I don't have much to say about this book because I DNF'd in about 10% of the way through. It just wasn't for me. The writing style wasn't entertaining and I didn't like any of the characters (male or female). I was hoping it would have some snappy dialogue or a bit more comedy to it, but it wasn't charming and I didn't connect to it at all.

🪦 Retirement Schemes Run Amok: Where's the Fun? 🚫

From the moment I picked up *The Retirement Plan* by Sue Hincenbergs, I was ready for a juicy dark comedy full of unexpected twists and moral ambiguity. What I got instead was a parade of unlikeable characters who seemed more intent on annoying me than engaging me.

I expected to root for someone, anyone, in this comedic battle of wits between husbands and wives. But as the plot unfolded, I found myself indifferent to both sides—hoping almost that these characters might just meet their end together. The husbands' and wives' schemes were so ludicrously unbelievable that it became impossible to take any of their antics seriously.

The plot twisted and turned, yet none of these twists seemed to serve any meaningful purpose. It felt less like riding a thrilling rollercoaster and more like bobbing along a chaotic river without a paddle. I wanted to find humor in the chaos, but with characters as irredeemable as these, my empathetic fatigue set in way before the final showdown.

The only saving grace was Elmer the dog. In a narrative swirling with human folly, Elmer was the one character I could genuinely cheer for. Unfortunately, his charm couldn’t salvage the rest of the book.

By the time I finished, I was left wondering how a book filled with such potential ended up missing the mark so completely for me. Perhaps tighter plotlines and more relatable characters would have struck a better balance. If you’re a fan of dark comedy, heed my caution: this might test your tolerance more than your humor. 📚

Thank you William Morrow for this arc.

I requested this because I thought it looked like fun. It turned out to be a book that did what I love best, kept me guessing – well, mostly – until the end. It could have twisted in so many ways and is so good I finished reading the last 250 pages in one day in massive gulps, hanging on for the ride.

There are plot flips and a ton of morally gray people. I liked and disliked most of them, hated a few, cheered when certain things happened, worried about who was going to make it through to the end of the book, changed my opinion about people a time or three, and waited to understand why some of them did and said what they did. I read another advanced review that said if these couples had talked to each other a bit more, a lot of misunderstandings would have been avoided but then the book wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun.

I loved seeing the older couples who had wrinkles, slight paunches, hair loss, lives spent together, and those annoyances that come from thirty plus years of marriage. There is a lot of really dark humor which might be more than readers are looking for. Mistakes are made based on that sketchy communication about important things and the results set off a chain reaction that keeps the story moving and the tempo fast.


There’s a lot of heart in the story. My favorite couple from the book are not in the initial friend group. Instead it’s a man who “gets things done” and also lives by the credo of “happy wife, happy life” and the woman he chose who changed his life. There’s also a lovable mixed breed dog, Elmer.

The book flipped and twisted more than an Olympic diver from the ten meter platform. Would the dive end in a splashless finish or a belly flop? I could guess at a few things but even getting those correct still left me unsure about major events. Some shit goes down and hard truths must be faced and examined. Remember morally gray. Is this a realistic book? Nah. Or at least I hope not. But it’s entertaining as heck and hard to believe that it’s a debut effort. I look forward to more to come. A-

The only thing more dangerous than a man with a bad investment scheme is a wife with nothing left to lose — and in “The Retirement Plan,” there are three of them, and it's surprising how easily they find a hitman. Sue Hincenbergs’ debut is more “Golden Girls” than “Gone Girl” — a murder plot wrapped in a comedy of errors, soaked in margaritas, and held together with a box of donuts. These women aren’t here to solve crimes. They’re here to create them. And while they’re no one’s idea of cold-blooded killers, they’ve hit the end of their patience, their budgets, and their tolerance for mediocre husbands — and honestly? I get it.

We start with four lifelong best friends: Pam, Nancy, Shalisa, and Marlene. Their less than impressive husbands flushed away the retirement fund five years ago on a garbage fire investment, and things have been rotting ever since. The big catalyst? Marlene’s husband Dave dies — in their garage — in what might be a freak accident... or might be a mob hit. Either way, Marlene cashes a massive life insurance check and bounce-moves to Boca Raton like a queen. That’s when the rest of the women find out their husbands took out identical million-dollar policies. Retirement Plan 2.0? Kill the husbands.

