julia &
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

SO GOOD!! PROBABLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE READS THIS YEAR

old ppl hobbies

you messed with the wrong ladies man

retirement-age hitwomen????? SIGN ME UP, I said, and this book did not lead me astray. I loved it.

bad ass old ladies

luv to see it!!!!

I liked it. I just wish there was more action or maybe not as many flashbacks. I think I would enjoy it as a movie. I did like how they were good friends to each other. You could certainly tell that were part of the book crowd! Other than the basics, we don't get to really know the characters that much. It's really so surface level knowledge, we if I were on a need to know basis. Maybe the author is planning a series and reach book will focus on one assassin? It was a good reminder to myself to get back into yoga.

this book played in my mind like a movie starring maryl streep, judy dench, helen mirren and julie andrews and to be honest i couldn't put it down.

I’m not usually into mysteries/thrillers but because of the storyline and perspective it was told in it kept me interested throughout. Good read overall imo

They had me at retired female assassins! I loved all of the flashbacks to their past ops and listening to these women overcome their societal challenges to kick some major patriarchal butt! I found myself often trying to cast the characters while listening. It was hard to keep track of the extremely large cast of good guys, bad guys, and those in between (maybe had I read it physically it would have been easier) but I gave my physical copy to my sister to read because I loved the story line so much, and that's got to count for something.

It reminded me a bit of the John Wick movies with a tad bit of “The Heat” but overall it was enjoyable

When 4 female assassins in their 60's decide to retire and take a cruise to celebrate, they are shocked to discover that The Museum, the company they had worked for, put a kill order out on them. After barely surviving, the four women lay low until they can figure out why they have become targets and who wants them dead. Even though they have lived very different lives, each of their skills comes back into play as they work to outlast those hunting them, while they hatch a plan to save themselves.

Some parts of Killers of a Certain Age are enjoyable, but much of the story is a disappointment. The story is told in multiple timelines. Most takes place in the present, but there are flashbacks to the recruitment of the women and their initial assignment. Other events are highlighted that reflect on the mystery and who might be involved. One of the best parts of the narrative is seeing how well the women adapted to a mostly male profession. However, a plot involving a group of women should contain more emotion and humor, which this one is lacking due to very little character development. Overall, Killers of a Certain Age is a fine mystery that doesn't really live up to expectation.

I wanted a juicer ending because it felt pretty dull. But I loved the lot and overall I was captivated and thoroughly enjoyed reading this

            There used to be a point where Americans could dream about retiring.  My husbands parents are retired, they spend most of their days at their lake house in northern Indiana, only visiting their primary residence every now and then.  Most of Americans today can’t fathom having the ability to retire, it’s just not an economic possibility for most people born after, say, 1965.  The cost of living has continued to increase but wages haven’t, making it impossible to save money.  On top of that, what used to be pensions, which weren’t connected to the stock market, are now called 401k plans, which are.  That means that a lot of the money socked away for retirement is in a volatile location and frequently loses value.  Most of us realize we’ll be working until we die, which sucks but what can we do about it? 

            These women were prepared and ready for the days of relaxation, free from the stress of the jobs they spent their lives doing.  They’re living the dream…except…they all used to be assassins, and the only way out of that life is to be assassinated.  Unfortunately, they’re blissfully unaware of that, thinking the company they worked for was just sending them on a lovely, end of career cruise.  In what can only be called an obvious sequence of events, an attempt on their lives happened almost immediately.  Being the career survivors they are, they managed to get out of it and went on the run. 

            The whole book is pretty formulaic, however, it’s funny as hell.  Following the antics of older, yet still very capable, trained killers was a blast.  I didn’t enjoy the back and forth timelines, that style is becoming absurdly overdone and I’d rather it just stopped.  It’s a fun book, even if it is a tad predictable. 

Truly delightful, and a beautiful portrayal of female friendship and how it changes over the decades. Fun, fast, and a superb audio book listening experience.

Fun, fast-paced, very similar to Thursday Murder Club so if you enjoyed that but want an all-women cast of MCs, you've found your book.

Rating from half read, not full. This book was dry.

I picked up Killers of a certain Age as a short time read, easy entertainment and a break in between other books after seeing how many of my fellow readers (whose judgement I trust) enjoyed this heaps. It ended up being all that while just taking me a little longer to finish it, but it was an easy read and I was entertained. Why am I still somehow disappointed?

Maybe I read too many of the quotes and jumped on the bandwagon too quickly to have forgotten at least some of them again. Maybe I just hoped to form a bit more of a connection with the characters, but the truth is: I just didn’t.

