You don't have to wait for the next scheduled event. It's easy to keep the excitement going in your assisted living apartment through riveting stories available from the local library and streaming sites such as Tubi and Pluto.
These resources provide a vast collection of titles for perusal, so we've put together eight recommendations to help thrill-seekers launch their next adventure.
First released in 1935, Alfred Hitchcocks' The 39 Steps paved the way for modern movies starring innocent men on the run.
The story, developed from a John Buchan novel by the same name, starts in London during a theater performance. An audience member, Richard Hannay, has a chance meeting with a spy and becomes entangled in a deadly plot to steal military secrets. After being framed for murder, Hannay has to find and outwit an organization of spies to clear his name.
Book One in the Lord Edgington Investigates series by Benedict Brown, this 1920s mystery novel stars a retired detective and his grandson racing to catch a killer targeting their family. Polished, with clever descriptions and humor throughout, the book offers readers a serious yet charming whodunit.
The story doesn't shy away from difficult topics such as betrayal and loss. It shows the older man struggling with depression after his wife's passing many years before, which only intensifies when two of his children become victims of the murderer.
However, it's in these personal struggles that the book shines by also showing Lord Edgington pulling himself out of despair and pursuing the criminal. Told from the grandson's perspective, the tale creates a poignant look at the legacy and life lessons seniors have to offer the younger members of their families.
Written by Mary Stewart in 1955, this romantic suspense novel takes place in France after World War II. The star of the adventure is Charity, the widow of a soldier.
The young woman hopes for a peaceful vacation enjoying the scenic countryside. Instead, she gets pulled into a quick-paced race to protect a frightened young boy from a dangerous enemy.
Inspired by true events, Caged No More brings the harsh reality of the modern slave trade to the big screen. The film focuses on the story of Aggie, a godmother who discovers her goddaughters are missing.
Viewers discover alongside her the unsettling truth that the girls were kidnapped by their father, who wishes to cover his drug debts by selling them overseas.
In a daring plan, Aggie enlists the aid of a philanthropist and his son, formerly in the Special Forces, to save the girls and bring them home safely.
Set in Russia in 1882, Long Way North is a beautifully depicted tale of the dangers explorers faced while searching for the North Pole.
The animated film follows the story of Sasha, a young aristocrat whose grandfather vanished during an expedition. When his name is publicly smeared, the girl daringly sets off on an adventure to save his reputation by following in his footsteps.
Perfect for viewing with visiting grandkids, the narrative skillfully and poignantly depicts the difficulties Sasha overcomes as a pampered noble with no money or skills to make her grandfather's dream come true.
The Pelican Brief offers seniors a quick-paced script based on a John Grisham novel. The film pulls viewers into a thick web of political maneuvers and cover-ups, keeping the action flowing from start to finish.
The main characters, a lawyer who knows too much and a skeptical reporter, dodge bullets and car bombs in an effort to reveal the truth behind the deaths of two Supreme Court justices.
Starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington, the movie uses the pair's acting skills and on-screen chemistry to pull the audience in and keep them on their toes.
Agent in Place is one of the last espionage novels published by Helen MacInnes. The wife of a former British intelligence officer, MacInnes keeps the Cold War thriller laced with suspense and realistic details.
The story entices readers along a path from Washington, D.C., to the French Riviera, with skillful depictions of locales based on the author's own travels through Europe.
Few thriller lists would be complete without the humorous and spunky antics of Emily Pollifax. The first in a series of spy novels starring a widow in her 60s, the story introduces the gutsy lady and how she became a courier for the CIA.
Her first assignment takes her to a bookstore in Mexico, where a simple task to exchange code phrases and drop off a package goes awry and lands her in jail.
First published in 1966, the book has aged well, making it just as fun for readers in contemporary times to read how Emily's resourcefulness and positive nature get her in and out of trouble as she saves the day.
