Former serial killer Carol Quinn is finally released from prison after 35 years at the start of Fergus Craig's delightfully wicked yet cozy mystery I'm Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home. Carol can't wait to enjoy the rest of her life in her new luxury apartment at a fancy retirement home called Sheldon Oaks. But shortly after her arrival, a fellow resident is murdered. Carol's past is leaked, causing fingers to point straight at her, and the only way for her to be left in peace is to solve the murder herself. This is easier said than done when she discovers that almost everyone at Sheldon Oaks used to work in law enforcement or for the government, and they're conspiring to prove she's the perp.
Actor/comedian Craig (Murder at Crime Manor) pulls off the neat feat of creating a thoroughly likable serial killer. Carol actually killed people--but she had her reasons. Take the man on a train who gleefully passed gas in front of her, daring her to do something about it. What she did was push a flick-knife into the back of his neck, proving he wasn't the only one who could be silent but deadly. Carol has left the murdering behind her, though. At 75, she just wants to live a quiet life, perhaps with some friends at Sheldon Oaks, even if they're a bit zany and believe she's still capable of homicide. Craig gives her a dry wit but reveals that she has soft spots, too. Carol is simply a killer character. --Elyse Dinh-McCrillis, reviewer and freelance editor at The Edit Ninja