, this is the book. There is mystery, fun, romance, and of course Cha-Cha ing.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun and entertaining book

3 friends at an over 55 development in Florida live, laugh, and dance together until they are suspected of murdering the elderly inhabitants where they all live. From chapter to chapter you suspect everyone and the final few chapters pul it all together. This was a very enjoyable and engaging book and a perfect summer read.

[AnneMari Sanchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent, fun mystery. The end has a little twist, it was slightly long winded but it was a fun read. Very good insight into the relationship s of the characters