I’m glad to see that my girls are back! Billie, Natalie, Mary Alice, and Helen are such likable characters. Their chemistry and banter made the story so fun to read! I enjoyed this fast paced mystery.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the arc.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed Killers of a Certain Age, and was somewhat excited for a follow-up. But I think Kills Well With Others is yet another example, especially within the mystery/thriller space, of a premise being cashed in on because the first book was popular, when there’s no real engaging story to be told, at least not one that merits a full novel.
I definitely still liked the group dynamics overall, even if it was wanting in terms of execution with the plot. With these women being in their 60s and still incredibly spry, I love the concept of them continuing to go on mad capers together, defying the conventions of not just this genre, but most fiction, which often relegates women their age and older to the sidelines, if they merit a mention at all.
But the plot is where it lost me. I was very confused by the alternating timelines, and constant jumping back and forth, resulting in it feeling very disjointed. While it was high-action, it almost felt tedious in a way, which felt counterintuitive to the alleged purpose of the book. It just felt like this premise had run out of steam, and this felt very forced. And while it did not ruin the first book for me, this was a case where the first book should have remained a standalone, and I hope that Raybourn for once stops trying to make every popular book of hers a series.
That said, my opinion is definitely in the minority, and given this isn’t the first sequel of Raybourn’s I’ve either disliked or felt very “mid” about, this may be a long overdue sign that I should consider whether she’s an author I want to continue investing time in. But if you happened to enjoy the first book, and more consistently enjoy Deanna Raybourn in general, I’d recommend checking it out to form your own opinion.

𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 is a fun follow-up to 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘨𝘦. Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie return as a retired assassin squad and now they must work together again to contain a security breach related to a past assignment. The mission, naturally, turns into something larger and more complicated, and the story is intercut with flashbacks from their other hit jobs to provide even more details and background.

The book has a fast-paced, action-packed plot and is full of amusing dialogue and interesting locations. I also got a better sense of the characters’ personalities and relationships with each other this time around since the first novel already did a lot of the work establishing the backstories. Although I felt the plot of the book did get convoluted at times and wasn’t as gripping as that of its predecessor, this is overall a fun read I would recommend to someone in need of a lighthearted spy thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely adored this much anticipated sequel! I loved seeing more glimpses into the past and training of the Sphinxes while also being highly entertained by their "retirement" antics. Seeing the character growth in this novel was so nice and I hope there is more to come!

In this follow-up to Killers of a Certain Age, semi-retired assassins Billie, Mary Alice, Natalie, and Helen have once again been targeted by someone from their past. This time, they're being tracked by the surviving child of a crime boss they killed 45 years ago, and evading the hit is going to take every bit of their wits (and several disguises) to pull off. Traveling the world by boat, train, airplane, and even an occasional car, the quartet of killers must kill or be killed.

This was a fun sequel, though I don't know that it brought anything particularly new to the story. That said, it does give everyone who was hankering for it (AKA everyone who read Killers of a Certain Age) a second helping of the senior assassins. Read only if you've read the first one, but settle in for a fun caper when you do.

"We are necessary monsters."

✍🏻 A few years back, I read Killers of a Certain Age with my local book club, and we all LOVED it. That book read like an action packed movie, and I couldn't get enough of this spunky bunch of retired (or are they?) female assassins! I had no idea that a sequel was written until I saw it on Net Galley last November; I couldn't have hit the request button any faster!

I loved how this book flipped back and forth between the ladies in the beginning stages of their career on missions to the present day situation. (I think the 1st did this, too, if I remember.) I also appreciate that both timelines are told from Billie's POV because I think flipping from the timelines AND flipping between all the characters would be confusing. I was drawn into both timelines with the same level of interest and intensity and kept trying to spy if there were any connections between what happened then and what was happening now.

These ladies are such an intriguing group of characters, and it's a joy to see the beauty and complications in their friendships to each other. With a group of women, not to mention assassins, there are bound to be times where they butt heads, but when push comes to shove, they have each other's backs to the end.

Deanna's writing is remarkable as ever. Between all the action and traveling through countries, there is also a lot of humor and heart. I would happily follow this crew on any past or future adventures that she ever feels the need to take them on further. And if I neglect to mention how much I love Mary Alice and her two cats, I will have two cats of my own disappointed in me so there's also that. 😹

🔸 I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
🔹 Thank you to Net Galley, Berkley Publishing and Deanna Raybourn for this eARC.
🎉 Publication date: March 11, 2025

If you loved the first book in this series, Killers of Certain Age, then you'll enjoy this new adventure with Billie, Helen, Natalie, Mary Alice, and the rest of the gang. When it seems that everyone is enjoying life, an off the books mission comes their way. After a retired Museum agent is murdered, it seems there's a mole giving out names, and this is perfect timing to put a little excitement in their lives and find out who has turned and why. They travel the globe to find out who and stumble across an elusive part of a former mission. This is a high energy, fast paced read and a worthy installment in the series. I can't wait for the next book!

Four retired female assassins are called back to action. A mysterious Eastern European figure with a connection to the four friends’ first mission is targeting the four ladies.

Kills Well with Others is the second book in the Killers of a Certain Age series. This book is better enjoyed if you have read the first book, Killers of a Certain Age, and are familiar with the characters – Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie.

This book is told through Billie’s point of view, and includes flashbacks from the past. The characters are well-developed and interesting. The story is action-packed and entertaining.

