Have you ever wondered what Charlie’s Angels are up to in their 60s? If so, this is the book for you! Killers of a Certain Age delivers all the fun and action of the Angels but with a little more rage and a lot more cold blooded murder. Needless to say, I love it.
After forty years of assassinating villains for the shadowy Museum, tough-as-nails Billie is taking a retirement cruise with her former teammates and friends, the Sphinxes. But the cruise ship and their retirement plans are blown to bits when another killer shows up, and they realize their own organization is targeting them. Drawing on all their skills and knowledge, they scramble to find out why this is happening and turn the tables. It’s kill or be killed, and Billie, Helen, Natalie, and Mary Alice are more than willing to remind their old bosses why they’re still the best in the business.
Deanna Raybourn finishes her acknowledgments with thanks to “[e]very person who identifies female and has rage. I feel you, sister. This one’s for you.” And if that doesn’t give you a sense of this book, I don’t know what will, because it is all about female rage. Rage at the injustice of the world, at the way we are pushed into narrow boxes because of our gender, and at the way we’re overlooked as we age. Not a wild, flailing rage, but a cool, measured rage that knows where to direct itself. At the same time, the novel is also a celebration of the ways we defy expectations, subvert them, and grab onto joy when we find it.
While the book is mostly plot and action-driven, there’s plenty of deft character work going on. The four women are a team of distinct personalities who have had decades to learn how to work together and form strong bonds. As they’re traveling, hiding out, and plotting, you get glimpses into their years of history together, not just as professionals but as friends who’ve seen each other through marriages, breakups, health scares, and bereavement. Even when tensions are running high, you know they will always have each other’s backs.
In conclusion, for an action-packed book with great female friendships and lots and lots of competency porn (they really are the best at what they do), read Killers of a Certain Age. You won’t regret it.
My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
—b
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