La Petit Refuge

La Petit Refuge is a 'dime novel' featuring a retired homicide detective living in a Florida retirement home. When the doctors told JB he could no longer live alone, his niece found the La Petit Refuge. JB's assets precluded his moving to an upscale retirement community. La Petit Refuge, a repurposed Ramada Inn, served a population of middle-class retirees. JB's pension and social security covered the monthly cost. JB's homicide investigative skills, long dormant, were called upon when the rivalry between the Irish 'family' and the Puerto Rican 'syndicate' resurfaced after it was discovered Bloody Boyle was a La Petit Refuge resident. Meanwhile, the Boynton Beach Commissioner's gambling habit had him deeply in debt to the Seminole Casino. The Indian Chief was priming his 'gators' if payment wasn't forthcoming. The commissioner's plan centered on condemning the retirement community's property and building high-end condos with resulting kickbacks, thus solving his problems. JB's great-niece, a HUD attorney, was from Washington, DC and she was there to help.