Kills Well with Others is a fast-paced and fun mystery.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fabulous follow-up to Killers of a Certain Age! The older, but nowhere near ancient, retired deadly women assassins are back. I love how Raybourn writes these four. She doesn't sideline them into cliches of aging women. It's still Golden Girls meets Kill Bill, with all the mental and physical acrobatics included. Occasionally, bloody and cold but also witty and charming. And personally, they're still growing, learning, finding themselves, coming to terms with their lives. It just happens amid deadly cat and mouse games across the world.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for this digital e-arc.*

I really enjoyed this book. It was such a a fun read compared to my normal genre. The Author does an amazing job bring you into the story.

this was fine enough not sure we needed a sequel/for this to be a series, old women and murder mixed is fun!

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Kills Well with Others. After finishing Killers of a Certain Age, I knew I needed to spend more time with these ladies, so when I saw Kills Well with Others on NetGalley, I knew I needed to request immediately!

If The Golden Girls were a modern-day thriller, I imagine that this is what it would look like. From the bickering to the love, these ladies are the kind of friends you always want in your corner. The pacing was great for me, and I really liked Billie's growth through this story.

Is this one totally realistic? Probably not. Is it a fun ride? 100%. Would I watch this in movie form? You bet.

I can't wait to recommend this to my book club.

This series is so much fun! I just love following along with these senior semi-retired assassins. The banter is funny, and the way that these women can be honest and raw with each other speaks to knowing a group of people intimately for so many years. The balance between everyone off doing their own thing and effortlessly "getting the band back together" and working like a well-oiled machine is one of my favorite parts, along with the support the characters offer each other. The way they get all the details while going undercover or into hiding is fascinating. The mystery is a nice element, I just like being along for the ride and reading the antics of the characters.

The ladies are back and they are still kicking butt and taking names. My favorite senior assassins reunite for another spine tingling assignment in KILLS WELL WITH OTHERS. This time we find them trekking across Europe in search of a killer who’s hellbent on revenge. It’s kill it be killed and our fearless foursome are up to the task.

In KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE Deanna Raybourn proved that some things get better with age - things like cunning and keeping the world safe from predators. The gals are once again involved in an operation that requires them to out think, out plan, and out fight their adversaries. There is no shortage of espionage, intrigue, and suspense.

After decades together ridding the planet of bad guys, even our ladies need a little help and they get it thanks to the side characters who return for an encore in this second book. The things we do for love, right?

I love that Raybourn writes characters who are better together than they are individually. Their friendship is truly the secret weapon to their success. I do, however, hope she lets them ride into the sunset and enjoy their well earned retirement. They deserve it after proving once and for all that girl power is unstoppable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

The 4 “retired” assassins from “Killers of a Certain Age” are back with another international mission. Natalie, Billie, Mary Ann and Helen have, for years, been assassins working for the Museum…a very clandestine organization originally set up to hunt and kill Nazi who escaped justice at the end of WWII and to recover great works of art stolen by the Nazi from occupied countries or Jewish owners. These 4 “mature” women are brought back together because the Museum has a mole and information about an assassination from the 1990’s that they carried out has been leaked and someone wants revenge. From the QE2 to Italy, Montenegro and Switzerland they try to identify and kill whomever is trying to kill them. Along the way, they have some darkly funny encounters with a wide cast of characters including a young opera tenor, a Bulgarian bodyguard and a chicken. Tense, witty, fresh and sarcastic, this book is as fun as the first book

Raybourn does it again! This book is just as enjoyable as the first in the series. Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie find themselves both on the run and hunting a killer.

I highly recommend reading Killers of a Certain Age first, as it lays the groundwork for this installment. This sequel delves deeper into the main characters and gives a bit more attention to the side characters, making it an even richer read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping page-turner that will captivate fans of action-packed adventures, witty banter, and strong, sassy female protagonists who crave a wild ride of espionage, international intrigue, and high-stakes assassinations.

I love this series and, what I called, my retired lady assassins. I was so thrilled to see a second book and it did not disappoint! It was such a fun ride, I would love to see these as a movie. Among all the action, at the core, it’s about the friendship between the four women, which is what has me coming back to each book. More please! I’m also obsessed with the museum theme of the “agency” and would love to see what other past cases these four sphinxes got into. Highly recommend! Literary and actiony and fun!

The second book in this series is just as good as the first, the characters are great, fun and smart. There’s
lots of action and humor and just fun to read. I hope there are more books in this series.

I am grateful to NetGalley for an ARC of this title by Deanna Raybourn. I hadn't read anything by this author before, so I read Book One "Killers of a Certain Age" prior to reading this one so that I could understand the set up of these characters and what they do. These women were deadly assassins for a clandestine, international organization that eliminated unsavory people in various governments. However, at this age, they are supposed to be retired. Book two of this charming series brings them all back together on a new mission that carries them far from home.

What I love about this author is that her characters are well developed and very funny. As a woman of a certain age myself, they seem relatable to me in most ways (except that I'm truly not an assassin and I can't fight like that.). In Book One, they are not happy about retirement. In Book Two, they are called back into the thick of things and they are happy to oblige.

The author brings you back and forth in time, from their active days as younger women to the present situation at hand. For that reason, I think I am glad that I read this on Kindle rather than listening to it. I think it might have been a bit more confusing. I found myself laughing and also feeling sadness for some of the things they had experienced in the past and those things that were happening in the present. I did wonder if women my age would be able to withstand some of the physical elements described in this one, but I was willing to suspend my judgement and perhaps even felt inspired to get back onto that exercise bike or learn how to give and take a punch. It's a read that goes a long way toward empowering women who don't need men to rescue them.

I would recommend this book and do think reading Book One first is a good idea. I don't know if this author will write more stories in this series with our favorites Natalie, Billie, Helen and Mary Alice, but I do hope so. This was a 3.5 star read for me, rounded up to 4.