I received an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my honest review.

Ill start out by saying that this book isn't something I would normally pick but I've been trying to explore different genres. With that said, guess what? I really liked this book. I feel Melissa Payne put together a great story about love, loss and self discovery. Sometimes, not living our truth can be one of our greatest regrets and we see that with the main character Birdie.

My heart broke for Birdie when she lost her friend Allison. Birdie shows that getting older doesnt mean you still dont have some spunk in you as well as some sleuthy detective skills. I loved so many of the characters: Everly, Joseph and Louise.

More importanly, I loved Birdies journey of self discovery, acceptance and forgiveness. I feel that Melissa Payne crafted a story that not only tugged on your heart strings but really made you connect to the characters. I recommend everyone read this. Thank you Get Red PR Books for this copy.

Melissa Payne's In the Beautiful Dark is perfect for fans of books such as The Thursday Night Murder Club in terms of looking at retirees as still having a lot to offer, of being smart and engaged and perfectly great crime solvers.... And this is also a win for fans of books from writers such as Heather Webber and Sarah Addison for the dashes of magical realism, grief/family/hope.

thank you GetRed PR for inviting me to review this book and to Lake Union and Brilliance audio for review copies! This was a win for me, I really loved the mystery element but more than that I loved the way the characters came together and how an enduring sense of love/grief, maybe a little stubbornness, make for such a great character with Biride. I was all in for her to reconcile her past loss, and let that help her relationship with her son, and really wanted her to have the satisfaction of solving a crime and to perhaps be understood, to find people who understood her and connected with her. The audiobook really captured Birdie's voice as I imagined it as well and recommend checking out the audio as well as the book!

I received a complimentary copy of this book "In the Beautiful Dark" and all opinions expressed are my own. I've read other books by this author that I liked. I found this story really interesting and I couldn't wait to read it each day to see what was going to happen. Love, friendship, mystery and of course my favorite mystical ghosts. I loved Birdie!

Birdie never believed the official story about her friend Allison's death and has always thought she was the victim of the vampire killer. So for 50 years, she raised Allison's son Felix and brooded. Now she's retired and she's looking for answers. I liked this for the portrayal of a complicated woman and her quest. It's poignant, especially as Birdie reflects on their life before Allison's death and on her present life in the retirement facility. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARc. A good read.

First and foremost, thank you NetGalley and GetredPR for the ARC of In the Beautiful Dark.
This is a beautiful mystery that spans over a lifetime.
Birdie is living during a time where being open about loving the same sex is shameful. She is close friends with Alison and Alison has a son. In the beginning Alison is ready to share her feeling with Birdie, but Birdie still feels the weight of the shame so she does not want to admit her feelings towards Alison.
When Birdie gets home one day, she finds Alison’s body in their bathtub. The case is closed after sometime, deeming Alison took her own life. But Birdie never believes that.
When Birdie is much older and living in a retirement home, she becomes infatuated with figuring out what happened to Alison again. With her friends at the nursing home, they all become a force to reckon with.

This story shows what a lifetime of grief and regret can do to us. But also how love can help us persevere.
I loved how Alison was still included in this with her own chapters here and there.
This was a great mystery that held all sorts of emotions.
Definitely recommend.

In the Beautiful Dark was a thriller book like no other! Birdie is an elderly Sherlock Holmes and feels the need to solve the case of a serial killer that has been on the loose for decades. Birdie also believes this serial killer killed her friend/love interest when they were younger. Although the female main character is older, she is fierce. She is confident in herself and protective over those she loves. The author also adds other characters who live in the retirement community and they compliment the main character very well. The book represented a mix of the Golden Girls and Only Murders in the Building. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy

Title: In the Beautiful Dark
Author: Melissa Payne
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Family Drama with a bit of mystery
Pub Date: April 22, 2025
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages 333

Story started in 1972 when Birdie befriends young pregnant, Allison. Birdie is there when baby Felix breaths his first breath and it is love at first sight. It didn’t take long for Allison, Birdie and Felix to become a family.
Now fifty years past, since Allison, Birdie's love and best friend was murdered .Birdie and Felix are left to deal with what was ruled a "suicide", however Birdie doesn’t believe that it was suicide.

Now Birdie is the newest resident of Sunny Pines Retirement Community thanks to Felix.
The hope is that Birdie would start a new life with new friends and new adventures. But Birdie is still haunted by her dark past, of a deep loss she can’t let go of.

When some mysterious events happen at Sunny Pines, it perks up Birdie investigating skills.

