This is an absolute (deadly) delight! Fans of The Thursday Murder club will be taken by the elderly crime angle, but the first line will sell itself time and again. A recommended purchase for collections where crime fic is popular.

What a surprise ending! Meg, Daphne and Grace come together to help Nina, who has been sold into the sex trade. You never know when you're strong enough, mentally or physically, until you need to find out. Each of these women find a bit of their own strength with each attempt to get Nina out of the clutches of the Toad. Well done Rosalind!

I thought this book from the description was going to be more of a comedy. But honestly it was darker than I initially thought it would be. I think it was written well and the story was good. I just don't think this was personally the book for me.

Daphne, Grace and Meg are giving me golden girl vibes and I am absolutely living their cute wit and charm! These three ladies are not what you think and who would question 70 year old women in a plot to save Nina 17 and pregnant from a relationship that has a dark side.

I was immediately enthralled with this story. It’s not your typical mystery and these are not your typical women. They knew exactly what they were doing and made a plan to accomplish and did hesitate. The story is dark and twisting and it will suck you in until the last word.

This was a well written and thought provoking book and o highly recommend.

A special thanks to netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book springs from an intriguing premise: three seventy-something women shelter a trafficked minor who’s fleeing from captivity. Repulsed by the crime, not to mention taken emotionally with the victim, they take her in and decide to kill her captor. Their plot then chugs forward, plagued by bruising reversals and occasionally advanced by circumstance and a growing retinue of five more hapless fellow travelers keen on helping out the potential septuagenarian murderers .
Rosalind Stopps is a gifted writer, propelling her core story forward with palpable pace and suspense, plus a good deal of humor couched in a winning, witty style. Along the way, though, Stopps pauses to delve into the states of mind (and past lives) of her central trio. This is a creditable approach, certainly, creative and eminently well crafted, but for this reader, at least, it’s a bit too frequently revisited, dragging the pacing to a halt.
Many readers will respond favorably to this structure, but others may find it jarring in its skillful use of driving, realistic suspense coupled withan insistent evocation of “Cozy” conventions and familiar emotional flashbacks. among its principals.
For all its flaws in my view, however, the book shines as a testament to courage and friendship. Its market. is out there and new fans of the author will find it.

Fun planned murder story. If you think the idea of old ladies planning a murder sounds fun give it a go.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit of a darker story, and although the characters were damaged they were loveable. I thought the storyline was very well done, it kept me guessing. I couldn’t put this book down, I needed to know what was coming next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book exchange for an honest review.

Wtf did I just read??? Going into this book, I thought it was going to be a cozy mystery or a humor filled thriller. Golden girls with a twist of murder if you will. However, that could not be further from what it was! This was such a dark and compelling story. It exposes issues in this world that desperately need to be talked about more. I was truly captivated by this book and found myself so consumed despite how heavy it was. This book left me feeling angry and sad because although it was fiction, it is the disturbing reality for too many people in this world. Very well written and a story that unfortunately needs to be told to bring more awareness. This one will stay with me for a long time.

“We had known him for two days when we decided to kill him.”

Looking at the title and the first sentence, you’d never guess that the main characters of this book are three elderly ladies and a teenage girl. It definitely had some mystery to it, and I liked reading each character’s perspective. The plot was good but it moved too slowly for me. I also had a hard time connecting with the characters. It tackles some difficult topics (make sure to check TWs), but the writing style didn’t pull me in as much as I wish it would’ve. The last 20% of the book was the most exciting. You might like this book if you like unique female leads, multiple POVs, and dark humor.

What a sweet but dark story. Not what I was expecting at all with a book about senior citizens plotting murder. This was full of humor, regret, anger, love and happiness. I rooted for these "ladies" throughout the entire book. While there was darkness showing the horrors of the real world, there was also light that showed the bond and connection women have and the lengths they would go to for each other. I truly loved this book.

A Beginner’s Guide to Murder by Rosalind Stopps was definitely different.
But different I did enjoy!
What I loved most about this story.....
Grace, Meg and Daphne, all in their seventies, helping seventeen-year-old Nina. These strong, fierce, bad ads characters are amazingly interesting and brilliantly developed.
Also the writing, the setting, the story, the kick ass character's! Done so well.
The main storyline moved swiftly. There were many twists and turns the story quickly captured my interest and kept it through the entire novel. 
A very intriguing story.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Harper 360, HQ,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.
This is my first Rosalind novel but it won't be my last.

This book is definitely not what I was expecting. It is quite a heavy and emotional novel. The subject matter was rough, and the characters though lovable were very damaged. It took a while to finish as I needed breaks, but it was very well done. I think I was expecting a little more of something on the lighter side given that the main characters were elderly women hiring a hit man.
I did enjoy the book though. 3.75

As an Anglophile I may be predisposed to sum up the moral of this book way, way down into two beautiful words: “sod it.” A story that is a secret handshake to the insecure. The introverted, the self-aware and the over-thinkers. A lifetime of second-guessing and pacing one half-step back when what’s needed is a leap.

Three “old pussies,” as Agatha Christie would have called them, are exhaling in a coffee shop for post-Pilates small talk when duty comes bursting through the door in thinly disguised hysterics. A young “bird,” teenaged and in way over her head; hints of abuse that make a reader wish Nina, our victim, had an old Northern Irish type to pick up a phone and elucidate on her behalf: “I have a very specific set of skills...I will find you…” But Nina’s Liam Neeson had already had his coffee that morning. Instead, she found something better.

Engrossing from top to tail, “A Beginner’s Guide to Murder” is a bit of a misnomer. The heroic septuagenarian troika make plenty of mistakes on their way to a thrilling conclusion; by the time they’ve made them, the reader is all but certain to have fallen in love with these surrogate grand-guardians and the indomitable camaraderie they find together.

Suspense haunts every move made in this book, from the captivating opening line onward. Like afikomen, the deeper meaning is hidden but easy to locate. These women weren’t the heroes needed. But push came to shove. They said “sod it,” they leapt, and I’m glad author Rosalind Stopps chose to take us along for the ride.

I was not sure what to expect going in but I ended up really enjoying it. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I eagerly turned each page.

Daphne, Grace, and Meg are a group of golden girls with an unbreakable bond. While enjoying some tea at a shop, a young girl approaching them clearly in need of some help. They agree to help the girl, especially when a intimidating man asks if they’ve seen her. The three ladies don’t bat an eyelash as they whisk the girl to safety.

The girl, Nina recounts her story and why she’s running. The three ladies unanimously agree the only way to truly protect Nina is to commit murder. What follows is an exciting series of events that show how brave these women are.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.