I read Killers of a Certain Age on the recommendation of my niece and it was exactly what I’d hoped it would be: a diverting romp featuring a cast of older women who are nobody’s granny. And it did exactly what I’d hoped it would do: provide an entertaining distraction from the wider world for as long as I was reading it.

Then I made the mistake of reading a review of it and I’ve been fuming ever since. Why? Because it was written by someone whose biggest criticism of the book was that the author had failed to make it clear that the protagonists were older. They were annoyed that the only hints about their ages were the occasional references to needing to stretch after all their murderous exertions.

If you’ve read Killers of a Certain Age and are a woman you will immediately recognize just how far off base this review was. You will also not be surprised to find it was written by a man.

It’s not his fault, I know. He and his man bits have been conditioned to picture the Golden Girls when imagining women in their 50s, instead of, say, me (if they picture us at all). So a group of 60-year-olds like our killers? It’s a wonder they manage to drag their mummified asses around without walkers.

And our culture is such that all of the (plentiful) ways beyond back-stretching that Deanna Raybourn uses to convey her characters’ ages are largely invisible to men, unless they actually make a point of paying attention. But the references themselves? There’s one on practically every damn page.

Anyway…The sequel, Kills Well with Others, is out today. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much, but I do love that books like this exist. And are popular enough to warrant sequels.

(One day I am going to reread Killers of a Certain Age and mark every single reference that helps convey the characters’ ages. I will report back when I do.)

Thank you @BerkleyPub for my free book and thank you @prhaudio for the #gifted listening copy of Kills Well With Others! #BerkleyBookstagram #BerkleyIG #berkley #PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer #berkleypub #KillsWellWithOthers #DeannaRaybourn

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐑𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 - 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐰!

There’s just something so fun and unexacting about a group of four older women who are assassins. I said it before when I reviewed Killers of a Certain Age and I’ll say it again: Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie remind me of the Golden Girls. There’s just something about them and their bond that gives off that vibe and I’m here for it! This book picked right off where the first book left off, so I would definitely recommend reading the first book prior to jumping into this one. This book is told from Billie’s POV now and her younger self, and I really enjoyed the flashbacks. The humor and suspense were equally as entertaining.

While I enjoyed Killers of a Certain Age, I think this might be one of those rare cases where I enjoyed the second book better than the first book in a series. I just really enjoyed Billie’s character and really enjoyed her as the narrator. I’m a big fan of snarky dialogue too, and this one definitely has that!

🎧I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by both Jane Oppenheimer and Christine Delaine. I loved how these two narrated again for the second book in the series and thought their performance was flawless. I definitely recommend this one on audio! Their voices were similar and I thought it was perfect for when the book went back to earlier years and alternated narrators.

Posted on Goodreads on March 4, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around March 4, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on March 4, 2025
**-will post on designated date

It was great to see a second book in Deanna Raybourn’s Killers of a Certain Age series. Kills Well with Others brings friendship, humor, danger, suspense, and action to this thriller. Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have retired work as assassins after forty years, but are still waiting on their pensions. The Museum, an international clandestine organization, recruited them in the late 1970’s and its new interim director, Naomi Ndiaye, calls them back into action for an off-the-books assignment.

A mole within the Museum has leaked information on important kills connected to an Eastern European gangster. Naomi is certain someone connected to the gangster is killing off Museum employees and wants the quartet to stop the individual.

The novel is mainly written from Billie’s point of view and has a few flashback scenes to some of the four women’s earlier missions. Ms. Raybourn knows now to create dynamic characters that feel real and relatable despite the main characters being assassins. I loved the character depth, but missed the amount of humor that was in the first book.

Once again, the narrative immediately captivated me and drew me into the story with extraordinary characters, travel across the globe, wonderful world-building, and exciting scenes. There are unpredictable moments in the story that provide some unexpected twists. I think it was extraordinary how the Museum has rules and guidelines for its assassins.

