I am so glad we got to revisit these characters. Billie is what I hope to be when I grow up, well, maybe without the murder part. I really hope this is not the end.

Thank you to Berkeley and NetGalley for the ARC of this title.

The ladies are back and honestly I could read 10 more of these entries. I really love how an old case of theirs winds up impacting what happens to the women of the Museum in present day. Raybourn does some interesting work with perspective here which I don’t think I noticed the first time. Present day chapters are in first person and flashbacks are in third person. If you loved the first one, you’ll love this one. Here’s hoping we see them again.

This one is a sequel to Killers of a Certain and it's just as good as the first one if not better. I love seeing Billie, Helen, Mary Alice and Natalie together again. And these four ladies are proof that age is just a number.

I loved the first book, and this was a worthy second entry in the series! There were a couple of moments that felt a little tedious and repetitive (I want to say contrived, but that feels wrong because the whole premise is such a fantasy) but those passed quickly. I love how all four ladies have distinct personalities even though they are somewhat roughly sketched. The plot moves quickly and is easy to follow.

I’m not sure whether another entry in this series will work, but I’m definitely willing to check it out if it comes along!

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

review in the ArtsFuse: https://artsfuse.org/306944/book-review-kills-well-with-others-another-mission-for-aging-female-assassins/

A little creaky, but still competent, the professional assassins of Kills Well with Others are showing their age. The four women, recruited in their youth by a clandestine operation known only as the Museum, are ready for retirement. As likely to disguise themselves as Depends-wearing Bingo players as Playboy Bunnies, they would prefer to give up the guns, knives, and martial arts they mastered decades ago. But when one of their own is taken out in apparent retaliation for a years-old hit and the quartet realize that they themselves are targets, they rally, once again, with thrilling results.

If this sounds a bit close to the plot of Killers of a Certain Age, author Deanna Raybourn’s first outing with her assassins Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie, it is. In that Barry-winning blockbuster, the team really was celebrating retirement from the Museum, a World War II relic that has taken on itself the duty of ridding the world of heinous criminals. Until, they realized, someone had interpreted “retirement” as something other than a leisurely cruise, sparking a life-or-death struggle that called on years of training and strained some aging muscles in the process. It was fast, furious, hilariously funny, and, one might think, a one-off.

Raybourn, after all, made her name (and was nominated for a Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award) writing enjoyable, fast-moving historical mysteries, featuring protagonists like Veronica Speedwell, a Victorian lepidopterist who bent the prevailing social norms to her will, a resourceful proto-feminist with the skills, learning, and most of all wit to solve crimes and generally embrace life. Venturing into contemporary times, and with heroines who more accurately reflect the peer group of the 56-year-old author and, one assumes, many of her readers, was a leap — one Raybourn landed perfectly.

A second book was always going to be a challenge. But if Kills Well With Others lacks the freshness of Killers of a Certain Age, the novel makes up for it with complex plotting that mixes past and present-day timelines, giving us insight into the Museum and making our protagonists work a little harder than previously, testing their stiff joints and even stiffer preconceptions.

It all starts off with a botched hit more than 40 years ago. The four are undercover as Playboy Bunnies, a role that fits the buxom and gorgeous Mary Alice more than her colleagues. The target is the nephew of a Toronto gangster, an “ambitious” thug who is pushing his crime family into drugs and underage prostitution. “He likes violence for its own sake,” they have been told, and thus he becomes a target for one of the Museum’s ethical hits. Frustrated, Billie, who once again serves as the book’s main voice, always cynical and up to the job, takes the lead. However, when the assignment goes off track and Billie’s attempt to correct it only makes the matter worse, she and her colleagues run afoul of the Museum — and some very dangerous people.

When we switch to the present day and hear of the death of a member of the Museum’s Provenance department, the section that investigates possible targets, logic dictates that both their Museum handler and the quartet themselves reevaluate cases the dead Lilian Flanders had worked on. Along the way, Billie finds herself recalling yet another old case, one that she completed — leaving a corpse in a pyramid for the jackals to find — but which was never fully resolved.

