Murder in the Kitchen, by Alan Orloff

 "Murder in the Kitchen," by Alan  Orloff, in Agatha and Derringer Get Cozy, Down and Out Books, 2024.

I have a story in this book.

This is the second appearance in this column for Orloff. 

The trick when writing about something trendy is to pick one that will still be trendy when the tale is finally published.  In this case, the author chose well.  The scene is a pickleball tournament for seniors:

This year had proven to be more successful than last year's event, mirroring the explosive growth of pickleball around the world. The players liked it, the spectators liked it, and the area orthopedists liked it, too, because their business had increased right along with the sport's popularity. 

From that you may deduce that this is not a terribly serious story.  In fact, wit is its main charm.

Our hero is Morty Weissbaum, program director of the community's 55+ group.  His problems start when one of the finalists for the doubles match is found dead on the court.  Looks like a heart attack ("I think his cardiologist was on speed dial"), but anyone who reads crime fiction knows better.

Morty investigates, meeting with the dead man's enemies and acquaintances (he doesn't seem to have any friends). For example, there is the community bookie: "I even got a pool going to predict the next resident to fall and break a hip.  You want to put some money on that?"

A witty story with a clever solution.