While this novel has some explicit depictions of violence and murder, it is about more than just assassins and their work. There’s a focus on friendship, connections, age, perceptions and invisibility of older women, trust, adaptability, ethics, greed, relationships, and much more.

Overall, this is an engaging, fascinating, fast-paced, and well-plotted mystery that is entertaining and unique. If you like mature characters and plenty of action with a little humor, then this is a series to consider reading. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.

Berkley Publishing Group and Deanna Raybourn provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for March 04, 2025.

Another fun installment in the KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE series, this one picks up a year after the ladies survive the first book. Their spunk and badassery continues and I enjoyed following them around Europe to find who was targeting them once again. The side characters were a nice addition to the plot. The hints of real history (specifically the Monuments Men) was a nice touch and rounded out a fun story.

I've been a fan of Deanna Raybourn's witty and wonderful books for nearly twenty years and have eagerly anticipated the return of my favorite sixty-something female assassins. It did not disappoint!

This action thriller has a plot that is layered and clever. It centers on assassins Billie, Natalie, Mary Alice, and Helen, who come out of retirement to take down some bad actors and recover artifacts for the shadowy organization they once worked for, known as The Museum. A dangerous connection to a past job leads the ladies on an exciting globe-trotting adventure requiring every collective skill they have to survive.

I love this fabulous quartet! Menopausal, with knees and backs that ache, they remain as vibrant, sharp-witted, resourceful, and deadly as ever. The ladies bicker, but their respect and loyalty to each other run deep. The side characters are also vividly portrayed, and I enjoyed them playing a bigger role in this installment.

Raybourn's writing style is engaging and immersive. The flashbacks are particularly well done as they give pertinent information to the present case and further develop the characters, particularly Billie. The dialogue is snappy, with lots of humor to balance the darker elements, and European settings that are unique and out-of-the-way places. This was a fun, entertaining romp, and I loved it!

Thank. you to Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for the gifted ARC!

Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn is the 2nd book in her Killers of a Certain Age series. Our heroines, Billie, Mary Alice, Helen and Natalie, have worked for the secret Museum, an elite private network of assassins for 40 years. This was a fun, exciting & and entertaining novel. I really enjoyed this story, as this book was even better then the first book.

The retired deadly women assassins are back. After more than a year of laying low & resting, the ladies (Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, Natalie) are called back into action. The head of the elite assassin organization (Museum), Naomi, recalls them as it seems that someone may be seeking revenge against those connected to the Museum and it is up to our ladies to the find answers.

They meet together to find out who is out to kill them, and though they are in their 60’s, they are such a riot, and wonderful friends, having been together for 40 years. Their assignments can be bloody, cold, intense& exciting, but they are also witty/charming, as they also protect each other. These women are deadly assassins for their international organization that eliminated unsavory people in various governments. But they were now retired, and yet they still get called to return to work to help eliminate the leaders who have targeted them.

Kills Well with Others has a fun, action filled, humor, friendship and exciting mystery; with plenty of humor and snark. Kills Well with Others was a fabulous fast and fun read; which was very well written by Deanna Raybourn. If you enjoy mysteries, thrillers, crime, and women who are fantastic together as government assassins.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group. I'm voluntarily leaving a review, and all opinions are my own.

Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Humor
Spice Level: Innuendo
Language: Plenty of cursing
Representation: Gay characters and "mature" women
Format: Dual time line (more explained below)

I found this to be quite hilarious. Part of that is because this group of assassins are in their 50-60s and are back on a job, but they're even more undercover than before. That's partly because this is fixing a new problem from a previous hit.

Multiple jobs from the past are revealed in flashback chapters. These flesh out the characters and might include failures, successes, and points of interest for their characters. I can see this might be confusing if you're not paying attention.

I loved how things wrapped up (not exactly in a tidy bow). Is there room for more in this world? Absolutely!

Happy reading!

** “Sometimes pain just gets in the way of what you have to do. So you put it down until you can stand to carry it again.” **

Deanna Raybourn offers another fun yet thrilling tale of four sort-of retired assassins in “Kills Well with Others.”

