How Many Old Ladies Will Die? (A Marge Christensen Mystery) by Patricia K. Batta is a murder mystery. Marge Christensen is visiting her mother in a nursing home in Michigan. She doesn’t think her mother should be there, but she is fighting against her sister and doesn’t seem to be able to make herself heard. All of a sudden, Marge finds herself wound up in a mystery with her aunt. Two elderly ladies have died in separate nursing homes and there is something suspicious going on. Their greatest fear is that Marge’s mother may be the next victim and they battle against time to find out if the deaths were natural or if someone is killing off the old ladies. The question is, if they are, why? Along the way, Marge is about to find out a few truths about her own family, things she ever knew before.

An intriguing story, How Many Old Ladies will Die? (A Marge Christensen Mystery) by Patricia K. Batta was written in an easy to understand manner. I enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t all about murder; there were some interesting facets that concentrated on the family and their relationships with one another, rather like two stories in one. It made a nice change from reading murder mysteries that are focused entirely on the victims. I understand that there are four more books in this series and I would not mind having a look at them some time. All in all, a good read, well written, and a captivating story.

How Many Old Ladies Will Die? A Marge Christensen Mystery is written by Patricia K. Batta. Marge visits her sick mother Edith at the care facility with her Aunt Valerie and resentful sister, Diane. Edith reveals that an elderly patient was murdered and she fears her friend Betty, who may have seen the killer, will be the next victim. Diane scoffs at her mother, but Marge and Aunt Valerie, concerned for Edith’s safety, learn that a patient died suspiciously at another care home. Someone assaults Betty, and Marge believes Mrs. Mortensen, a dying patient, may be able to assist them with information. Detective Porter warns Marge not to interfere, but she ignores his advice, which may endanger her mother and more elderly women because the killer lurks nearby.

It is my first time reading one of Patricia K. Batta’s novels, but it will not be the last. How Many Old Ladies Will Die? A Marge Christensen Mystery, although a light-hearted novel, is suspenseful and engaging with mild violence. Apart from the case that puzzles Marge, she and her family have serious personal problems that also need solving. I like the way in which the author inserted these problems into the story and how she tackled each one. A few characters were able to give their perspective opinions through the intense narrative chapters, so that was interesting too. The story has a good plot with a well-developed sequence of events, strong-willed characters and smooth flowing dialogue. I enjoyed reading this book.