Our opinions and presumptions are often shaped by our underlying perceptions. Those perceptions, in turn, are often shaped by what’s happening in society. Consider our thinking about it means to be ‘old.’ As our lifespans increase, as medicine improves, and as economic necessity dictates, many people who once would have been considered ‘old’ are still in very good health. Many are full-time employees. Even those who’ve retired from professional life may work part-time, or volunteer, or in some other way remain very active members of the community. As you might have guessed, crime fiction reflects this change, too.

Agatha Christie wrote several elderly characters (including, of course, Miss Jane Marple). In The Hollow, for instance, we meet Lady Lucy Angkatell. Christie describes her as having:

‘…extraordinary pervasive charm that Lucy had wielded all her life and that even now, at over sixty, had not failed her.’

Lady Lucy is an older woman, with ‘…still graceful shoulders.’ Her husband, Sir Henry, has retired from diplomatic life. They’re portrayed as old, but not what you’d call feeble. They’re both intelligent and take an interest in life. And, when a murder occurs at a weekend house party they host, they are mixed up in the investigation.

Not all of Christie’s elderly characters are as vibrant, if that’s the word. In Taken at the Flood, there’s an elderly former soldier, Major Porter, who belongs to the same club as Hercule Poirot, and who is ‘the club bore.’ He goes on about the past and certainly isn’t spry. His ramblings play a role in Poirot’s investigation of some unexplained deaths in the small town of Warmsley Vale.

Fans of Patricia Wentworth’s Maude Silver will know that she is elderly, and in many ways, is treated in the traditionally ‘old lady’ way. She spends a lot of time knitting, she doesn’t get about a lot (although she’s not housebound or an invalid), and so on. She’s often underestimated, too, as people don’t imagine that a ‘little old lady’ like Miss Silver can really contribute. And yet, as we know, Miss Silver has her ways to getting involved in cases, of solving crimes, and of being heard, if you like.

Older characters in modern crime fiction are even more active and involved in life. For example, Inger Ash Wolfe/Michael Redhill’s Chief Inspector Hazel Micallef is a member of the Ontario Police Service (OPS). In her sixties, she works in the small town of Port Dundas and has a more-than-full-time job. Her mother,  Emily, who is in her eighties, is retired, but she’s a very active member of the local community, and her experience as the former mayor of Port Dundas means that she knows a lot about the town. That knowledge is often helpful to her daughter.

In Tim Svart’s Sacrifice, Essen police detective Karrenburg and his team investigate the death of a young woman who, it turns out, was an escort who did occasional sex work. In the course of finding out about her clients and the other people in her life, the team interviews Karl-Heinz Köenig and his wife. Köenig retired from running a very successful construction company. He’s by no means feeble, although he did have a heart attack. In fact, he has a strong personality. He takes an active interest in life and in his business, despite no longer working full-time. His insights prove very helpful to Kerrenburg and the team.

Vito Zuppardo’s True Blue Detective introduces us to seventy-one-year-old Zack Nelson, who’s a retired New Orleans police detective. He’s moved to a senior living facility called Riverside Hotel and has started to make some friends. Then, a series of disturbing incidents, including deaths, begin to take place at the facility. Those incidents seem to be linked to an attempt on the life of Zack’s daughter-in-law, so as you can guess, he’s very much involved. Detective Mario DeLuca investigates what’s going on, and he works closely with Zack and three of his fellow residents to find out the truth. Zack and his friends may be older, but they are active and involved in life. They’re portrayed as smart and capable, and more than once, they get in and out of dangerous situations.

There’s also Erik D’Souza’s Suzanne Rickman and her husband, Charles. They’ve retired and are now living in a senior community on Canada’s West Coast. In Death in Halfmoon Bay, they are drawn in a murder investigation when a fellow resident is poisoned. The members of the community are in their sixties and older, but they are active and have busy lives. Some work, some are involved in the local community, and some do other things. But they’re portrayed as having full modern lives.

And that’s the thing about the way older characters are now being portrayed. Yes, older adults have aches and pains and sometimes have a bad back, use a cane or wear hearing aids. But, as times have changed and lifespans have increased, older people are taking on much more active roles than they used to, even if they’re retired from working life. No longer are they always the stereotypical older person sitting on a porch in a rocking chair or wearing a ‘granny’ dress and baking cakes and pies. Today’s older adults are creators, political activists, teachers, business entrepreneurs, and more. So, it’s no wonder that modern crime novels portray them as important characters.

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from the Beatles’ When I’m Sixty-Four.