The Senior Moment - Eva Hudson

Degrees of Separation Book 2

'What's a woman got to do to get some attention around here?'

What an opening to this crime story! Jean Henderson has no sooner arrived on her first visit to New York City from London, suitcase still in hand, than she is witness to a fatality at a grocery store robbery, and what's more, she catches sight of the face of one of the two criminals as they remove their mask when they are about to speed away on their motorbike. Jean tries to inform the police of what she has just witnessed moments before, but those on the scene pay little heed to her; she feels like she is invisible to them all, so she ventures to the nearest police station, where she meets a fellow senior, Stanley Rozello, who is on the cusp of retirement from the force.

'Less than four hours in New York and it seemed she had become transparent, dissolving into the background wherever she went. Could it be her age? Surely sixty-five was no age at all. Ever since her last birthday she'd told everyone who'd listen it was the new fifty.'

Jean is there in NYC to visit her son and his partner who is due to give birth. But when she reaches their home, she finds neither of them there and a strange message left for her from her son. It becomes clear that he is in deep financial trouble.

This is a compelling read by Eva Hudson, an enjoyable and entertaining crime story that turns accepted notions about ageing on their head and has something to say about the financial crisis to boot. She has created a strong, determined and unconventional heroine in Jean; a mature, older lady who certainly won't stand for being ignored and being made to feel like she is invisible because others may consider her as less significant in society now, somehow, just because of her age. 

'Getting older had never bothered her, she actually quite enjoyed the licence it gave her to behave badly and get more of her own way, but this new invisibility thing was becoming tiresome.'

She embarks upon a plan with others who feel the same to make their voices heard, using the very thing that has irked her - the way she has been treated as if she is invisible and unimportant - to her advantage, whilst at the same time aiming to help her son out of the deep trouble he has found himself in. 

The story skips along at a good pace throughout, with drama, tension and humour, and the lead characters are engaging; as well as Jean, I particularly liked the dogged Detective Luisa Rodriguez and her former partner in the NYPD, the aforementioned Rozello. Both find themselves involved in Jean's activities as she sets about righting the wrongs she encounters in NYC. There's a point made here about alienating a section of society at our peril - if they were to rally around like Jean, who knows what might happen. I haven't read the first novel by Eva Hudson yet but it is on my kindle and after reading this one I am looking forward to it.

This is an independently published novel.

Thanks to the author for kindly sending me an ebook copy of this novel to read and give an honest review.

You can follow the author on twitter @Eva_Hudson and visit her website here.