Enter Hector. Barber by day, part-time hitman by necessity, and the only person in this book who knows how to actually execute a plan — literally and metaphorically. He gets approached by both the wives and the husbands, and instead of turning one down like a normal assassin with boundaries, he decides to double-dip the murder contract and figure it out later. It’s morally questionable, logistically nightmarish, and 100% on brand. Hector is jaded, efficient, and — plot twist — kind. Especially to Elmer (the dog), which tells you everything you need to know about his soul. He peppers his conversations with movie quotes like a man trying to stay amused while the world burns around him, and somehow, it works. And the real kicker? His wife is just as sharp, grounded, and emotionally intelligent as he is. Together, they’re the stealth power couple of this whole mess. Honestly, if the book were just about the two of them, I’d preorder an entire series.

Then there’s Padma, the newly minted casino boss with a mob-matriarch mother who treats emotional manipulation like an Olympic event. Padma wants independence, success, and maybe a sliver of actual respect — but instead of setting boundaries, she keeps folding herself into smaller and smaller shapes, hoping her mother might finally say something kind that isn’t transactional. She’s polished on the outside, unraveling underneath, and constantly contorting herself for approval that’s never coming. And yet, there’s something deeply satisfying about watching her realize — slowly, painfully — that she doesn’t have to keep playing nice. Her arc isn’t the loudest in the book, but it hits hard in all the right places.

And the husbands? Their secret retirement plan is surprisingly solid — they’ve managed to rig casino slot machines to pay out just enough under the radar to skim real money without triggering alarms. It’s actually clever. The problem is they’re not clever enough to keep their cool. As the stakes rise, so does their collective blood pressure, and watching them try to handle the fallout is like watching a group of dads sweat through a middle school talent show. They’ve pulled off the hard part; now they’re just too paranoid, guilty, and emotionally stunted to see it through without imploding. Add in a casino boss with mob ties (hi, Padma) and a barber-hitman who’s already double-booked, and yeah — it’s not looking great for team testosterone.

This book runs on chaos math: miscommunication times coincidence, divided by how-many-people-you-can-trust, multiplied by Elmer the dog, raised to the power of “why is everyone trying to commit murder at the same time?” And let’s take a minute for Elmer — because he deserves it. He watches. He judges. He knows. He’s the furry Greek chorus to everyone’s suburban breakdown — dragged into the mess but never lowering himself to participate in the nonsense. Honestly? Every belly rub he gets, he earned. And if you finish this book and you’re not fully Team Elmer, I don’t trust your judgment.

Let’s be real, this whole plot could’ve been avoided if even one of these couples had tried therapy or learned to communicate like functional adults. But where’s the fun in that? What we get instead is a glorious mess of missed signals, midlife desperation, and weapons-grade side-eye. It’s chaos by design — and watching these women, fed up and underestimated, spiral into a murder-adjacent meltdown is wildly satisfying.

Is it messy? Absolutely. Twisty? Delightfully. Fun? Mostly. “The Retirement Plan” is a laugh-out-loud, wine-spitting 3.5-star ride — the literary equivalent of realizing your group chat could land you in court and still choosing the group chat every time.

Whodunity Award: Lifetime Achievement Award in Remaining Unbothered to Elmer, the Dog

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this one! I thought it was so funny at times about the story itself was great. Two women, who are best friends, hatch a plan to murder their significant others. Little do they know, their husbands have a plan of their own. I thought this book was very entertaining and easy to read. I could see this being a movie.

This was really fun! Comparable to The Thursday Murder Club in that you're following a group of average everyday older adults who end up in some hijinks when they start getting involved in murderous affairs.

I loved the cat and mouse element to this story and all the little twists and turns the story takes. If you're looking for a more lighthearted, fast-paced, funny, compulsively readable thriller - pick this one up!

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.

This book was such a fun read. I absolutely loved the friendships between the characters. As I read I found myself chuckling because there are several funny parts. This also isn't I've if those predictable books. I never knew what would happen next! After reading the first few chapters, I began telling everyone what I was reading because I think others will really enjoy this read. As someone who reads and enjoys mostly thrillers, I thoroughly enjoyed the slight switch to a dark comedic mystery. I just may have found myself a new genre! Pick this up for a sunny day read. You won't be sorry.

This was utter perfection. The Retirement Plan had me giggling, enjoyed the entire thing from first to last page and am looking forward to re-reading this one on audio!

Four husbands and wives are out to make the most of their retirement plans after losing their nest eggs. A casino con, a tragic death, a barber/hitman, an ambitious single Indian woman and wild miscommunications all intermix. Has a quirky movie vibe to the book. Thanks NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy for a honest review.

