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A review by helliepad
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.75
A charming story! It delivered its premise of "retired female assassins get targeted by their company. actions to follow" good enough that it kept me reading. The sheer novelty of reading about old women kicking ass and taking names is great, and while the book didn't have much drama or tension between its main characters, it was fine, because they were facing enough challenges due to their age and the amount of action it takes to get through a simple mission of theirs.
What I love most about the stories is how kind it is to women, and the relationships they formed. The main characters have been assassins for over four decades. I love the little bits of history, of grief from dead people and love at the wrong time. There are sexually active old women, a heavily pregnant woman in charge of heavy operations, a teenage girl doing her best, a childless woman who survived their partner, a childless woman with her wife and their cat, a childless woman who chose career over love— and they weren't shamed by the narrative for their characters. Indeed, there weren't any serious academic discussions about sexism and misogyny and ageism although the women do experience it, and yet it doesn't matter because that's not the point of the book.
The point of the book was to show these senior citizens bludgeon and lie and cheat and work together to get their rightful pensions– and the book delivers beautifully on that end. 👏
What I love most about the stories is how kind it is to women, and the relationships they formed. The main characters have been assassins for over four decades. I love the little bits of history, of grief from dead people and love at the wrong time. There are sexually active old women, a heavily pregnant woman in charge of heavy operations, a teenage girl doing her best, a childless woman who survived their partner, a childless woman with her wife and their cat, a childless woman who chose career over love— and they weren't shamed by the narrative for their characters. Indeed, there weren't any serious academic discussions about sexism and misogyny and ageism although the women do experience it, and yet it doesn't matter because that's not the point of the book.
The point of the book was to show these senior citizens bludgeon and lie and cheat and work together to get their rightful pensions– and the book delivers beautifully on that end. 👏
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Violence and Blood
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Abandonment, and Alcohol