This is the story of four ladies in their sixties, who have worked together as elite female assassins since their twenties through an organisation known as the Museum. They go on a retirement cruise together and find they are to be the next victims. They thwart this plot and exact their revenge. The story goes from the past to the present to explain the other characters. I don't know where Minka came from. The USP seems to be the age of the ladies and the triumph of experience over technology. Although the characters were described in detail, I didn't really get a sense of them as individuals.

Unfortunately not a book for me. I read as much as I could best decided that if I wasn’t enjoying it, then why continue?
That, however, is not to say that I won’t seek out this author again at some point in the future, as who knows. What she might deliver?

This is epic

This is a story of 4 retired Female Assassins who very quickly have to step out of retirement and so some life saving.

Our 4 heroines are just the best characters you will find in a thriller they have fire and faults but loyalty is never in question, its not a fault you will find in any of them. But before I give any plot anyway I will change tack and tell you if the reasoning behind my 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ award.

I loved the characters as you may have guessed I loved the story line, it flowed really well and I didn't want to put it down. I did but not out of choice, that had to be the sign of a great read. There is tension and it comes from the back story as well as the main thrust which is not something many authors master as well as Deanna had done here. I feel that this more than justifies the marking and I really hope your as hooked as I was.

This is truly a unique story. Not only because of the main characters who are at an age where you rarely see them as the main characters in mystery novels, but also because of the plot.

I really like stories about assassins so that was exactly the story for me. Four lady-assassins in their sixties working for an organization known as the Museum discover that their own organization is planning to kill them while celebrating their retirement. Not only that, but also someone is clearly trying to set them up. Our main characters must find out who is behind it and not lose their lives at the same time.

It's impossible not to like the main characters. Although their characters are depicted sometimes a bit too stereotypically. They are only about sixty years old, it's hard to call them real grannies these days. Still, of course, it's time to think about retirement in their profession. You can clearly see not only how unique each of them is, but also how deep are the bonds of friendship that bind them.

The plot is brilliant and full of twists. The stakes are high all the time, after all someone tries to kill our main characters, and more than once. And they themselves do not lack ideas on how to get rid of problems. All this is accompanied by a solid dose of really intelligent humor.

I hope it will not be stand-alone and we will meet these characters in the next book. I had a lot of fun.

"Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that's their secret weapon.

They've spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can't just retire - it's kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller."

I loved the premise of this book and I loved the characters.
Only Deanna Raybourn could think about ruthless older women and make us smile.

Assassins for a noble organisation called the Museum, our heroines have retired but, it would appear, retirement for them involves being assassinated. Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie don't take this lying down and their revenge killing spree takes us from New Orleans via Switzerland to Paris and London. Eventually the truth and justice prevail.
My favourite touch - communicating through a menopause tracking app which no man would look at - genius!

A really funny and cosy read that had me laughing out loud at times. I really enjoyed it. If you like books like The Thursday Murder Club you will enjoy this read.

I really enjoyed this read, was hooked from the start and rooting for the finish! Enjoyed reading about all the women, was well written! Definitely recommend it others.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I requested this book because of the amount of great reviews it has and I'm so glad I did. This book completely surpassed my expectations in so many ways and I wish I already had the physical copy of it to put on my shelf!

Billie, Mary-Alice, Natalie and Helen are 4 women of a certain age and on the cruise of a lifetime. They’ve worked together for 40 years for the Museum, an assassins guild almost but now they are too old-school and have been retired. On the cruise, they spot a fellow assassin, which can’t be good and it does seem as though they have targets on their backs. They do what they do best - blend in and try to get their lives back.

Anything where the female leads are ‘of a certain age’ interests me, being of that era, and it’s nice to see them portrayed not just by their numeric ages but by their sass, initiative and intelligence. Yes there are some parts that defy logic - and gravity - but then isn’t that what a novel is all about - suspending belief at times. The ladies are definitely creative in their dealings with their would-be assassins, and they are laugh out loud at times, even though assassinations shouldn’t really be a laughing matter. It does remind me a bit of a couple of other books I’ve read recently but this does stand up well against them. I’d love to see this as the first of a series, as there are definitely things that I need to know, even if only does Billie catch up with Taverner. Enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this! It would make an excellent film. We have plenty of over 60 actors who would fit the bill perfectly.
Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie, a group of female assassins who are off on a cruise to celebrate their retirement after decades of service to the “Museum”, find themselves about to be taken out - courtesy of their employer.
Now, if like me you read/watch films with characters who happen to be assassins in them, you know there is no such thing as an easy retirement in that line of work.
This was a really fun read, one that reminds us never to underestimate women, irrelevant of her age.
Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review this fantastic ARC.

