THE ACCIDENTAL SLEUTH

A move to a Chicago condo comes complete with the neighbors from Hell.

Sixty-something significant others Emma Winberry and Nate Sandler enjoy their new life together in the lakefront condo until Emma’s penchant for hopeless cases involves them in a nasty crime when the couple volunteer to be extras on a movie set. Emma, playing a bag lady, is kidnapped and threatened by two thugs who mistake her for the real thing. Emma’s guardian angel and a homeless man rescue her from a deserted warehouse with nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises, but her passion for justice forces her to find the homeless woman who sneaked a ring the thugs are seeking from the hand of a murder victim. Emma won’t rest until she winkles out the bag lady, recovers the ring and gives it to the police. Closer to home, she worries about her new neighbors, a seldom-seen husband who’s probably a crook, a fearful wife and an anorexic niece starved for love and attention. With a nudge from her guardian angel and some help from friends and the police, Emma tries to rehabilitate the homeless woman, rescue the terrified niece and solve the crime before the dangerous thugs catch up with her.

Not much of a mystery, but strong-willed Emma and protective Nate are amiable additions to the cozy world.