A retired serial killer’s quiet life is upended by an unexpected visitor. To protect her secret, there’s only one option left–what’s another murder? From bestselling author Samantha Downing.
Lottie Jones thought her crimes were behind her.
Decades earlier, she changed her identity and tucked herself away in a small town. Her most exciting nights are the weekly bingo games at the local church and gossiping with her friends.
When investigative journalist Plum Dixon shows up on her doorstep asking questions about Lottie’s past and specifically her involvement with numerous unsolved cases, well, Lottie just can’t have that.
But getting away with murder is hard enough when you’re young. And when Lottie receives another annoying knock on the door, she realizes this crime might just be the death of her…
Book Info: Print length: 400 pages. Publisher: Berkley Books. Publication Date: 12 Aug 2025
My Thoughts:
I’m a HUGE fan of Samantha Downing’s previous books and when I saw Too Old For This on Netgalley, I immediately downloaded it and started reading it.
If you have read any previous books by Downing (My Lovely Wife (2019), He Started It (2020), For Your Own Good (2021) and A Twisted Love Story (2023) then you know she always creates brilliant characters, clever plots and dark humour and a killer twist and Too Old For This has it all.
It seems to be quite fashionable at the moment for the main characters to be retired or octogenarians solving murders in sleepy towns, but 75 year old Lottie Jones isn’t solving murders.. she’s committing them. A retired serial killer who planned on spending her final years in a sleepy Oregan town is forced to come out of retirement when an investigative journalist, Plum Dixon, shows up asking questions about Lottie’s past.
Now back in the game (if you call Serial Killing a game!) Lottie is caught up in a very twisted situation and it seems her only solution is to kill everyone who could expose her.
I absolutely adored Lottie’s character. Despite her advancing years, dodgy hips and knees, she can be charming and ruthless, funny and cynical and it’s difficult not to find some of the scenarios hysterical (and horrifying!).
So, if you love a cozy murder set in a sleepy town full of colourful old age pensioners who love to gossip, play bingo and murder the odd journalist, then pick up a copy of Too Old For This now.