Helen, Natalie, Mary Alice and narrator Billie have retired from the Museum, an extra-government organization that neutralizes people who deserve to be neutralized. But when a death hits close to home, they are called in for another project, one that just might have connections to one of their cases from 1994.

An elite assassin squad that was the first all female team, the four women find themselves in all sort of dangerous situations, trying to determine who they are after and why.

Raybourn does a great job of combining intensity with comical moments to make a great thriller. She fills the plot with twists and turns, all while creating a delightfully lovely set of characters filled with pluck, courage and even relatability. She even fills the story with some good themes, like the power of adaptability; making being underestimated a superpower; loyalty; and overcoming pain.

One word, this book does contain quite a lot of cursing as well as some crude references.

This novel is a bit of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series meets the movie “RED,” so fans of those types of stories, as well as C.L. Miller’s Antique Hunter series, will love “Kills Well with Others,” which is due out March 4.

Five stars out of five.

Berkley provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

Thank you to Berkley, NetGalley and the author for this advance copy of Kills Well With Others - I finished this book one day before pub date, this one is available Tuesday, March 4, 2025!

I really liked the first one in this series, but in my honest opinion, this one should just remain a standalone. I had a really rough time getting into the story and premise behind this one - our main character is Billie, but she works with three other friends, and there’s not enough character development to separate all of the friends from Billie. If we were looking at conversations, it was hard to differentiate who was doing things outside of Billie. We also have time jump chapters going to the past sprinkled in and I had a tough time remembering when we were. Unfortunately, I’m landing on 2.5 stars rounding up because there were a few good one liners, but I felt this one dragged.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for this honest review. Pub date is 3/4/25 this week!

Our four senior assassins are back in Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn.

"Billie, Helen, Nat and Mary Alice have had a little down time and now they're bored. they really want to get back to what they do best - assassinations. Naomi - acting director of the Museum - comes to them with an off-the-books project. A mole has stolen files and it looks like a European gangster is coming after anyone involved in their father's death. All four women are included in that group. So off they go - trying to find a mole and kill a gangster - and restore a lost treasure."

This book is more about the action and less about the ages of the four women. There are still references to old people aches and pains, but age is not the issue it was in the first book. Lots of fun banter in the group along with their partners. The story includes some of their earlier missions and ties them in with the current one at the end. Each of them question what they want their life to look like in this season, especially since they all want to keep being assassins. Lots of fun banter

A wild ending on a train and a surprising find.

Another fun story from Raybourn. So glad to see the team back.

More

This book was a great read for me. I couldn't put it down and just kept turning the pages. The four women were so fascinating I just couldn't figure out how they became the way they were.

Description:
Four women assassins, senior in status—and in age—sharpen their knives for another bloody good adventure in this riotous follow-up to the New York Times bestselling sensation Killers of a Certain Age.

After more than a year of laying low, Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie are called back into action. They have enjoyed their time off, but the lack of excitement is starting to a professional killer can only take so many watercolor classes and yoga sessions without itching to strangle someone...literally. When they receive a summons from the head of the elite assassin organization known as the Museum, they are ready tackle the greatest challenge of their careers.

Someone on the inside has compiled a list of important kills committed by Museum agents, connected to a single, shadowy figure, an Eastern European gangster with an iron fist, some serious criminal ambition, and a tendency to kill first and ask questions later. This new nemesis is murdering agents who got in the way of their power hungry plans and the aging quartet of killers is next.

Together the foursome embark on a wild ride across the globe on the double mission of rooting out the Museum’s mole and hunting down the gangster who seems to know their next move before they make it. Their enemy is unlike any they’ve faced before, and it will take all their killer experience to get out of this mission alive.

