annieb123's Review of Killers of a Certain Age

by Deanna Raybourn

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

“This Golden Girls meets James Bond thriller is a journey you want to be part of.” -Buzzfeed

Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that’s their secret weapon.

They’ve spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can’t just retire – it’s kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller by New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills.

When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they’ve been marked for death.

Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They’re about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman—and a killer—of a certain age.

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Killers of a Certain Age is a well written cat-and-mouse mystery thriller by Deanna Raybourn. Released 6th Sept 2022 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 353 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is definitely (emphatically) not your grandmother's cozy mystery. These four competent former assassings resemble 007 way more than The Golden Girls. Recruited to the shadowy "Museum" in the 1970s, they're ready to retire now and taking a celebratory cruise together when they figure out that it's a lot easier to get into the hired killer business than it is to get out.

This has aspects of a buddy mystery thriller, as well as deft touches of espionage and all-around good storytelling. There are some graphic descriptions of murder and violence. The characterizations really shine here and all four of the main characters are completely distinct and well rendered - impossible to blend them together. It's razor-wire sharp but I was surprised how wryly humorous and warm it was at the same time.

Four stars. Very well done. Ms. Raybourn is a gifted writer who is clearly willing to put in the work necessary to write about difficult/unappealing crimes in a way that renders the protagonists relatable. Dual timeline flashbacks and current time narrative are used to good effect and make the story readable as well as moving the plot along.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Killers of a Certain Age

by Deanna Raybourn

Reviewed by annieb123 on Oct 31, 2022

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