This was a new author to me and this was a really good read. This was an excellent cozy mystery with an edge that kept me engaged and reading till the end. Great quirky characters and I want to move to Peace River Village.1 Alex HugieAuthor 1 book7

Despite its deceptively tranquil title, Peace River Village channels the thrilling mystery of a kidnapping plot through vivid, delightful, and fascinating character psychology.


I've never read a thriller this centered on protagonists from a retirement community. It was interesting to see that world, specifically several retired cops and investigators, intersect with the scandalous mystery of Jennifer's disappearance. It reminded me a bit of Taken but with a domestic Florida setting and without the ruthless Liam Neeson vow of vengeance. So it was a fresh take on a trafficking plot.

The book provides a vivid, delightful, and fascinating look into the psychology of not only the victim, Jennifer, but the villain, Daniel Grand. Jennifer's wacky dreams about manatees and cockroach armies at first seem baffling, but we soon realize that this is Jennifer's brain trying to process her predicament and use psychological defense mechanisms to keep her mind off her awful reality.

As for Lieutenant Grand, we only get a couple glimpses into his dark past, but it's enough to understand at least part of how he ends up as messed up as he is. His imaginary, potentially schizophrenic friend Ingram gives us great insight into his twisted thought processes, how he can live such a diabolical double life—having a family and young kids and a prestigious police position, while at the same time hiring Venezuelan drug and sex traffickers and murdering and prostituting minors. We thoroughly hate him, but we can see some of the pain that destroyed him as a child. In fact, this could be seen as a sort of poetic parallel to Jennifer, who also had abusive/neglectful parents and must beat the odds to create a brighter future in spite of the wrongs done to her.

The book is filled with excitement and fun characters. I particularly enjoyed Art and Jarvis's bromantic relationship, appreciating how two men with such different worldviews can find common ground and be not only best friends but effective partners in solving crime. Even Carlos and Iker provide an interesting brotherly dynamic; while they're both horrible, we interestingly find more to sympathize with Iker, the older, "weird," "more violent" one, than his younger, more attractive sibling.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review Joan Jordan51 2

Peace River Village is an upscale retirement community with several former police officers living on one street. When a resident's teenaged granddaughter goes missing, and the local police write her off as a runaway, the residents band together to track down Jennifer. In so doing, they uncover a scheme of drug and human trafficking involving the local police lieutenant who is slated to be the next Chief of Police.

Though parts of the books were quite humorous and enjoyable, and I did want to read to the end to see if the teenager was safe, there were too many elements that just didn't make sense to me. The girl who was taken on Saturday was still in the city three days later, and though I have no inside knowledge, it seems to me that traffickers are going to get the victim away from the locale as swiftly as possible since that is where the concentrated search will be. But then again, these Venezuelan brothers were bumblers, at best and had a police lieutenant covering for them. Another element that didn't make sense was how a 70-something man was able to take out a man in his 20s with his bare hands. That just didn't ring true.

Finally, I felt that the writing and dialog were geared to a middle schooler. For example, one of the retirement residents asks, "Jennifer, will be a senior, right?" Lois asked? The reply: "Yes, it's her last year of high school." There are other instances of overly obvious text and dialog as well -- this is just one example.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own. Patti LiszkayAuthor 3 books44

What happens when a quartet of restless retired city cops who are at loose ends living in an idyllic Florida retirement community called Peace River Village are sicced on a pair of ruthless South American sex traffickers who’ve kidnapped the teenaged granddaughter of one of the Village residents?
The answer is in Christopher Amato’s terrifically entertaining new thriller, “Peace River Village.”
A vulnerable seventeen-year-old girl with a strung-out, drug-addicted mother is easily seduced then kidnapped by the handsome young front man for a sex-trafficking operation. When the girl’s worried grandmother reports her disappearance to the police the case is filed as a runaway and ignored for reasons that go beyond bureaucratic inertia; for there is more than one dangerous predator on the prowl in this small Florida town.
But when the distraught grandmother turns to her Peace River neighbors, it will take a village to find and save her granddaughter; and when four former police officers step up, the predators unknowingly become the prey.
“Peace River Valley” is an edge-of-your seat page-turner that pulls you in from the first page and keeps you engaged until the very satisfying end. A90 1 follower

Thank you Netgalley & Black Rose Writing for an eARC ??

I highly recommend Christopher Amato's thriller, "Peace River Village". Set in a seemingly idyllic retirement community, the story takes a dark turn when a teenage girl goes missing. Her grandmother's concerns are initially dismissed by the police, but a group of retired law enforcement officers take it upon themselves to investigate. As they dig deeper, they uncover a disturbing web of sex trafficking and corruption that threatens to destroy lives. With its skillful blend of suspense, intrigue, and humor, this book will keep you engrossed until the very end. The protagonists are endearing and relatable, while the antagonists are chillingly convincing. The author masterfully weaves together a complex plot that exposes the dark underbelly of even the most seemingly tranquil communities. Laura Pulaski63 6

When a teenage girl goes missing, her grandmother tries to report her absence to the Peace River Village police department, but the police captain quickly dismisses this as a typical teenage runaway case. Fortunately, the grandmother's neighbors just happen to be retired law enforcement and refuse to accept the police captain's conclusion. Despite the obstacles, the neighbors are determined to put their resources together to find the missing girl. A thoroughly captivating read with crime, corruption, deception, and sometimes humor that will keep the reader rooting for the good guys and hissing at the bad guys. ~ LeeAnne James, Award-winning author of Justice for Loretta and Murder at Gatewood. Gail Dwyer5 1 follower

Truth in advertising: I just got my Medicare card and I live in Florida where most of my neighbors are also retired. Set in a similar environment, I could relate to the retired characters in Amato's crime thriller, Peace River Village. His characters are real and fun, with diverse backgrounds connected by law enforcement backgrounds. I love seeing retired people find a purpose and make a difference! Amato writes from experience and it shows. As his cast of retired police officers looked into the mysterious disappearance of a neighbor’s granddaughter, I found myself anxious, intrigued, and hopeful. I recommend this entertaining read and hope to read more in the future about the retired folks from Peace River! Cam TorrensAuthor 2 books59

When a neighbor’s granddaughter goes missing near their Florida retirement community, four retired cops team up to crack the case. But with their advancing years and a penchant for mischief, these wise-cracking detectives may have bitten off more than they can chew. Christopher Amato's "Peace River Village" is a hilarious crime caper with unforgettable characters and non-stop action. Amato’s prose is crisp and the stakes are high! "Peace River Village" is perfect for fans of Richard Osman's "The Thursday Murder Club" and the classic film Cocoon.adult brw fiction ...more Gregory D. Lee2

Chris Amato has hit it out of the park again with this timely psychological thriller. His characters performing authentic police procedures is an added bonus making the story more riveting then it already is. Barbara TsipourasAuthor 1 book34

I'm sorry, but this book didn't catch me. The ex-cops acted much too slow, the bad guy was too stupid, the victim had no character at all. All in all the story wasn't really believable and the writing wasn't very good. Sylvia Owens3

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