Book Review by Robert Wiersema Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn Billie, Mary Alice, Helen and Natalie – the protagonists of Deanna Raybourn’s wild new novel Killers of a Certain Age – started their careers together back in the late 1970s. It was a time of change, and they did their part – they worked hard, excelled at their tasks and cracked the proverbial glass ceiling. But all careers, even great ones, come to an end and the four colleagues have been rewarded for their long service with an all-expenses-paid cruise vacation. It’s not a bad recognition for a life’s work. Until, that is, someone tries to kill them. For these four, however, imminent death is an occupational hazard and never entirely unexpected. After all, for more than 40 years, the foursome has worked for the Museum, an elite, private network of assassins. And now, someone at the highest levels of the organization (‘the Board’) has ordered their more permanent retirement. It’s no spoiler to reveal that the women escape the first threat on their lives, or that they will have to use their decades of experience and friendship to figure out who wants them terminated, and why. That’s all the setup for one of the most delightful and thrilling reads in recent memory. Raybourn writes with a light, deft tone – sarcastic and cutting where it needs to be; earnest and thoughtful when required – as she follows the foursome’s attempt to reclaim their lives. Shifting back and forth in time, she explores their earlier assignments to introduce a broad cast of characters and motivations which might be decades old. The format allows for a stark contrast as the women look back on their youth, as well as at the realities of aging. “Generally, I was good with my age,” Billie says, after dispatching an attacker. “Turning sixty hadn’t sent me into a tailspin or whipped up an existential crisis. Aging in our business was a luxury most never got. But it straight up pissed me off when I came up against something I couldn’t do as easily as I used to. Every day, I walked ten miles and did two hours of yoga. I spent twelve hours a week pounding my fists into a heavy bag and lifting weights. I popped supplements like they were Pez, but once in a while some little shit like Brad Fogerty crossed my path and I felt every damn year.” That’s relatable, to say the least. Even if one isn’t a highly trained assassin. Along the way, the book also explores the way in which women and their accomplishments are diminished over time, as well as the cultural manner in which women – especially older women – are overlooked, or seem to disappear entirely. Of course, being overlooked or disappearing is a perfect situation for a covert operative – or four – being hunted around the world. Killers of a Certain Age is a delight from start to finish, a compelling thriller, a satisfying puzzle and a perfect blend of lightness and suspense. You wouldn’t be wrong to compare it to The Golden Girls crossed with John Wick, but the book is wholly original and one you shouldn’t miss. CSANews | SPRING 2023 | 37
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