Although there is a mystery that needs to solve, story really is about relationships,

I enjoyed reading Ms. Payne’s ‘Author’s Note’ where she tells us her inspiration for this story is when her mother moved into a senior-living community after her father died. The community has a delightful fascinating mix of people who all had so many great experiences- each having a great story to tell. .Her thoughts were everyday people often have the very best stories to tell.
This make me smile as our now twenty something grand children love to get my husband talking about the ‘good ol day’ and seem to love it = well every time we get together there seems to be a trip down memory lane.
Needless to say, I did enjoy this story.
Also love when an author includes ‘Book Club Questions’ as the questions are thoughtful and remind readers what they liked about the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Lake Union Publishing for this early eGalley.
Publishing Date scheduled for Tuesday April 22, 2025.

This story about grief was amazing. It can hold you hostage without you even realizing it. Birdie never forgets Allison. She keeps living, raising their son, and starting a business, but Allison is always there. I really liked the retirement community. Birdie is in a new phase of life and finding a new community for herself. I thought they were going to be senior crime detectives, but it was more about Birdie moving forward while still being in the past. It’s not as murder mystery as I expected. There was also the ghostly presence that was a fun element that took me by surprise.

In the Beautiful Dark
Melissa Payne
04/22/2025
Lake Union Publishing

As soon as I read the blurb for this book, I was 100% in. This book checked all the boxes for me. I mean who knew I would LOVE a book with senior living, crime solving, flawed and brilliant characters with dark secrets?? (yeah, you read that right!! Muah)

Sunny Pines Retirement Community more than just a place for the members to live out their golden years. There are plenty of secrets among these residents and staff seem perfectly oblivious. Birdie, the newest resident, plays her cards close to her chest. She is not ready to let go of her old life and start a new one with this group of people, but with a little prodding she finally opens up. 50 years ago, Birdie falls in love with Allison who was brutally murdered and to beat it all, it remains unsolved. Birdie never let the murder go. She always wanted to solve Allison’s murder and let her rest. Finally, Birdie, along with other members of Sunny Pines decide that it is time to find the ‘Vampire Killer’.

There is more than just mystery and suspense among the pages. Love, trust and friendship; growing old, quieting your past and looking to your future are all equally important. I will be going back and finding the other books that Melissa Payne has written. I have heard nothing but awesomeness.

Thank you Melissa Payne, Lake Union Publishing and Kate Rock Book tours for having me along for this books journey!

I loved all the characters at this retirement community. Someone Birdie dearly loved was murdered and it is Birdie’s mission to solve the murder. She is finding it difficult to adjust to retirement. But eventually she finds friends there who really want to help her solve that murder. A delightful read!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In the Beautiful Dark by Melissa Payne is the story of older business woman Birdie Allen, now living at Sunny Pines Retirement Community. As she navigates meeting other seniors via a book club, keeping a relationship with her son and helping out a young lady living in a camper near the center. she also tries to find the murderer of her housemate many years ago. The author does an excellent job of depicting the problems of being older, both physically and mentally. With the addition of commentary from the dead and the living, this book kept my interest all the way through.

This is my third novel by Payne.
Sunny Pines Retirement Community is full of secrets. Through the golden years one usually reminisce about the past and possible regrets in life.
Birdie is a retiree, grandmother and business owner. She is still haunted by the death of someone close to her more than fifty years ago.
She is soon caught up in her past along with a disappearance and murders. Thankful for her community of friends she gets the support she did not have years ago.
A quirky novel full of drama, and a unique cast. I enjoyed this one along with her earlier work The Wild Road Home and A Light in the Forest.

The common themes to Mellissa Payne books are all here; friendship, forgiveness, the power of community. And once again she delivers. Lovely and richly developed characters (except maybe for one of them!) .. all of whom come to grips with their changing world. It’s easy to get inside their heads but it’s also an enjoyable (if not at times chaotic) journey. I could find a way to identify with each one of them in some way.

I can’t emphasise this enough .. if you enjoy this book, go back and read all this author’s books. They are all wonderful .. all 5 of them.

Birdie Allen is a resident at the “62 and Better” Sunny Pines Retirement Community. When a string of murders and a missing person happens in her area - Birdie is itching to pick up the chase. She’s got some retired friends who have too much time on their hands and want to help solve this mystery.

As she tries to piece together the mystery and solve the murders, she also thinks about a long-ago unsolved mystery. Lifelong secrets accompany her on this quest - but will solving the current mystery help her finally put them to rest?

