Title: Keeping Pepper
Author: Scott Brody
Genre: Fiction, Mystery Detective
Book Length: 248 pages (print)
Book Type: eBook
Year Published: September 25, 2023
Date Started: December 29, 2023
Date finished: January 2, 2024
This story is about an older man named Pepper who lives in a nursing home. His friends come by and take him on a road trip without letting the nursing home know of it. Pepper has dementia but he’s still very capable. He enjoys spending time with all his friends and even got close to one of the women. He also enjoys listening to the radio and decides to call into the station one day using a fake name, so the police don’t locate him. One thing leads to another, and Pepper finds himself kidnapped by a caller who is obsessed with him. Everyone goes looking for him, including the police, but Pepper is a smart man and still has his strength, so he is able to get away from the kidnapper.
This was an enjoyable story. I liked how dementia played into Pepper’s character. I also liked how adventurous Pepper was. He still had a lot to live for even though he knew his situation. The friend group all getting along was welcoming. It was like they all wanted to relive old times. Things don’t always go as they used to at their age and I’m glad that a situation was thrown in to show that. The writing was beautiful and created a calm atmosphere. The mystery-thriller was a surprise. I wasn’t expecting that at all, but I liked it. That gave the story a bit of a twist and excitement.
Who should read this book: This was an adult slice-of-life read with a great friendship theme as well as a focus on dementia. The mystery/thriller/detective was a great add. You’ll definitely enjoy it for its calm and smooth storytelling.
From My Corner of the Universe 