This was such an interesting story. It definitely reminded me of An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good but a bit darker. It was very interesting learning about a hit woman towards the end of her career and what led up to her being where she is now. I think this would be a great read for anyone that is interested in mysteries and wants to dip their toes in translated genre fiction as well.

The synopsis of this book hooked me…I love reading about women in older generations than your stereotypical 20s and 30s in literature.

Imagine a badass woman in her 60s still active in a killer for hire agency! The plot was a bit one dimensional as it related to her age and chosen career. I thought the characters could have been more finessed; however, this is a translated book and I’m sure some fine tuning will get lost in translation.

Overall, this book was a really quick read. Get this if you like strong female characters where age has no limits

Thank you Hanover Square #htpbooks & NetGalley for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review

A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the premise of the novel and that fact that it's a work of world lit. Two of my nephew's were born in South Korea, which added to my interest. Although I readily admit that I would've picked it up for the title alone - who wouldn't? Sadly, while the description of the story sounded great, female assassins just kind of rock. However, no matter how hard I tried, I found I couldn't engage at all, not with the characters and the tone was just so bland. Wouldn't have finished it had it not been an ARC for review.

The plot intrigued me a lot so that’s why I requested to read and review it. As I was reading it, I thought the story lacked something and that they characters weren’t very developed. A lot of the puzzle pieces didn’t fit together. Wish I liked this more.

The decades Hornclaw has spent as an assassin are starting to tell: body and mind are both slowing down, with potentially fatal consequences. On top of that, one of her colleagues has made it abundantly clear that he despises her. She really ought to retire, but can't quite bring herself to give up the only thing that defines her. Then a miscalculation leads to a chain of events that starts to reawaken her humanity. It's mostly a slow-moving character study about a woman coming to terms with the end of her life, but it does end in an explosion of violence.

She appeared to be "a model senior citizen, whole and refined and respectable...An older person...Nobody pays any mind...With her normal appearance and behavior that meets societal expectations, she skates under the radar...".

Hornclaw was a sixty-five year old female contract killer aka a disease control specialist. Her knives were organized by type in the inner pocket of her jacket. Her job description-Elimination of vermin and pests. "...there aren't that many retired disease control specialists who enjoy a good final act, as retirement...[an] operative tends to mean a violent death in the field...picture someone who has been [eliminating] people for forty-five years...She never presumed she herself would live out her natural life...".

A disease control specialist must be swift, precise and accurate. Hornclaw needed to think of the targets "as clients who hold your life and income in their hands." She must display an emotionless and calm demeanor. She must ignore the digs from a younger assassin "...making fun of an old woman's surely diminished senses and mental strength. Fewer jobs have been assigned to her...perhaps as a generous consideration to a has-been or as a way to signal she should retire." Recently, Hornclaw had made a careless, fatal mistake.

Had there been a shift in her priorities? Deadweight, her adopted twelve year old dog, was at home so that "[Hornclaw] doesn't lose her way, so that she comes home after work. The dog always maintains an appropriate distance, demonstrating that she is alive in the least and most optimal way". Deadweight was her anchor, a light in Hornclaw's solitary existence.

Hornclaw worried that she had outlived her usefulness to the agency and was being erased. In understated, sparse prose, we are privy to the recollections of a trained assassin for hire. But, Hornclaw was starting to "feel", to form an attachment. This attachment would be used to propel a vendetta, revenge for actions in the past.

"The Old Woman with the Knife" by Gu Byeong-mo, translated by Chi-Yong Kim, was a hybrid read; part character study of an aging female contract killer and part thriller. Some of the limitations of aging included the following; "she has to be cautious when she handles [her knife], especially with the recent tremors in her hands" and suggestions made at the gym to do exercises for her "aging muscles". When the thriller aspect of this tome kicked in, the pace was intense, a startling, twisting sequence that barreled to a satisfying ending. Peaches, anyone?

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing/Hanover Square Press and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story truly intrigued me as more literature with older female protagonists are receiving flowers. I feel like some nuance was lost in translation, but this story kept me engaged and I’m excited to continue exploring similar character studies!

A brilliantly original novel that perfectly balanced dark humor and a sharply observant meditation on Korea's societal expectations on female's aging bodies. Our protagonist is a sixty-five year old female disease control specialist assassin who goes by an alibi called Hornclaw. She is hired to murder those that are considered pests in society. As she nears retirement she leads a quiet life with an accidentally adopted canine named Deadweight. Her cold exterior begins to falter in her final job as she begins to feel emotion and desire for human connection that places her life at risk. 