I love the eclectic cast of elderly detectives with nothing but time on their hands in their twilight years. It was a clever mystery with lots of layers. I hope we get more from this band of sleuths.

I immediately fell into Birdie & Allison’s worlds, both sad for all the years they missed together. The cast of lovable characters Birdie brings into her life made it more enjoyable for all they brought to the plot. The mystery surrounding Allison’s death & the string of bodies in similar circumstances gave Melissa Payne’s latest novel the perfect element of suspense.
In The Beautiful Dark is a heart wrenching, yet hopeful novel that will stay with me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for introducing me to this new-to-me author and soon to be released book! I would have missed this gem otherwise.

Welcome to Sunny Pines Retirement Community where we meet Birdie Allen, ex 'exotic dancer', former business owner, grandmother and mother-by-default, or mother by choice. Things aren't quite as sunny as the rather clueless staff at hand would have everyone believe; secrets are abound - things resurfacing from the past as well as disturbing current events... Birdie has spent her life chasing down the 'Vampire Killer' who she believed also killed her dearest friend Allison (and mother to her son, Felix)... but maybe he's coming out of retirement? Can Birdie really go on bus outings and go to book clubs when she might be closer to finding out the truth about Allison than she's ever been? Or is she just going senile?

With some unexpected help from her Sunny Pines neighbours, Birdie goes back to being full-on investigator. She's so close! But at what cost? When her son asks her to stop, when she makes mistakes, and people think she's a doddery old fool - can Birdie put Allison's spirit to rest?

I enjoyed this book a lot - partly because I went in with virtually no expectations! I've never heard of Melissa Payne before, and I've read quite a few 'retired people turn detective' type novels - but be warned, this is nothing like Richard Oseman and the like. This is quite a lot darker...

Birdie is a very likeable character, as are her 'gang', who I quickly came to love. I genuinely cared about all the characters here, and found it hard to put down because I wanted it happy endings for everyone, so I just had to keep reading!

Highlights for me:
- the central theme of loneliness and relationships; although this is a plot-heavy book, it's definitely more about the people we surround ourselves with and the way a community can come together... or not
- the very real treatment of police overlooking certain victims because of race, occupation etc. This isn't a funny 'haha' book (although there are lighter moments, where I did find myself chuckling). Payne has tapped into some very poignant problems with society, and the injustices highlighted are frustrating (too weak a word!) because they're real. It does make you think.
- this had the perfect balance (for me) of keeping you guessing, but allowing you, as the reader, to get it JUST before the MCs, which always makes you feel good about yourself! It's a difficult balance to strike - well done Melissa Payne!
- Allison's chapters. Interspersed, Allison (Birdie's old roommate, mother of the child she's brought up, Felix) leads the chapters in first person, accompanied by other spirits that are unable to let go. This was a clever and very well employed device; I enjoyed it immensely. Overall, they were my favourite parts, which is saying a lot considering I enjoyed the antics of Birdie and her gang so much!

What didn't work as well for me:
- the beginning felt at odds with the rest of the novel; I understand that Allison and Birdie's background needed setting up, so to speak, but it felt quite disjointed. Once the 'introductory' part was over, the writing flowed much more easily. I'm not quite sure what would have been better, but it felt awkward to me, which was a real shame.

Essentially, a very good read! A fast-paced drama with humour and intrigue, but also genuine character development and depth.

Sunny Pines Retirement Home is not as sunny as it sounds. There we meet Birdie, a retired business owner of a housekeeping service. In 1972 she finds her best friend/love dead in the bathtub. Birdie is convinced it was murder, the police, not so much. Birdie thinks Allison was a victim of "the Vampire Killer" To this day the case is labeled as a suicide. "Some mysteries don't have answers". Now another person close to Birdie has disappeared and Birdie and her group of friends are not going to sit back and do nothing. Adding to this is the reader gets Allison's ghost's perspective which is so unique! Maybe because I'm no spring chicken, but loved reading about older people, such an interesting take and new story!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc. I could not put this down. Birdie, the MC, went on an incredible journey through the book. I love books with older protagonists and this was fabulous, more retirees story's please. Melissa Payne created an excellent set of characters, I loved seeing them all come together and grow. I was fairly confident about who the murderer was early on, and I wish it had been more subtle, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The character development and growth is where this really shined. I loved seeing Birdie open up and recognize the impact of her choices. Melissa Payne is definitely an author I will be reading more of.
Will post on instagram closer to release date.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.