Agnes Sharp and the Trip of a Lifetime by Leonie Swann
Sleepy English villages should come with a warning such as “Caution, serial killer at work. Parishioners, plumbers and random little old ladies are particularly vulnerable.” Agnes Sharp and the Trip of a Lifetime is the sequel to the delightfully quirky The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp. Written by the clever and highly entertaining Leonie Swann, it was first published in Germany under the title of Miss Sharp Macht Urlaub or literally, “Miss Sharp takes a Vacation” and masterfully translated into English by Amy Bojang. These books arouse a sense of joy and wonder leaving the reader smiling.
Reacquaint Yourself with Agnes Sharp
For those who may have forgotten some details of the first novel or are newcomers to this series, here is a brief recap of the intrepid, fascinating cast of characters. First, naturally, is Agnes Sharp who resides in the same large comfortable house with a pleasant garden she has lived in since her birth perhaps as many as nine decades ago. Agnes retired after a long career as a policewoman investigator but whose curiosity and detecting skills endure. Hearing impaired and suffering from chronic tinnitus, she uses a formidable cane for walks into the village but remains keenly aware and highly resourceful.
Agnes had concluded her commodious home could use some extra funds for maintenance and repairs. She sensibly would not entertain the idea of selling it and moving into a euphemistically named “assisted living facility” or what she condemned as “God’s waiting room” or “a living hell”. Therefore, seven years ago, she came up with the novel idea of inviting some old, unrelated friends and acquaintances to become housemates who agreed with marked alacrity to this suggestion. Prompted by taunting from villagers calling them “aging antisocial hippies”, they commissioned a bold sign for the front door emblazoned with “Sunset Hall.” They have individual bedrooms, shared common kitchen and living areas as well as a lovely, capacious garden.
Household expenses as well as meal preparations are shared, and a hired cleaner is employed. There are house rules and generally harmonious weekly group meetings. The conversations and lives of these super-seniors have been enriched by this alternative living arrangement that allows them to preserve their independence and in The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp they successfully solve a series of murders of senior citizens that baffle the local constabulary.
Overlook the physical infirmities evidenced by the presence of hearing aids, walking sticks, a wheelchair and other indications of old age but don’t make the mistake of underestimating these elderly pensioners. Most had signed Great Britain’s Official Secrets Act and had been trained as marksmen as part of their earlier clandestine careers. Consequently, their actions remain on a need-to-know basis.
An Unforgettable Band of Housemates
The residents are Marshall, a highly decorated WWII military intelligence officer who maintains his uniform and medals in pristine order. As he is the most computer-literate member of the household, he arranges delivery orders of groceries and essentials as well as keeping abreast of the news. Winston, also involved in top-secret intelligence work, retains his keen intellect and is only slightly inconvenienced by his reliance on a wheelchair. Bernadette is a woman of mystery as no one knows her real name or previous occupation due to her participation in a witness protection program. Blind since birth, she honed her other senses, is extremely capable and full of surprises.
Edwina is an expert yoga practitioner, exceptionally physically fit but mentally somewhat woolly-headed which is accredited to torture received after being captured as a secret agent behind enemy lines during WWII. She gardens, dances and takes care of Hettie, a large box tortoise currently in hibernation in their vegetable crisper until spring. She shares her room with the cremains of the dearly departed Lillith.
The veil between worlds is thin for Edwina who directs animated conversations to the screw-top coffee tin containing her best friend’s ashes. The newest and most vibrant boarder is Charlie. She is charming, still glamorous, beautifully coiffed and dressed and easily the most affluent of the group thanks to four marriages to well-heeled gentlemen. Charlie breezed into the midst of these eccentric oldsters during the recent past murder spree along with Brexit, her very large and hairy wolfhound, and fit right in. Her doting adult grandson visits often.
A Mysterious Vacation Begins
Agnes Sharp and the Trip of a Lifetime begins on a blustery chilly late afternoon in December when it is already pitch dark and not yet 5:00 PM. Agnes is out-of-sorts after a doctor’s visit to get a new hearing aid and is further disgruntled to hear a discordant ringing bell coming from the church followed by sudden silence. She clomps over to the church and finds the verger tangled up in one of the bell tower ropes, deliberately strangled. In need of a hot cup of tea, she neglects her civic duty to notify the useless (in her learned opinion) local police and catches the next bus home.