It was truly refreshing to read a thriller with an older female protagonist. This novel is set in a thriller genre, but it is more an examination on the imposition of the aging bodies and one's erasure on identity in society as a whole. Hornclaw's detailed moments and thoughts were fascinating. It is exceptionally rare to find protagonists in her 60's who express one's longings, desires and fears in a novel. Gu Byeong-Mo's writing is simple yet with great strength. Every line is written with no waste. I was able to feel each word were respectfully tended to in providing for a resounding effect. The pacing seemed to parallel Hornclaw's aging body. It may be considered slow but always intriguing and full of wisdom. Translated by Chi-Young Kim amazingly conveyed the simplicity yet with an underlying complex layer baring one's view on humanity and aging process. She captured the essence of being human. Filled with moving prose, unique premise and an engrossing thriller that is both thought-provoking and hypnotic. An unforgettable reading experience. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Any thriller aficionado who is tired of the same-old-same-old will want to quickly pick up award-winning Korean author, Gu Byeong-mo’s unique thriller, The Old Woman with the Knife. Hornclaw works for a company touting that they are “disease control specialists.” In actuality, she is an assassin and is very good at what she does. But at 65, she finds she is deteriorating even though she works out at the gym and stays in good shape. Unfortunately there are younger specialists at her company, and some of them resent her and one even harasses her. Although there is a lot of humor in this unique novel, it is actually a serious thriller. The cultural aspects of Korea are prominent in the novel, and for most, it is a new kind of thriller.

Although there are a few parts that aren’t totally clear due to being translated, the translation is excellent, and the story flows easily making it easy to read. The characters are well-developed, and the scenarios are quite unexpected as the story proceeds. Even though there are serious things happening, the humor is there all of the time, and so as readers are on the edges of their seats, they are also laughing and imagining how it is in Korea.

This novel is a “must read” for thriller aficionados because it is so fun and different. Readers will fall in love with Hornclaw albeit her lifelong profession of ending the lives of those who are surely deserving of an early death. By the time readers get to the unexpected dénouement, they will definitely want to pick up what will hopefully be a new release from this author. Fun and Unique!

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

An aging trained assassin whose body and mind are starting to fail her, is targeted and harassed by a younger killer.

Reads like an action thriller movie, I wonder if there's already a plan to adapt this action-filled novel into screen. A quick satisfying read.

A perfectly translated book can show the reader more than just the story. This book shows modern South Korea inside all its lines. I can’t wait until the rest of the English speaking world gets to read this translation. Thank you for the ARC.

I LOVED reading about an aging woman who’s contending with retirement…FROM BEING AN ASSASSIN. Most books I’ve read about assassins are when the person is in their peak physical condition, but what happens when you’re a senior citizen who kills people for a job? The idea is fascinating, and the writing is sharp (pun intended). Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

As the sixty-five-year-old female assassin tries to figure out if she should retire as expected, she finds she’s starting to have feelings for people - feelings that could interfere with her job. She is given one final assignment to end her career, but could her emotions interfere and have it end her life also?
This book was okay, but not great. It was missing that edge-of-my-seat action/mystery that I feel makes a book go from good to great. The last 15% of the book had most of the action, and the wrap-up was confusing - I didn’t feel like it explained enough. My ARC didn’t have chapters, so maybe that’s what made it difficult - it changed point-of-view or character from one sentence to another without any kind of break.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Old Woman with the Knife.

The premise was so intriguing I downloaded the ARC once my request was approved.

The narrative was not as suspenseful or dramatic as I had hoped, though the ending nearly makes up for it.

The writing is good, but the tone was dry. That might be the translation or the writing style but the prose was stiff, almost like reading a business manual.

There is very little dialogue and interactions between Hornclaw and anyone else.

The cast of characters is small, naturally, since Hornclaw is the star, but the few people we do meet are one dimensional and not well fleshed out, perhaps because Hornclaw is the main attraction.

Hornclaw is a fascinating character and we are offered brief insight into her origins and how she became who she is now.

There is excellent social commentary on the aging population and the elderly; how society acts and treats older people; how we ignore or disregard them as we walk by, how they irritate and annoy us.

I liked this but I would have loved it if the plot had been more fleshed out with better supporting characters.

The title instantly grabbed me, and finding it was a Korean author cinched it--I had to read this.

A sixty-five year old assassin is feeling her age in this mildly disturbing story. Hornclaw (the main characters are all referred to by their nicknames) has been killing people for most of her life. It's not personal, it is just her chosen profession. As she is feeling her age and thinking of retirement, she finds herself in an interesting situation. Instead of the hunter, she has become the hunted. Why? Even when she figures out who is after her, the "why" is still elusive.

I love the writing in this novel. Even though this was a bit outside my comfort zone in content, I could not put it down. If you are looking for something just a little bit different and aren't too squeamish, give this one a read!