This was a fun read! Three middle aged couples unhappy with their marriages and bank accounts. All trying to figure out a retirement plan. For some the plan includes murder. For others high stakes theft. I enjoyed the characters in this book and the plot twists. Just the right laugh out loud book for my beach vacation!

I received The Retirement Plan as an eARC from NetGalley and William Morrow. My opinions are my own.

The Retirement Plan is about a group of friends and their husbands (who are also friends) that are almost to retirement age. One day, one of the men (Dave) end up dead and it spirals out of control. The women, who are tired of their husbands find out that the husbands have a 1 million dollar life insurance policy on themselves. They scheme on how to get rid of them so they can collect the money. The men are convinced that Dave's death is not an accident so they scheme on how to get out of their situation.

Wow! This book was so good. I haven't laughed like this while reading a book in a while. The plot was entertaining and the constant misunderstandings between all of the characters could totally be resolved if they just have a conversation. If you enjoy the Finlay Donovan series, you will really like this book. I believe this is a debut and I really hope the author writes more.

I’m afraid this one wasn’t for me. The premise sounded darkly comedic, but I found the characters so unlikable and could not get into the story at all
The characters should have gotten divorced years ago, but instead stayed miserable for ages until deciding to do a crime about it

I loved this book. It was so different and i was hooked from the beginning. I loved everything about this story.

I really wanted to like this book. I really did. While it may appeal to many, I just couldn’t get into it. The characters were greedy and unlikable. It was a comedy of errors and kind of fun in that aspect. However, I just didn’t care what happened to the huge cast of characters. Except for Elmer the dog. Elmer was great.

This one had too much going on for me without enough movement in plot. It was quirky and fun but a little hard for me to follow.

DNF at 35%. This novel is a perfect example of telling rather than showing. This novel is being told in third person, following our cast of main characters, as they try to kill their husbands to get the retirement life they've always dreamed of. But the downfall is that everything is being told to us rather than shown. When we get a glimpse into the mystery in chapter four, instead of us walking through what Dave and Hank were doing, instead our narrator tells us everything, leaving much to be desired. I feel like there was many opportunities for things to be explored further, and have more details to be focused upon to build the suspense, but instead, it was passed over. This novel had great potential and I really loved the idea, but the writing style didn't work for me and there was way too many plot lines to keep things straight.

Thank you #NetGalley for the eARC of #TheRetirementPlan by Sue Hincenbergs!

The Retirement Plan is a laugh-out-loud debut mystery that spins aging, marriage, friendship, and very questionable life choices into one big mess. When a group of longtime girlfriends finds their retirement dreams shattered thanks to their husbands' terrible financial decisions, resentment starts to simmer. But it really boils over when they realize those men are worth more dead than alive — at least according to their life insurance policies. What starts as a few jokes over cocktails quickly spirals into serious plotting... and seriously poor decisions (...and hilarity). Meanwhile, the husbands are busy crafting a few secret plans of their own, leading both sides straight into a collision course filled with hitmen, shady barbers, and double-crosses galore. It’s a race to see who can outwit whom — and who will survive their so-called golden years.

The book has a great setup and some truly funny, absurd moments. I loved the banter, the dark humor, and the way the tension slowly built as both sides tried (and failed) to outsmart each other. That said, there were times when the story felt a little overstuffed with side plots, and I didn't connect deeply with most of the characters — they’re more chaotic energy than emotional depth. Still, it was a fast-paced, entertaining ride with plenty of twists to keep me flipping pages.

The Retirement Plan is a black comedy of errors that had its moments, but mostly missed the mark for me. Pam and her friends scheme to kill their husbands for insurance money after their friend Marlene gets rich via life insurance after her no-good husband dies in a freak accident. The rest of the husbands are not so great either, given that they each lost their life savings in a dodgy investment. While the wives are hatching their plan, the husbands are getting up to schemes of their own...

I thought this had moments of zany fun, but was mostly mediocre for me. None of the characters stood out much or made me particularly care what happened to them. This could make a fun movie, but I didn't get a lot out of reading it and by a certain point couldn't wait to be done. Everything does, somehow, wrap up nicely at the end, but I didn't particularly care by the time I got there. Fans of Janet Evanovich might enjoy this one.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Up for an entertaining good laugh? This book is for you. Best female friends anticipating retirement discover that their husbands have made poor investments affecting their futures. Wait! The husbands have generous life insurance policies, so, the wives plot to kill them in order to collect. Their husbands have other ideas. Hilarious adventure!