{"product_id":"pickle-tickle-paperback","title":"Pickle Tickle - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003ePICKLE TICKLE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA dead pickleball champion. A retirement community obsessed with winning. And a wellness program that may be turning senior citizens into super-athletes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Florida private investigator \u003cstrong\u003eGumbo Malone\u003c\/strong\u003e is hired to look into the sudden death of a seventy-one-year-old pickleball star, the case sounds simple enough. The medical examiner ruled it a heart attack. The deceased had a known cardiac condition. Case closed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExcept his widow isn't buying it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNeither is a retired pharmacist, a suspicious pickleball coach, or several residents who have watched ordinary retirees transform into championship-level athletes seemingly overnight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePosing as a prospective resident, Gumbo infiltrates \u003cstrong\u003eSeaview Palms\u003c\/strong\u003e, a sprawling Florida retirement community where pickleball isn't just a hobby-it's practically a religion. Beneath the friendly smiles, HOA meetings, golf carts, and community dinners, he discovers a secret wellness program promising remarkable physical transformations for residents willing to pay for \"advanced performance optimization.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Gumbo follows the money trail, he uncovers hidden pharmaceutical inventories, questionable medical protocols, secret performance-enhancing treatments, and a financial scheme siphoning hundreds of thousands of dollars from unsuspecting homeowners.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut the deeper he digs, the more complicated the mystery becomes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMany of the participants aren't victims.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey knew exactly what they were doing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd some of them would gladly do it again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow Gumbo must determine whether a charismatic wellness guru crossed the line from helping people reclaim their youth to running a dangerous operation that may have contributed to a man's death-and whether the truth will destroy a community built on friendship, competition, and second chances.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFilled with eccentric Florida characters, laugh-out-loud dialogue, retirement-community politics, HOA drama, pickleball rivalries, colorful conspiracies, and the signature Sunshine State weirdness readers have come to expect, \u003cstrong\u003ePICKLE TICKLE\u003c\/strong\u003e is another wildly entertaining Gumbo Malone mystery where the stakes are high, the motives are complicated, and everyone seems to have an opinion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for fans of Florida mysteries, humorous crime fiction, private investigator novels, amateur sleuth adventures, Carl Hiaasen-style humor, retirement community mysteries, quirky crime capers, and character-driven whodunits filled with wit and heart.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68369961582815,"sku":"9798240980800","price":16.18,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/gVIpgsNDt-9798240980800.webp?v=1793728334","url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/products\/pickle-tickle-paperback","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}