I seem to be in the minority, but I really did not like this. I also did not like Richard Osman’s first book which is of a similar style. The premise is silly and the style is far too wordy and quippy I also found the comedy violence and sexism offensive. I read the beginning and the end but that was enough.

This was such a fun read! It's always cool to read about older characters just out there living their best lives, and Billie, Mary Alice, Helen and Natalie are doing that to the hilt (pun absolutely intended). Naturally, things don't quite go to plan for them, but they are armed not just with Mad Skills and Bad Knees, but A Hell Of A Lot Of Experience (also one (1) wife, one (1) Ukrainian refugee who's very handy with technology, and one (1) irritable cat), and with all that on their side, how can they fail to win the day? Right?

The POV character is Billie, and I so very much enjoyed her quick thinking and casual efficiency. Ideally I'd have liked a little more character stuff from this book, both from Billie and from the other characters and their relationships with each other. What we got was lovely but felt just a little lacking for me. Having said that, this was fun, exciting, and fast moving. A little predictable, perhaps, but I never mind that, it just makes me feel clever ;)

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants a cosy, easy to read adventure with lots of murder and friendship. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Fantastic fun and really refreshing to read a book about older women who manage to be brave, resourceful and violent in equal measure. The writing style is fast and efficient and the characters truly likeable. I, for one, would like to read more about older women who are exactly like younger women but with aches and pains.

What happens when an elite gang of female assassins retire?

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie are sent on a swanky cruise to celebrate but before long they discover that another agent is on board - and there is only one reason for that.

These women need to prove that just because they are over 60, it doesn't mean that they are irrelevant.

I really, really enjoyed this and hope to God that this is the beginning of a series.

More please.

Four female killers for hire retire from work at "The Museum", a group originally set up to eliminate high level Nazi's who are outside the reach of the law, now targeting crime bosses worldwide. They then discover there is a price on their heads. Can they get to those threatening them before other museum assassins kill them?
A fun, fast paced but predictable novel, its USP is that the assassins are women in the 60's so there are comments on the invisibility of such women, the ease with which they can smuggle items e.g. poisons, by disguising them as 'feminine products' like menopause creams, and the fact that even their bosses underestimate them. I read the book quickly and enthusiastically and would read more from the same author.

If, like me, you are a fan of Helen Mirren’s character in RED then you will LOVE this book.

The premise is fantastic: a group of female assassins, set to retire after decades of killing Nazis, drug lords and other unsavoury types, are targeted by the very company they have spent the past forty years working for. What follows is a test of their skills, and their relationships with one another, as well as a demonstration of what has made them brilliant, ruthless killers.

Fast-paced, witty, properly funny - this is a breathless journey across continents with flashbacks to how the group was trained and various assassinations they’ve performed in various disguises (nuns!) If this doesn’t end up being turned into a film it will be CRIMINAL.

I’m a huge fan of Deanna Raybourn and this is something very different from her - a challenge that she has nailed (though personally I would have loved a little more of her trademark sparky romance), Killers of a Certain Age is an absolute triumph.

A fun, action packed story involving four retired assassins. This was a lovely quick read that was very entertaining. It's refreshing to read a book that has 60 year old women as the protagonists without resorting to old lady cliches. I hope there will be more from them in the future.

This book shows what happens when you underestimate women of a certain age. Loved the camaraderie of the four assassins and their friends. A great romp.

The blurb had me interested but this book far exceeded my expectations!

The founding principle of 'the Museum'; to hunt down the remaining Nazis in the aftermath of WW2, exact justice and reunite looted artworks with the original owners allows the reader to identify with killers from the outset. The back and forth between recruitment, early stages of their careers and present day shows the reader the personalities and motivations of the four strong female leads.

I enjoyed the gritty, exciting, physical and messy work of an assassin and the way it is contrasted with the difficulties in functioning within relationships and family, grief over the loss of a partner, lying to those you love.

Raybourn sprinkles instances of misogyny and ageism to ground her story in reality and provide light relief. Ageing is not a reason to write these women off, they are skilled and they exploit the fact the Board underestimates them.

This has it all: action scenes a-plenty, violence, double-crosses, betrayal, loyalty, exotic locations, love interest, powerful women. So entertaining. I was sorry to reach the end!

Fantastic. I had such a great time with this book. I was laughing out loud throughout and I just had such fun with the characters and the premise.