The Retirement Plan had a promising premise with a unique twist on crime, deception, and the idea of starting over later in life. There were moments where I was genuinely gripped and curious to see how it would all unfold.

That said, this one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I struggled to connect with the characters—none of them quite landed as lovable or hateable, which made it harder to stay emotionally invested. The setting also felt a bit vague, and while the plot had its moments of intrigue, the pacing dragged in places. There were also several elements (especially involving hitmen and faked deaths) that raised some logical questions and pulled me out of the story.

Still, there’s something to be said for the originality of the concept and the occasional suspenseful beats that kept me reading. I’d give this one 3.5 stars—an interesting idea that didn’t fully land for me, but might work better for others who enjoy character-driven crime fiction with a slower pace.

Three wives have a plan to get rid of their husbands for the life insurance policies, however are unaware that their husbands have their own retirement plans. When things go awry, they fear that their plans have backfired.

I enjoy a cat and mouse thriller with a fun concept so this sounded exactly like a book I would want to read. This ended up being an entertaining, light hearted story with plenty of humour. I found that although this was interesting, it felt a bit repetitive and predictable. It also took a while to keep track of the characters as there are quite a few you are introduced to at once. This wasn’t a bad read overall and would be good for someone looking for a quirky, cosy mystery. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

A joyous comedy of errors, I loved 'The Retirement Plan'.

Four sixty-something friends have long dreamed of an idyllic retirement until their husbands ruin everything by losing thousands of dollars investing in a scheme that goes disastrously wrong. Out of the blue Dave, one of the husbands, dies in a freak accident. His grieving widow soon learns she is the beneficiary of a million dollar insurance policy, suddenly widowhood doesn't seem so bad. Still disgruntled by the financial losses heaped on them, the other three friends discover their husbands each have life insurance cover of their own and come up with the perfect retirement plan.

The husbands have their own plan, a scheme that will not only cancel out their previous losses but also provide for an extremely well funded retirement. All is well until a thousand dollar casino chip is found close to Dave when his body is discovered. Is his death really the result of a tragic accident or is there something more sinister at play?

So begins a hilarious tale of pursuit, repeated misunderstandings, deceptions and near misses. Sue Hincenbergs' clever and almost mischievious plot twists are a delight. No trying to work out who had done what to whom, trying to be one step ahead of the author. I surrendered completely to the fun and absurd chaos and enjoyed the book all the more for it. I loved the relationship between Hector and Brenda and laughed out loud at Padma's mother's attempts to find her a suitable match.

Hugely entertaining, a solid four stars from me.

With many thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for my advanced reader copy in return for my honest and unbiased review.

Crime Capers with a cast of characters, you can’t help but warm to.

Buckle up and prepare for a bumpy ride with Pam, her girlfriends and their husbands, not forgetting beloved Elmer.

It’s a bit satirical at times and completely ludicrous at others. I wasn’t sure if I would like it as it doesn’t follow a ‘cosy’ formula, but I kept reading anyway – it was one of those novels that you couldn’t peel your eyes away from the pages to find out the consequences of the characters ridiculous decision s. I couldn’t really say I liked any of them or their actions. Yet they did have a certain warmth to them. They felt like they were tragicomedy characters, even the ones that were on the peripheral.

In the end, I found it to be a quirky novel and didn’t take itself too seriously.

An amusing tale whereby 3 wives come up against their husbands who are plotting to pull of a casino heist. Lots of twists and turns with good humour injected throughout. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is the first book I've read by this author and will now be looking at her other books. The Retirement Plan speaks for itself regarding 4 couples who have been friends for years. This book made me laugh, smile and cry. Not so much a tense thriller but it certainly had its moments . A great read which I thoroughly enjoyed

A crazy, funny farce. Brilliant Four couples have been friends for years. Dave is found dead under his garage door and his widow Marlene receives a million dollars from an insurance policy. His friends Hank, Larry and Andre think his death is due to the money that they have been stealing from the casino where Hank and Dave work. The other 3 wives, Shalisa, Pam, Nancy are fed up with their husband so decide to murder them for the insurance money. It can be a little slow at times but the book is great fun.
I don't always sleep well, but it was one of those books that if I woke in the night I would take the opportunity to read rather than trying to go back to sleep. I will definitely look out for the next book by Sue.

This book is a lot of fun. When Marlene’s husband, Dave is killed by his garage door, Marlene is surprised to find he has life insurance for a million dollars and she’s is rich enough to retire to Florida. Her life-long group of friends all have reasons to think they’d be better off without their husbands and so they hatch a plot to get rid of them. The problem is, all the husbands have a big secret and plots of their own.
There is double crossing, mayhem and a lovable dog in this entertaining book. A good holiday read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincerbergs is a comedy noir about three friends who plan to bump off their husbands to get their hands on their life insurance. It's funny and fast-paced, pulling me in from the first page. I was sold on the multiple points of view, finding myself prepared to suspend my disbelief at the more outlandish plot elements in order to follow these characters wherever they took me.

