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.
This isn't always my genre - I'm a fan of mysteries, but not high body counts (which is weird as I also love zombie fiction! I think it's a genre thing.) but I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try this one, and I'm so glad I did! This is funny, subervise, clever and just a great read all around.
I'm not always a fan of stories where the time periods switch back and forth, but I thought it worked well here, largely because the flashback stuff is mostly training and early missions - it makes sense for our heroes to be thinking back on those things as the story progressed. It was interesting to get an insight into their early years and what made them the women they were by the time we 'met' them.
However, for all I enjoyed this and had fun reading it, I found that when I put it down, I wasn't desperate to get back to it - it wasn't unputdownable. It's good to have reads like that, of course, for times when we do have to stop reading! But I'm noting it because I know lots of readers like to know.
The humour running through this, even in the darker moments, is brilliant. The ladies are a wonderful found family and watching them help and support each other is so lovely. I don't want to give any spoilers, but some of the supporting characters are amazing in their own right - I would definitely read about the adventures of one in particular!
I definitely recommend this for an interesting, innovative take on the spy thriller genre. Hopefully it brings about a new wave of this type of fiction!
Killers of a Certain Age publishes on the 6th of September, 2022, in the US (top image) and on the 8th of September, 2022 in the UK (lower image). I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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