My Thoughts:
I missed the first book so I have to get it as soon as I can! I didn't realize when I read it that it was a series. The premise is amazing - a company that dispatches assassins. It sets up a whole new set of rules and makes for amazing adventures. The four women are hard not to like - eve considering their profession. I guess a lot can be forgiven the women when you consider the victims' crimes. The book was fast-paced and I seriously could not put it down. I was fascinated and totally engrossed. I recommend to anyone who likes thrillers and internationaly intrigue.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley through Netgalley for an advance copy.

I love these characters! Our main gals—Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, Natalie—and their supporting characters: Akiko, Taverner, Minka, and Naomi. And Nula!

"Kills Well with Others" is equally as charming and witty as "Killers of a Certain Age" but our girls' badass meter is off the charts on this one. It's hard to root for trained assassins, but you will absolutely root for these women. They're the best.

A year has passed since we last saw the gang, and retirement is still out of reach. This time, the Museum head, Naomi, assigns them a new mission: uncover a mole within the organization. Someone has been leaking details of their kills to a powerful Eastern European family, putting them all at risk. Now, it's up to them to expose the traitor and eliminate their latest enemy—before they become the next targets. Raybourn takes us on a high-stakes global mission filled with danger and deception and a crack at righting the past.

Just like the first novel in the series, you’ll be hooked from the start—laughing at the snarky dialogue while rooting for our favorite killers. So curl up with this cozy international thriller, where richly drawn characters settle scores and rid the world of evil, one criminal at a time.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, & Deanna Raybourn for the ARC in exchange for my authentic review.

What a fun read! These four ladies are incredibly fun to read about. They get put into some insane positions and manage to suceed at thier goal. I had no idea this was a sequel, I had no trouble keeping up with thier antics. Great locales throughout. Excellent fast pace no holds barred thriller.

Thank you to Berkley for the ARC.

More than a year after their last adventure, Billie, Mary Alice, Natalie and Helen are called back for another job. Someone on the inside of The Museum, the organization they once worked for, is killing agents who were associated with one Eastern European gangster with designs on expanding his power, and the foursome are all on that list. While trying to figure out who the mole is, they must also try to stay alive.

I really liked the first book in this series, and enjoyed this one just as much. The four women are perfect examples of why society shouldn’t overlook people, especially women, just because they’ve reached a certain age. They know each other and work together well, a plus on a mission like this. Some of their skills seem unrealistic, but maybe to fellow assassins, those skills would ring true?

We know from the start who the ultimate bad guy is, so most of the book focuses on identifying the mole within their organization. I was incorrectly suspicious of one character, but my next choice turned out to be the right person, although I did not figure out the motive before it was explained.

Although I hope that this series doesn’t mean the author has finished with her Veronica Speedwell series, I look forward to reading the next book featuring these women and their adventures.

Thank you for the free book @penguinrandomhouse and @berkleypub! #penguinrandomhousepartner #berkleyIG #BerkleyBookstagram. Thank you for the free audiobook, @prhaudio!

My favorite female assassins are back!!!

Guys, if you love Golden Girls but instead of sipping tea at the lanai, the female leads kick evil people’s butts, then you have to read this one!!!

My 30+ year old body is embarrassed with what these 60 year old ladies can do 😂 This book is packed with heart thumping action scenes and the audiobook really delivered in bringing those scenes to life!!!

And omg the dialogue between these four female leads is sooo hilarious! I was laughing most of the time 😂

Ive read Killers of a Certain Age and loved it. This is pretty much book 2 buuut it can definitely be read as a standalone although you’d just be more familiar with the characters and the backstory if you’ve read book 1

This has some mafia + art theft storyline, so this book will also armchair travel from Europe to Egypt!!

I dont think I’ll give a plot synopsis for this one. Just basically know that you’d be reading about senior female assassins who just can’t settle down in their retirement 😂

This books comes out March 4th, friends!!!
Highly recommend for you to add to your TBR!!!

