Morning Coffee Mysteries

"You're retired? That's great!  I'm so jealous."  Careful what you wish for.

Yes, on the one hand you are no longer tied to a schedule, your time is pretty much your own and you can finally get to all those little things that need attention around the house.  Sounds great, but then on the other hand, your life is turned upside down.  Your source of income has disappeared; hopefully you've planned well.  You have all the time in the world, but there will be time tomorrow, so why start today?  And best of all, you no longer have to deal with others.  No, that is probably the worse part, because now, alone at home, the only person you have to talk to is yourself.

Just hope no one is around to hear you, or they may start calling you crazy.

I grew up reading books with a cast of characters, who, working together, solved mysteries.  Now facing down the barrel toward my own retirement, I began to wonder what would retirement be like for Jupiter, Bob and Pete, or Joe, Frank and Chet, or Brains and Jimmy.  Drawing inspiration from my youthful reads, as well drawing on real life friends, acquaintances and weekly breakfast gatherings, the morning coffee club and its members were born.

While close today, Red, Hap, Jon-Boy, Jerry, Pete and Free weren't always close.  Their paths may have crossed, being they live in a small town, but they all existed in different circles.  That is until retirement happened, followed by boredom.  Even then, it took time as each member entered this phase of life at different times and for different reasons.

However, each found themselves seated at the counter of the Downtown Diner, not sure of what they were looking for.

But under the careful and watchful eye of Sally, their favorite waitress at the Downtown Diner, to direct them to a common table.

Now almost daily, they spend their mornings at the diner, having breakfast, drinking way too much coffee, or tea for one, and discussing the important topics of the day.

Okay they gossip, but they will never call it that.

A cross genre series, The Morning Coffee Mysteries are quirky, sometimes offbeat, bromance cozy silver mysteries.  With a mystery woven into each installment, the stories focus on the relationships these old goats have with each other, as well as with their families, as they use their individual strengths to uncover facts and clues along the way to resolve the mystery.  

When the other members agree to lend a hand to help Free clear brush for his garden, they find signs that someone else may have been there. When they uncover an object that points to a cold case, they are faced with weeding out more clues to identify the perpetrators before they themselves get whacked.

Reminded of an accident that claimed the life of one of their friends, the group struggles to recall the specifics.  As they dig deeper, they end up with more questions than answers.  Exactly who was at fault?  Tracking down information leads the guys on a twisty path of maintenance requirements.  

Torrential rains uprooting a tree in Pete's yard is the least of his worries.  The dead body caught up in the roots leads the fellows to unearth the truth before Pete is charged.

When the guys decide to give Free an intro into camping, Hap decides to play a trick on the rest of the guys.  But his planned gag goes awry when they discover the body of one of Hap's old informants is found hanging.