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Leah Orr

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Leah Orr resides in Jensen Beach, Florida, with her husband and three daughters. Leah is an award-winning, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon Charts #1 best-selling mystery novelist. She is a USA TODAY featured best-selling novelist. Her two national best-sellers include The She Shed and The Retirees. She has written 15 books and sold over 150,000 copies worldwide.

Leah donates the profits from her books to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Upon learning that her daughter, Ashley, was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (while still in the womb), Orr knew she wanted to do something special. With some input from her mother and three daughters, it was decided that she'd write books to benefit the CF Foundation. The Orr Family has raised over $1,400,000 in the past 23 years to help find a cure.

Leah's mission to help cure Cystic Fibrosis has been featured in USA TODAY, ABC’s Health Watch, NBC Today South Florida, ABC Today South Florida, CBS South Florida, CBS This Morning Virginia, NBC The 10! Show Philadelphia, Fox 4 News Morning Blend, The Daily Buzz, and Lifetime TV’s The Balancing Act. She has also been featured in publications such as Forbes Magazine, NY Weekly, The Chicago Journal, Medical News Today, The Boston Globe, The Miami Herald, and The Sun-Sentinel. Her daughter Ashley was also a recipient of Oprah’s generosity in The Big Give.

Popular mysteries by Leah Orr include: The Executive Suite, The Bartender, The Champagne Toast, The She Shed, The Fruitcake, and The Retirees. Her popular children’s books include: Messy Tessy, It Wasn’t Me, and Goodnight, Molly.

Leah won the prestigious Gold medal award from The Manhattan Book Club for her cozy mystery novel, The Retirees. Orr and her husband were recently nominated as one of Florida’s Finest Couples by the CF Foundation and included in “In The Spotlight” on CFF.org. Leah was also nominated as one of Broward County’s top 100 Outstanding Women. Orr grew up in Boston, MA, and graduated from the University of Miami.
More information is available at www.leahorr.com

“An entertaining read filled with humor, camaraderie, and just enough suspense to keep readers turning the pages.”
– Kirkus Reviews

THE RETIREES Cover
MYSTERY & CRIME

THE RETIREES

BY Leah Orr • POSTED ON Jan. 5, 2026

A group of retirees and a wily cat investigate cold cases in Orr’s novel.

When Diana, a wealthy sugar magnate in her mid-70s, is abruptly forced into retirement by her own daughter, she relocates to the Ocean’s Edge, “a fifty-five plus community beautifully nestled along Florida’s Treasure Coast.” What begins as a quiet chapter in her life quickly turns into an unexpected adventure. Diana soon befriends a quirky group of retirees whose idea of fun goes far beyond shuffleboard—they spend their days sipping coffee-based cocktails and solving cold cases. Her new circle includes Dennis, a retired detective with a sharp eye for detail; Bill, who’s a bit sleazy but incredibly tech-savvy; Estelle and Filomena, eccentric twin sisters (one a gifted medium, the other a tarot card reader); and Carol, the community’s nurse, who possesses an unusual ability to communicate with animals. Diana, with her wealth and political connections, proves to be an invaluable asset to the team, almost immediately helping them solve several cases. Diana finds her new vocation incredibly satisfying, but Ocean’s Edge isn’t as idyllic as it seems: A self-styled vigilante serial killer is on the loose, targeting those he deems deserving of death based on crimes they’ve committed. Adding to the intrigue is Mr. Anderson, the community’s clever cat, who sees what the humans miss (and indulges his love of Key lime pie along the way). As Diana navigates her new life, she finds romance in an unexpected place; when a crime strikes close to home, the stakes rise dramatically. The mystery element, while present, feels underdeveloped and could benefit from sharper twists or deeper intrigue to truly captivate fans of the genre. Additionally, the narrative can sometimes feel confusing, especially when jumping to the perspective and journal entries of the killer. But for readers seeking a breezy, entertaining escape rather than a tightly constructed puzzle, this story offers a delightful blend of levity and mild thrills.

An entertaining read filled with humor, camaraderie, and just enough suspense to keep readers turning the pages.

Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2026

ISBN: 9798991042031

Page count: 302pp

Publisher: Orrplace Press

Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2025

Download Sample Chapter
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The Retirees

Awards, Press & Interests

Hometown

Jensen Beach, Florida

THE RETIREES: Publishers Weekly/Booklife Editor's Pick, 2026

THE RETIREES: Manhattan Book Club Gold Award, 2026

USA TODAY: Leah Orr’s Latest Release, The Retirees, Explores Another Side of Retirement, 2026

NY WEEKLY: Uncovering the Secrets Next Door: Inside Leah Orr’s The She Shed, the Thriller With a Heart of Gold, 2026

The CHICAGO JOURNAL:Retirement Has Never Been This Deadly (or This Fun), 2026

Press Release: Retirement Community Turns Deadly in New Cozy Mystery by National Bestselling Author Leah Orr, 2026

ADDITIONAL WORKS AVAILABLE

The Fruitcake

The Fruitcake - A deadly twist on a popular Christmas tradition Four friends, one fruitcake, and a ritzy town full of secrets . . . What could go wrong? When Holly Kelly moves from Miami to the lavish Laguna Palms neighborhood, seeking community and friendship—with her husband and rambunctious triplets in tow—she finds it in spades. She is soon drawn into the intimate lives of almost everyone in their beachfront cul-de-sac, especially her three new ride-or-dies: Gina, Greta, and Chloe. But when the neighborhood’s holiday fruitcake exchange takes a dark turn, the bodies start piling up. The deaths seem like accidents—at first. Meanwhile, their upscale suburb on the shores of Hutchinson Island, Florida, is also being plagued by a series of disturbing disappearances. Men vanish, then reappear in the neighborhood . . . but changed. The four friends decide to do some sleuthing of their own, and what they find chills them to the bone. When it’s Holly’s turn to deliver a fruitcake to the Hudson sisters on Christmas Eve four years later, she hears screaming coming from inside the house . . . many different voices—and they don't sound female. Can they uncover the twisted secrets of Laguna Palms before someone closer to home becomes yet another casualty? The Fruitcake is a fast-paced thriller that drips with murder, mayhem, and delightful, often delicious Southern hospitality while split narration spins the tale from alternate perspectives. If you enjoyed the TV series Desperate Housewives, you’ll love The Fruitcake—a twisty murder mystery you won’t soon forget.
Published: Oct. 31, 2023
ISBN: 979-8985578379

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The Secrets of Hollybrooke Manor

Twelve-year-old Jasmine arrives at the enchanting Hollybrooke Manor to visit her beloved great-aunt Betsy, expecting little more than Christmas cheer and quiet afternoons. Instead, she is drawn into a world of magic, mystery, and restless spirits when a glittering ornament from the manor’s legendary Christmas tree calls to her—and nearly brings disaster when she takes it. Jasmine has albinism, a genetic condition that affects her vision and makes bright, unfamiliar spaces difficult to navigate. But while her eyesight is limited, her hearing is extraordinary—so extraordinary, in fact, that she can hear ghosts. When a sharp-tongued spirit named Milton reveals that Hollybrooke’s magic—and its very existence—depends on the tree and its ornaments, Jasmine must confront secrets buried deep within the manor’s past before it’s too late. With the help of her fearless great-aunt, a kindhearted boy who works at the front desk, and her own growing confidence, Jasmine uncovers centuries-old truths tied to the manor’s history, its lingering spirits, and her own family’s connection to this extraordinary place. Set against a backdrop of holiday wonder, post–Civil War history, and gentle magical realism, The Secrets of Hollybrooke Manor is a heartfelt middle-grade mystery about courage, compassion, and discovering that differences can be powerful gifts.

The She Shed

Jensen Beach, Florida is a quaint coastal town once revered as the “land that time forgot.” The place where big city dwellers come for vacation. It was once known for its beautiful sandy beaches, breezy ocean air, pleasant year-round weather, frilly cocktails, hometown boutique shops, restaurants, and ocean activities. The town is also home to some unsavory characters and its many hidden skeletons—literally. When Aunt Adeline goes missing, it is up to her niece, Charlotte, to uncover the clues of her deeply hidden family secrets and the town she calls home. Enjoy the dual narrative from both Aunt Adeline’s and Charlotte’s point of view. Discover secrets the She Shed holds, the importance of friendship, and the true meaning of family.
Published: Dec. 25, 2022
ISBN: 979-8985578362

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