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

This book had such an intriguing premise—female assassins in their sixties who are suddenly being hunted by their own organization? Sign me up! However, the execution here left much to be desired.

First off, we have four main characters but we only spend time in the head of one of them, and I thought this really made it hard to get to know our characters. The other three felt interchangeable to me, and even the narrator didn't do much to make me care for her or believe she cared for anyone else. The present storyline is interspersed with flashback scenes, and I enjoyed the trips to the past, where we see more of the assassins and learn a bit more about their motivations. That being said, their motivations never get much development beyond "troubled childhood and recruited at eighteen." I guess I wanted a deeper introspection into these characters' lives among all the action, and that's not what this book is.

I read this for a buddy chat and during our discussion someone pointed out that this book might make a better movie, and I agree! I think this kind of story would work better on the screen. I lot of it was hard for me to imagine too, and I couldn't figure out if it was a me-problem or the writing style.

Anyways, I'd probably still recommend if you're into the premise, but I would just caution that it might not live up to the idea you have in your head.

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seekittyread'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? It's complicated

5.0

I absolutely loved this book. I am not usually one to tag quotes while I read, but there are several sticky notes sticking out of the side of this book. Getting to read a story about women over the age of fifty is a novelty and I'm glad it stood up to the challenge. Billie is a great narrator and I love the banter between women who have known eachother for decades. It also was just twisty enough that I was never certain how it was going to end and I appreciate that. I hope that the success of this book might encourage other authors to write books where there characters aren't all in their twenties and thirties.

Content Warnings

chaotically_katie's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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starglitters'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? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Fun, funny, and entertaining. It was a nice lighthearted read; the characters work really well together, and their dynamics with one another is one of the highlights of the book. The action was great, the way they execute their assassination was very fun to read.

It was, in general, an okay enough read. I think I was mostly disappointed as the premise was highly promising but the execution was quite underwhelming. The plot, while really fun and satisfying, was predictable enough.

To be honest, my one disappointment is the motive of the main antagonists’. It was definitely commonplace and believable enough, but let’s be honest, there are a lot of other conflicts that could be focused on instead from a Western-centric spy/assassin agency’s constant intervention in non-Western countries. But I understand that it would have made this book a very different type of book.

This would however make a fantastic movie. I really hope it gets a movie adaptation.

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uranaishi's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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shinypurplepants's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

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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