💭 What book did you start March with?
☕️ I started Strawberry Patch Pancake House yesterday and just finished it at 2am this morning 😂

Deanna Raybourn's Kills Well with Others is a thrilling sequel to her bestselling novel Killers of a Certain Age, bringing back the dynamic quartet of senior assassins—Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie—for another high-stakes adventure. Released on March 4, 2025, this installment delves deeper into the complexities of aging, friendship, and the relentless world of espionage.

After a period of relative calm, the four women are thrust back into action when a new threat emerges: an Eastern European gangster with a penchant for eliminating those who stand in his way. Complicating matters further, a mole within their former organization, the Museum, has compromised their past missions, making them prime targets. The narrative weaves through various global locales as the team endeavors to unmask the traitor and neutralize the looming danger.

Raybourn's portrayal of her protagonists is both refreshing and empowering. These women, seasoned by years of experience, defy traditional stereotypes associated with aging. Their camaraderie and sharp wit infuse the story with humor and warmth. As noted in a Kirkus Reviews starred review, the novel is "a nonstop-action thriller that’s often disconcertingly funny in posing moral questions about the murder of horrible people."
KIRKUS REVIEWS

The plot is a tapestry of suspense and action, seamlessly transitioning between past and present assignments. This structure not only enriches character development but also maintains a brisk narrative pace. A reviewer from Bookshelf Fantasies remarked, "Both books prove that deadly women… of a certain age… make for excellent entertainment."
BOOKSHELF FANTASIES

However, some readers felt that the sequel didn't quite capture the same intensity as its predecessor. Lesa's Book Critiques mentioned, "While I enjoyed Deanna Raybourn’s second book featuring her retired spies, Kills Well with Others, I preferred the first in the series, Killers of a Certain Age."
LESASBOOKCRITIQUES.COM

In conclusion, Kills Well with Others is a commendable addition to Raybourn's series, offering a blend of action, humor, and insightful commentary on aging and resilience. Fans of the first installment will appreciate the continued adventures of these formidable heroines, while new readers will find an engaging and standalone narrative.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The girls ride again when The Museum is in trouble in this high stakes, high action foray away from their retirement. Definitely give this all-woman spy team a chance!

Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn is a delightful, twisty, and hilarious novel that is a true page-turner. I thoroughly enjoyed it! This thrilling blend of Golden Girls meets James Bond is a journey that you won't want to miss out on.

Deanna Raybourn returns with a follow up to Killers of a Certain Age. Kills Well with Others is an equally funny adventure about the group of four female senior assassins reunited on another mission.

The four characters come out of retirement to take on a revenge mission against the leader of a crime cartel. When one of their homes is burned to the ground, they all must find a safe house bringing their loved ones along. The women’s backstories and semi-retirement plans are revealed as they juggle their need for support with a fierce independence. Humor, twists and fast paced action make this sequel an enjoyable read. Raybourn makes it fun to root for killers. I can’t wait for more in this series!

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I had always wanted to read this author and really enjoyed Killers of a Certain Age. I was thrilled the Killers of a Certain Age would continue as a series. The women seemed to be retired without being erased after the last adventure about two years ago. We have Helen, Natalie, Mary Alice and Billie. We mostly have Billie telling us their story.

The women are about 60 and worked previously for the "Museum." Now Naomi, the head of the museum summons them. But it is a personal mission, as an agent from Provenance, Lillian Flanders, has been murdered and Naomi herself is in danger and so are the four ladies. Lillian sent the four on a job about 40 years ago.

So now they go to end anyone who might be avenging that kill, since it was their only contact with Lillian. The ladies gather interesting information and work out various connections. We get flash backs in time to the original job and other related events.

It's exciting and dangerous. Our team of ladies have various circumstances since they were "let go" without the normal pensions of the Museum for retirees. But since they are probably also on the current killer's list, they work the case. We get an update on their current personal relationships as they end up bringing their loved ones to a safe house as things become even more perilous.

I liked these smart women, their skills, and how they cared for each other. Luckily they persevered and I have to wonder if they will have more adventures.