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

More violent than expected but still charming. A group of elderly female friends celebrates their retirement from a 40 year career as assassins only to uncover a plot against them. Together the group must figure out who put the hit order on their head and fight for their lives!

Thrilling and funny and full of female rage that some readers will find relatable and cathartic.

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted 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

4.0

Killers of a Certain Age was such a fun, cathartic read. Billie, Natalie, Helen and Mary Alice have worked for the Museum for forty years but now they’ve turned sixty they are being forced to retire. However, the Museum is actually a secret international organisation, they worked as highly trained assassins, and soon discover that a hit has been ordered on them. It’s kill or be killed.

Older badass women refusing to take patriarchal, sexist, ageist or any sort bs, constantly being underestimated by others and defying those low expectations, relying on themselves and each other. Yes please! Who cares that it wasn’t believable. It was riotous read with lots of witty, snarky, pointed dialogue, and plenty of action-packed scenes. Recommended reading for when you are full of rage, since Billie and friends get to do what you feel like doing but can’t (at least not without major repercussions).

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mandkips's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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belial's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

3.25

fun read not meant to be taken seriously, it isn't exactly the paragon of good writing but it's great to turn your brain off

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kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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oceanwriter's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

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

2.0

The summary of this book promises a lot. When I saw it was included in the Book of the Month lineup, I made this my selection for the month without even looking at the others being offered. At a glance, it sounds like an action-packed take on the Golden Girls. In a way, it is, but as far as the story is concerned, it fell through the cracks for me.

Having spent most of their lives working as assassins, Billie, Natalie, Mary Alice, and Helen are heading into retirement. What they think is a grand send-off turns out to be a setup. Is there such a thing as retirement for people who know too much? Their vacation turns into a game of survival.

I'm grateful to have read this as part of a buddy read because I was feeling bad about my lack of interest past the first chapter. The person I was reading with had many of the same thoughts as the story progressed, the biggest quip being how difficult the story was to follow. I'm no stranger to non-linear timelines. In a lot of cases I enjoy them more than going straight from A to Z. Unfortunately, this was not one of those situations. I didn't find the story at all engaging and it was crasser than I care for.

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amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

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kimveach's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Despite all the killing, Killers of a Certain Age was a fun read. Only the main character, Billie/the narrator, was fully fleshed out as a character, but if this becomes a series, I hope we'll get to know the rest as well. The assassinations were both inventive and exciting. I think you'd like this book if you prefer a slightly humorous take on assassins. I especially liked the depictions of women around the age of 60.

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