Reviews with content warning for Grief - Killers of a Certain Age

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

55 reviews

elizabeth_lepore's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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jhbandcats's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny informative lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A clever and witty tale of retiree assassins who are targeted by their own agency for removal. People generally don’t pay much attention to old women so they can slip past unnoticed - a good skill for a killer. They’re always underestimated by ageist misogynists and that’s definitely to the detriment of the person making the wrong assumption.

This book is a really violent cozy mystery - not very cozy at all but with cozy main characters, four women who’ve studied and killed together for forty years. We learn about their training and how it molded these women into such dangerous assassins. They’re comfortable together, playing off each other’s talents and covering for each other’s weaknesses.

It’s very funny - instead of a James Bond sort of suave killer, these women are coping with osteoporosis and bad backs. I love their strength and resilience, but even more I love that they didn’t take any $hit from anyone. Definitely a hit book for older women readers!

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laceym18's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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lindsayerin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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bekah1210's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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bessadams's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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thenovelmaura's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I was torn between 3.5 and 4 stars for this one; it was a fun read despite its flaws. My book club enjoyed it as a whole, and we particularly enjoyed the New Orleans setting and the candid discussions of menopause. Honestly, it was refreshing to read a book where the main characters weren't in their 20s or 30s, especially when the main characters were assassins who had some very creative ways of killing people.

The characterization left something to be desired, as Billie was the only one of the women with a distinctive voice. I did like Mary Alice and Naomi's relationship dynamic and how that ended up playing into the story. While I enjoyed the training flashbacks at the beginning, they were pretty drawn out towards the end, and Billie's love interest felt highly superfluous. But again, if you can stop yourself from overthinking it, this ends up being an entertaining and action-packed read (with a clear warning not to underestimate the retirees in your life).

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