Death on the Lanai is book 2 in Rachel Ekstrom Courage’s Golden Girls series, featuring the characters from the beloved television show.
In book two the girls receive a mysterious invitation to a gala on a remote island, and not knowing which one of them it’s for, they all decide to accept and attend together. The host turns out to be one of Blanche’s former flames. Unfortunately the party goers are stranded when a severe storm cuts them off from the mainland,, and when the girls find their host’s body the next morning, they must determine which of the other guests killed him or if his death was an accident.
The sarcasm and snappy comebacks are strong in this book, just like they were in the television show. In fact I swear I could picture, and hear the characters in my head as I read the book.
The characters also remember and sometimes bring up memories from the television show, so if you’re a fan I’m sure you’ll enjoy that aspect of the book. I enjoyed it for the most part, but closer to the end of the book there were times when I wished the author would just get on with the mystery.
I also got a bit frustrated with how the book portrayed Rose as stupid. Yes, she was naïve on the show, and occasionally misunderstood things, but the book made it seem like she had no intelligence, whatsoever.
The mystery itself was interesting, and the other guests made plausible suspects.
If you are a Golden Girls fan, and enjoy cozy mysteries, I think you’ll love this book. If you aren’t familiar with the show, this book may not appeal to you due to the number of references to episodes of the show.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Death on the Lanai will be available on June 2 2026.
Life, Tea, and Everything 