A thrilling mystery novel that is a blend of suspense, humor, and heart. I loved the character depth, the unique quirks, and backgrounds. This novel is as thought provoking as it is entertaining.
Many thanks to Black Rose Writing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a new author to me and this was a really good read. This was an excellent cozy detective story with an edge that kept me engaged and reading till the end. Great quirky characters and I want to move to Peace River Village.

I'm sorry, but this book didn't catch me. The ex-cops acted much too slow, the bad guy was too stupid, the victim had no character at all. All in all the story wasn't really believable and the writing wasn't very good.

Thank you Netgalley & Black Rose Writing for an eARC ♥️

I highly recommend Christopher Amato's thriller, "Peace River Village". Set in a seemingly idyllic retirement community, the story takes a dark turn when a teenage girl goes missing. Her grandmother's concerns are initially dismissed by the police, but a group of retired law enforcement officers take it upon themselves to investigate. As they dig deeper, they uncover a disturbing web of sex trafficking and corruption that threatens to destroy lives. With its skillful blend of suspense, intrigue, and humor, this book will keep you engrossed until the very end. The protagonists are endearing and relatable, while the antagonists are chillingly convincing. The author masterfully weaves together a complex plot that exposes the dark underbelly of even the most seemingly tranquil communities.

A fair read of retired cops working on a case in Florida that involves drugs and human trafficking. While a good story it tended to bog down a bit for me and I found it easy to put down. Might just be me. Would still recommend as the premise is good.

Peace River Village is an upscale retirement community with several former police officers living on one street. When a resident's teenaged granddaughter goes missing, and the local police write her off as a runaway, the residents band together to track down Jennifer. In so doing, they uncover a scheme of drug and human trafficking involving the local police lieutenant who is slated to be the next Chief of Police.

Though parts of the books were quite humorous and enjoyable, and I did want to read to the end to see if the teenager was safe, there were too many elements that just didn't make sense to me. The girl who was taken on Saturday was still in the city three days later, and though I have no inside knowledge, it seems to me that traffickers are going to get the victim away from the locale as swiftly as possible since that is where the concentrated search will be. But then again, these Venezuelan brothers were bumblers, at best and had a police lieutenant covering for them. Another element that didn't make sense was how a 70-something man was able to take out a man in his 20s with his bare hands. That just didn't ring true.

Finally, I felt that the writing and dialog were geared to a middle schooler. For example, one of the retirement residents asks, "Jennifer, will be a senior, right?" Lois asked? The reply: "Yes, it's her last year of high school." There are other instances of overly obvious text and dialog as well -- this is just one example.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.