Peace has once again been disrupted in the village of Duck End as the verger was almost certainly the latest victim of a madman or another serial killer. First, the pharmacist was drowned in the pond, followed by the death by foul means of the chairman of the pigeon fanciers club and now their plumber is missing or perhaps just too busy to return calls. Agnes arrives home to find her housemates aquiver with anticipation awaiting her return with the stupendous announcement that Edwina has received a letter; the first ever in all the years she has lived there!
Marshall had allowed Edwina to use the internet to view tortoise videos and she somehow found a site where she not only entered a contest but won first prize! It’s a trip for two to an upmarket coastal hotel in Cornwall with gourmet food and drink and spa facilities. Who will accompany her?
Home is currently less than comfortable as the oft-repaired aged boiler has given up; there is no heat or hot water and not an available plumber to be found anywhere. Generous Charlie, hungry for adventure and the possibility of a winter fling offers to host the vacation for the entire remaining household. Cornwall is seven hours away by car but with this group, they might still be on the road, thus a flight was arranged.
Eccentric Seniors Hit the Skies
It has been said that “getting there is half the fun” and reading about six eccentric seniors who seldom leave their homes descending upon security controllers at the airport hilariously substantiates this. Travel “essentials” included large garden shears, knitting needles, corkscrews, jackknives, the tin containing Lillith, and a life-size blow-up tortoise dubbed Hettie 2.
Amazingly, they make their flight and ground transportation and arrive safely at their destination, The Eden, a grand cliffside hotel that looks like a ship sailing into the wind. Afternoon tea with champagne puts them all in good spirits. However, in no time, Agnes witnesses two people walking up a one-way path to a lookout point and only one returning. Edwina is secretly convinced the contest was staged and she was really being summoned on a Secret Service mission.
While inspecting pool and spa facilities, Edwina finds the body of a beautiful young woman clad in a billowing red dress face down in the water. Being Edwina, lover of the entire animal kingdom, she is less concerned about a dead human than the big white boa constrictor with lemon-yellow eyes and a pink tongue ostensibly abandoned by his murdered mistress.
She rescues him, scoops him into her sports bag and happily introduces him to her friends as “Oberon” but forgets to tell anyone about the deceased. Oberon becomes part of our favorite elderly motley crew and like hibernating Hettie obligingly whispers his thoughts and impressions for the reader.
Trapped with a Murderer
The Eden is large, luxurious and some distance from the village. It becomes even more isolated as a chunk of the roadway breaks away during a storm. Generators keep the power going but there is no phone or internet service. Paradise looms lost. Hotel staff attempts to keep the guests happy with food and drink but they are all aware of being trapped with a murderer at large.
The majority of the well-heeled guests are middle-aged or older, accustomed to being pampered, not frightened. Among the remainder of the guests and staff, there are a surprisingly large number of colorful, nefarious characters, any one of whom could be the villain. The Sunset Hall residents headed by Agnes Sharp lead the investigation, putting their own lives in peril. It’s a romp, a riot and a puzzling murder mystery to savor.
Captivating and Fun
Agnes Sharp and the Trip of a Lifetime is a captivating frothy blend of screwball comedy combined with an English village cozy murder mystery topped off with a surprising touch of romance. Preston Sturges and Howard Hawks, masterful directors of the art of comedy, would surely have given their seals of approval for a novelist who keeps the pace moving and leaves her readers laughing. With bodies piling up in the village of Duck End, surely it won’t be long before the Sunset Hall residents back on their home turf will be chasing down a killer?
Leonie Swann and accomplished translator Amy Bojang have introduced a series on par with personal favorites Dorothy Gilliam’s Mrs. Pollifax or Rita Lakin,prolific screenwriter and creator of the Gladdy Gold mystery series and Virginia Rich whose primary characters were unstoppable amateur senior sleuths.
Related Posts:
Quirky Group of Seniors Don Detective Hats in Rip-Roaring Murder Mystery
About Leonie Swann:
Leonie Swann grew up near Munich and earned degrees in philosophy, communications, and psychology from Munich University and the Munich School of Philosophy. Her debut novel, Three Bags Full, was published in 2005 and became an instant hit, leading the German bestseller charts for months. It has since been translated into twenty-six languages and won the prestigious Glauser Prize for crime fiction in the debut category, as well as the PETA Award. She has now published six books and lives and works in the English countryside near Cambridge.