This read a bit like the feminist counter-draft to those 2010 RED movies, which I found hilariously entertaining, but are as forgettable as they come. I was not really surprised by any of the plot twists, neither did I particularly care? I just lacked a connection to the characters to be anything other than mildly entertained while having the odd chuckle about the quick witted responses sometimes or a fit of rage due to the acutely accurate descriptions of women’s lives, struggles and fights in a world designed and still ruled by men.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a good read. It did not keep me on the edge of my seat, but maybe it would have been a better choice for a cozy, rainy afternoon to relax.

We’ll written romping, unpretentious fun.

This book is so good.

The writing is brilliant. The characters are great. I laughed out loud so many times.

The storyline and pacing kept me entertained and wanting more the whole time.

Simply delightful. I recommend to everyone. It’s fun and engaging and I want to hang out with them always.

Starts off strong before sagging in the middle and getting predictable, still fun tho

"I want to work. To make my own life."

This book was incredible! From page one to the last, I was enthralled and entertained by the four retired assassins we meet.

The writing is witty and clever and the ladies conversations are humorous but with all the heart that comes with female friendships that have been forged under fire (literally). My goddess, I want to be them when I grew up. Each character was perfect and their own unique voice; as did the side characters. The author did a phenomenal job of giving everyone - from the side characters to the villain's - full complete lives.

The commentary on women working in a "traditionally" man's role is satisfying. I kept nodding my head and say "damn straight!" in my head every time they proved the world wrong that women (in their 60s mind you!) are as bad ass and smart as any other person in the field.

On that note, I also deeply appreciated that this story centers around older women (I hate saying that sometimes) because it's not often that I read books where they are out there living full and complete lives outside of hearth and home. It's important that we see aging not as a death sentence but as gaining wisdom and strength and intelligence!

All the stars! I need this to be made into a movie ASAP!!!!!!

Killers of a Certain Age was so much freaking fun. This is a comedic thriller with heart and hot flashes, and I loved every second of it. The only book I’ve ever read by Deanna Raybourn before was the first Veronica Speedwell mystery, A Curious Beginning. And, while I was charmed by Veronica, I’m infatuated with Billie and the other Sphinxes. Which kind of blows my mind, as comedic thrillers aren’t exactly a story type that tends to entice me. I’m very glad I made an exception for this one, though, because Killers of a Certain Agelived up to its very amusing premise.

Imagine four women who are, at the tender age of 20 or so, recruited to a privately run conglomeration of assassins, primarily tasked with hunting down Nazis and dictators and child traffickers and the like. These four women are trained up into an incredible team, the first all-female team in the history of their nameless organization. And they rock at their job for forty years, when they are gently put out to pasture and sent on a retirement cruise. Where it turns out there is a hit out on all four of them. The women are forced into hiding and must figure out who burned them and why, in hopes of saving their lives. And their pensions. That’s the story of Billie, Mary Alice, Natalie, and Helen, and what an entertaining story it is.

Billie is our perspective character and the unofficial leader of this group of femme fatales, code-named the Sphinxes. I loved being in her head. She’s far from flawless as a character, but that’s kind of the point. The snark level, both internally and between her and the rest of the cast, was absolutely perfect. While I was invested in the actual plot, it was the sass and humor that won me over so quickly. Everyone was quippy in believable ways, and their timing was just as on point as the pacing of the plot.

Something I really loved about this book was the age of the protagonists. There don’t seem to be many works of genre fiction centered around older protagonists, especially older female protagonists. All of our main characters here are in their 60s, and I found that level of life experience really refreshing, especially in such a fast-paced and high risk profession. I loved the blend of action with topics like menopause and breast cancer and outliving a spouse. The balance was pretty good, though I actually wish there had been more of these topics covered throughout the action.

I thoroughly enjoyed Killers of a Certain Age. It reminded me very much of the 2010 movie Red, starring Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren, but if Helen replaced her male costars with some other badass women. I love that movie, so I very much mean that comparison as a praise. If you’re looking for something fast-paced and funny, action-packed and feminist, I highly recommend this book. It was a joy to read.

Picture Helen Mirren or Meryl Streep or even Sally Field kickin' ass and takin' names, and you have this book. Raybourn flips the script on the stereotypical action hero trope, and instead of giving you bulky men who never seemed to get winded, you get women in their 60s who can still kill you, but they need to do some yoga after to realign their back. The concept is so brilliant; I can't believe no one's done it before (at least to my knowledge.) I adored every minute of it. It was fast-paced and action-packed but also had such humor and heart to it. There was never any moment when I was bored. I also was never able to guess what would happen next, and I love that when it comes to mysteries/thrillers. Raybourn is like that cool aunt who will let you do whatever you want but will also call you out on all your nonsense, and I love that about her. She manages to bring that vibe to all of her books, and it continues to be one of the reasons she's my favorite. If you're in the mood for a wild spy adventure filled with strong women, look no further then this.