That’s a lot of old bodies that may want avenging. But it isn’t only the killers out there who are giving the crew trouble. By their age, the four have acquired partners and with them all the baggage relationships bring. Widowed Helen, who has been bereft, may be falling in love again, in stark contrast with Natalie, who “dabbled in performance art” with “a number of gallery shows, and the same number of ex-husbands.” Mary Alice has found happy domesticity with her wife Akiko and their cats Kevin and Gary, but those connections weigh heavily on her professional responsibilities. Billie herself has no such meddlesome entanglements: her decades-long on-again, off-again relationship with the dashing Taverner is something she can leave at a moment’s notice. And does, when the news of Flanders’s murder spurs the team into action. But those attachments will complicate matters as the four begin their dangerous dance — both stalking and eluding their adversary on an adventure that takes them from England to Venice to the mountains of Montenegro.

Through it all, Raybourn’s characters rely on the acuity and resourcefulness that has made the author’s other series characters both so memorable and beloved. An older woman’s version of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, perhaps — with somewhat less sex but more believable violence. Billie, in particular, shines in this outing, coming to terms with the history that has made her so perfect for this job but, perhaps, less so for life. A history that has made her, in her mentor’s words, “a necessary monster.” And a good model for these days, perhaps. At least in our dreams.

Thank you to Berkley for the advance reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

Killers of a Certain Age made my top ten books list when it was published. I shared it with family and friends and tried to get every woman I know to read it. And yet, I had mixed feelings when I saw a sequel was being published. Could Kills Well with Others possibly live up to the first book? Would it have sufficient intrigue when the main plot had already been solved?

My answer is a resounding yes!

This book lived up to all my hopes and expectations. It features our same group of absolutely spectacular women assassins navigating life after retirement and the return of their work. It transported me to great destinations, kept me on the edge of my seat with suspense, made me think hard and try to guess to stay ahead of the women. And most of all, it made me laugh and rage.

I can't say how amazing this is. I do recommend reading the two books in order.

4.5 stars rounded up

Another fun adventure with the Museum agents! I enjoyed this one almost as much as the first but felt that the agents weren’t as fully fleshed out in this one and there was a little less character development. I was entertained by their missions and the lengths they had to go to cover up a mission from their past and there was plenty of witty banter. Hoping for more with these women!

The world deserves to have more older female characters kickin' butt & taking names! Thank you Deanna, for writing another fun book that has 4 intrepid older females!

Love these books. The characters are fun and three-dimensional and the book is also well plotted. I would recommend for fans of cozies.

I enjoyed Killers of a Certain Age so much and this sequel did not disappoint!Kills Well with Others was the sequel I didn’t know I needed, and I thoroughly enjoyed being back with this group of badass women.

This time, the team reunites to target a Bulgarian oligarch/mobster. But when their plans go awry, they find themselves on the run hiding from someone else seeking revenge. Their travels are a sensory delight as they make their way to a small island near Venice where they can regroup and plan their strategy. We’re also treated to Venice itself, England, the south of France, and Montenegro, culminating with a thrilling train ride through the mountains of Eastern Europe. As the team works to solve the mystery and uncover a mole at the Museum, there is also a past timeline that highlights prior jobs, including an art smuggling ring.

This page turning mystery was so much fun as I tried to guess what was going on right alongside the women and their assorted partners and coworkers. It’s a fast-paced, action-packed plot that is full of witty dialogue and great female relationships. Highly recommend this one to fans of Killers a Certain Age. Although you don’t necessarily need to have read the first book, I think it might help in getting to know the characters.

3.5 stars: I absolutely adored the first book in the series. While this one was still fun and had a similar vibe, it felt a bit more chaotic. I found myself confused at times, and the narrative transitions felt somewhat abrupt. While I didn’t feel the same connection to the group as I did with the first book, I would still likely pick up more from this author if they continue the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had a fantastic time with this book!! I love female assassin stories and I especially enjoyed that the main assassins in this story are all in their 60s. I had such a good time reading about characters who are supremely capable because they've seen some shit. It was a delight to be back with this cast of characters. This book was a touch more character focused than the first which I didn't mind because I love these women. The humor of the first book was back and I had great fun with these ladies as they traveled across Europe making quips and tracking their target. Hopefully another book is in the works because I love this premise and I'd love to see more of these characters.

