Digging Up Otis
by T. Dawn Richard.

Worldwide paperback, 251 pages. 2007.
Contemporary. California.

these senior citizens land in more mischief than you can imagine!

“My hands shook as I fumbled with the keys. I couldn’t get them in the darned hole and poked a few more times before Ted gently took them and opened the door. 

‘I need an aspirin or something stronger,’ I said, rummaging through my purse. ‘Got any Percocet?’ 

‘Percocet?’ 

‘Valium, Percodan, Vicodin, Demerol. Morphine?’ I dumped my purse onto the bed. Nothing. Just junk – a comb, tissue, wallet, and an old roll of breath mints. ‘Oh, hell and damn. Damn it all to hell.’ I sat hard on the edge of the bed and sulked. 

‘May. You don’t use those words.’ Ted lifted an eyebrow. 

‘Please don’t tell the choir.’ I fell backward on top of my junk, arms wide. 

‘It’ll be in the next church bulletin,’ Ted joked, ‘May List says Hell.’ 

‘I learned that from the preacher.’ 

‘Change that, May List gets Hell from the preacher.’ 

‘And all the people said?’ 

‘Amen!’ Ted smiled and I felt the tension slip, a little. 

‘Ted, do you think I’m backsliding?’ I’d just used two words of profanity, and my moral standing was on shaky ground. 

Ted slid a had under my rear end and felt around. ‘Not much, but it’s a little saggy.’ 

I punched Ted right in the gut.”
 

When one of their friends at the Waning Years Estates goes missing, her friends call May Bell List, who has married and moved to another state. May flies out to visit them, her doctor husband following soon after. May is the youngest at the age of 66.  

Soon, a body is found and identified as Otis, their friend, and a funeral soon follows. But there are serious questions. Otis always had a chest tattoo and they later remember that this body didn’t. That, and other little things, make them suspicious enough to go dig up the body in the graveyard to take a closer look and get fingerprints. But it gets more and more complicated with more and more suspects involved.

This little bit of a story may appeal to a number of people as amusing, funny and good reading, but to me it was outlandish and far overdone. It had its moments, but I felt like I would never reach the end at times. Unfortunately, there was a story with these characters preceding this so reading this story was catch-up time. Wish I could say it was a hilarious, good read, but instead, I will say it had some amusing moments amongst a very jumbled up plot.

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