Dave is killed by his garage door, but with a casino chip lying on his chest his friend Hank thinks it is a warning for the money they’ve been taking from the casino where he and Dave work. Marlene is a happy widow as Dave had life insurance, which she informs Pam, Shalisa and Nancy their husbands have too. Since the husbands lost their retirement savings in an investment scam the wives feel they are owed.
Hector the barber is not just a barber, so the wives hire him so they can cash in on the life insurance, but Hank has already hired Hector to kill whoever is after him, Andre and Larry.
A really good book, where if something could go wrong it does. Lots of twists and turns. Amazing read.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for for the arc.

"The Retirement Plan" by Sue Hincenbergs is a solid 4 stars, a darkly humorous and entertaining read, the main idea a lot of fun. Three long-time girlfriends, feeling a bit murderous towards their husbands, decide to... well, let's just say retirement takes on a whole new meaning.


Hincenbergs excels at creating vivid and engaging characters. The wives are all flawed but ultimately lovable, and their exasperation with their clueless husbands is both relatable and hilarious. The husbands themselves are a delightful mix of annoying and hapless, making the character dynamics the heart of this story, driving the plot forward with a super blend of humor (mainly) and suspense (some). Enjoy some twists and turns.

Ms. Hincenbergs' writing is sharp and witty, fast-paced with a few LOL moments. I’d have liked a bit more depth and a bit more social commentary layered in. But that’s me. If you enjoy darkly comedic crime capers with a cast of memorable characters, this one is definitely worth picking up.

Thanks to the author, the publisher William Morrow, and to NetGalley for the opportunity of retiring each evening with this ARC :).

An utterly bonkers roller coaster ride. Loved it!

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

The darkness and humour were a perfect match in this book, it had great characters and great twists overall.

An enjoyable book, but maybe I wasnt in the right mood to enjoy it quite as much as other reviewers, amusing at times but not laugh out loud funny
Thank you to netgalley and Little Brown books for an advance copy of this book.

Absolutely loved this book. 4 husbands and their wives get up to ……. Loved the dialogue, the characters and the plot line. Would recommend to anyone.

Absolutely hilarious story of misadventures and miscommunication. Wonderful, well written characters and several twists to the plot. I feel this would make a great film. Highly recommended.

Fantastic, its exactly what you need for a light, fun read. It's the type of book that could easily be turned into a fun summer movie.
Three women want to murder their husbands for the insurance money, but the husbands have their own plan. Sometimes the plan seems bizarre, but in keeping with the book, it makes sense lol.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a brilliant, crazy, debut novel, full of twists, turns and jaw dropping moments that makes you wonder where this story is going to end up.
This is not your typical retirement plan by any means. Many people, upon retiring think of a cruise, a foreign holiday, or a move to the coast, but these are simple plans compared to the ones engineered here.
Pam, Nancy, Marlene and Shalisa were looking forward to a happy and comfortable monied retirement, until they find out their respective husbands , Hank, Larry, Dave and Andre, have lost all their money in a failed investment venture. The four women were already slightly jaded by their husbands, but this news has definitely tipped them over the edge!
My Gran told me that a Bride always plans for her husband’s funeral, the reason being, those are the only two occasions that she will take centre stage. The four friends start to think that being a very Merry Widow might be a more acceptable lifestyle choice, but how do you contact a hitman? They don’t tend to advertise these skills, but where there might be a will, there is always a way!
This is a deliciously dark humoured story, with plenty of absurd details and laugh out loud plot twists. Clues only fall into place when the author wants the reader to become more frustrated , or so it seems!
This book is a real page turner and a very enjoyable read. It is entertaining with some genuinely likeable characters, plus a loveable dog, that shows that people aren’t all bad..
This would make a really great film, and it would make a great beach read, a five star read for me.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Little, Brown Book Group UK, for my advance copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review. I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

A solid 3.5.

I found this to be very slow going indeed at the start. I felt i had been reading for ages but was only 6% through. I slogged on though and I am glad I did because at around 16% it perks up and things begin to happen. I suppose the plot is quite intricate, full of secrets, lies, deception but I like that. I like working out who is deceiving who.

I don't know why the book didn't fizzle for me though. I did like it and although I had no difficulties telling who was who among the characters I think that might be because we only saw one facet of them - Larry the banker, Andre the courier etc and once you have got the couples fixed in your mind, you don't get mixed up. We only hear about the backstory of Hector, a man who does what needs doin. It was interesting and I liked the relationship between him and his wife.

The book is also quite funny in places, dry one liners funny I mean rather than ludicrously slapstick as it could have been. It is very American too although I am sure a lot of Americans would not like the constant swearing. I did not like the many referrals to people peeing in their pants.

Padma's dating is a bit of a sideline but I enjoyed it and Padma herself represents all the negative characteristics associated with Gen Z.

The ending is a bit "out there" and I'm not quite sure how the dog adopting works but I liked the ending.

I think this book would make a great film or TV series and I would watch it.

Sue Hinceberg’s novel The Retirement Plan is a wonderfully fun read. It is like reading the script to a comedy sketch. It is not what I was expecting, originally, I thought sinister and dark, what I got was a well-developed plot with great the characters, light and amusing.
Read The Retirement Plan it is an entertaining, delightfully ridiculous, refreshing, read with comical misunderstandings and unintended consequences this is a great book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.