KILLS WELL WITH OTHERS by Deanna Raybourn features the same feisty, older female assassins as her Killers of a Certain Age. However, there seems to be a lot more killing and less humor in this sequel. The four women are asked in an unofficial capacity to take out a nefarious killer whose actions are linked to a long ago murder they committed. Raybourn does an excellent job of developing both that backstory and present-day adventures, but the assassins seem less appealing in this outing. A LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection for March, this novel is darker than expected, both in my view and that of other book group members who recommended Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series instead. I look forward to investigating those titles. 3.5 stars overall

Kills Well With Others is the follow-up novel written by Deanna Raybourn. She wrote Killers of A Certain Age and I just loved that book so I was very excited to get my hands on this newest novel. We get to follow the same cast of characters as they work together to solve another mystery. I so enjoyed getting to catch up with our gang of assassins as they attempted to uncover who is leaking information from their former agency. Their adventures made me laugh as I cheered for them. I’m hoping for a third installment soon in this fun franchise that shows readers to never underestimate the power of older women. Read and enjoy!

I will follow these lady killers wherever they go. We are back for another wonderful adventure with Natalie, Billie, Mary Alice and Helen, plus some assorted friends and loved ones! I love these stories because it's not just one big mystery that takes the whole book to solve, it's a truly cinematic structure with many peaks and valleys along the way. Also, how brave are they to get on another cruise ship after their last experience??

Fully recommended for anyone who likes fun.

This is the second book in Killers of a Certain Age that follows around four older female assassins. I love that they are still badass in their 60s, working as trained killers. This story follows them as they travel around the world trying to figure out who exactly is out to kill them for past kills.

One part I found funny: talk about what the young people call butt dials/booty calls/Netflix and chill.

4,5 Stars
After the events of the last book, Billie, Mary Alice, Helen and Natalie, our beloved sixty+ year-old deadly assassins, have been living a low-key life for the last year, until they get a call from The Museum’s director, Naomi. It seems some of their past files have been leaked and one operative has been murdered. Naomi tasks them with eliminating the threat while they also deal with a possible mole within.

The files leaked paints targets on their backs so they must hunt down the killer lest they be picked off one by one. Their mission takes them on a wild adventure across the globe, crossing the Atlantic to the UK and then all over Europe. It was a fun and exciting ride!

Billie narrates the story in the present and in the past, giving glimpses of the targets and missions in the past that may be part of the threat.

I love the idea of women still being vibrant and deadly in their 60s and these ladies are awesome! They’re each other’s ride-or-die, but that didn’t stop some good-natured squabbling, and the banter cracked me up! Their disguises on the train were hilarious! Nula the chicken was priceless and stole the show! Not sure if we’ll get another mystery with these gals, but I’m so there if we do!

This is the second book in this series and while I haven't read the first book I feel like I was able to get the full grasp of the story. I think that this was a fun story and enjoy that the main characters are a group of older ladies. The mystery elements were up and I liked the flash backs. If you enjoy books from this author before I think you will enjoy this one.

✨ Review ✨ Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn; Narrated by Jane Oppenheimer & Christina Delaine

Thanks to Berkley, PRHAudio and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

They’re baaaaaack! The four ladies of Killers of a Certain Age are back and better than ever! This book takes us across Europe as Billie, Helen, Natalie, and Mary Alice are back on the prowl for someone who is hunting them back.

I loved the sights and scenes of the book - from a cruise ship to a train, from mountains to beautiful islands and Eastern European towns - you get to adventure with these women while you're reading.

The book delves into their relationship more, exploring their friendships and working relationships in the past and present. I loved finding out more about the bonds that hold this group together.

Funny as ever, there are jokes galore, and I love watching how these women interact across the pages. This was so much fun to read!

🎧 The audio narration was excellent, making it so hard to put down. From intonation to accents, the narrators KILLED it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: thriller, mystery, women's fiction
Setting: across Europe primarily
Length: 10 hours 19 minutes
Reminds me of: book number 1, the Golden Girls as assassins
Pub Date: March 4, 2025

Read this if you like:
⭕️ characters over 60
⭕️ ethical assassins
⭕️ female friends that make each other laugh
⭕️ European sites and adventures

I loves these kicks ladies but think I'm in the minority for finding this book not quite as fun and satisfying as the first one. I really loved the travelogue and the humor, but I felt like the character development got stuck. Will definitely read the next book and hope there's more of what I was looking for!