Crime Detective Mystery Thriller Group discussion

Am I alone in really disliking any mystery that features an amateur sleuth over 50 years old?

I am 67 years old and I find such stories, totally ludicrous and unbelievable! No way do I even have the slightest interest in reading such a book!

I dislike it when they are over 70 years. I love in a retirement home by the time your are in the seventies your body doesn't allow you to do many things. As more people aged I feel they will remain active. My paternal grandmother taught first grade in her nineties.

Betty wrote: "I dislike it when they are over 70 years. I love in a retirement home by the time your are in the seventies your body doesn't allow you to do many things. As more people aged I feel they will remai..."

No, can't say I dislike elderly sleuths at all. If the sleuth is good at what he or she does, meaning the author knows who to write a good whodunit, age doesn't matter to me. The most famous, of course, would be Hericule Poirot and Jane Marple.
However, the story has to be realistic. I recall being very turned off when Dorothy Gilman's Emily Polifax fell of a horse in an adventure - one example - and although she did hurt herself, the amount of trauma her body was listed as having was waaay underrated and unrealistic. An elderly lady falls off a horse and even without major injury she is going to be seriously bruised and battered for a few days!

MaryJo wrote: ...An elderly lady falls off a horse and even without major injury she is going to be seriously bruised and battered for a few days!"

Even my mother slows down from that occasionally & she's 78. Still rides with the hunt & often rides a few horses a day. Last time she came off, she broke some ribs & it was a month before she was riding again - sooner than I would have been. I don't know how she stood pulling on the reins.

i love elderly sleuths. I think too many people think elderly means incapable or stupid. I love to hear a sleuth is over 55 or not 5.3 and 100 pounds sopping wet. Give me more diversity. I have many friends that are 65 plus and they still play competitive volleyball and travel to away tournaments and totally enjoy themselves. Sure recovery is harder and they have the typical aches and pains but turning 60 does not mean slowing down or becoming senile. Bring on the diversity!

Many elderly sleuths still have those 'little gray cells'!

Ladies, I respect your opinions, but some of you are missing the point. A person can be a good sleuth no matter how old they are. It's their mind that makes them a good investigator. Remember Ironside, a 1960s TV show that depicted a wheelchair-bound cop (Raymond Burr) who investigated and solved crimes. His legs didn't work anymore -- thanks to a sniper's bullet -- but his mind was sharper than ever.

True, but I didn't care for Ironside, either! Don't/Didn't watch any of those "old people-characters" shows!

Over 70 if the physicality seems unlikely, though there certainly are those over 70 that are in peak physical condition. But if it doesn’t involve ridiculous stamina then no, it doesn’t bother me. Sleuthing is observation and intelligence and intellectual curiosity and that is certainly present in tons of people over 50.

I dislike them. I am a senior myveryownself.

Most of the elderly sleuths I have read make a habit of early bedtimes and daytime naps and just life observations. It is a goal of mine to outlast many on the volleyball court - let's just say I have seen the backside of 50 for a while - I think it makes more sense because I for one am looking forward to spending more time after I retire paying attention to the details...

I really enjoy reading a mystery that has an older witty sleuth.

I've never read a novel in which any sleuth takes a nap. Have you? If so, time to stop reading! If by elderly, you mean experienced yet mentally agile, I'll read that. It all depends on the writer.