Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing me to read this ARC. I found this read super enjoyable. What an interesting and funny concept for a story. I liked all the characters and the story moved along with such a pace that I didn't get bored, which is a problem for me recently. Highly recommend this book if you like psychological suspense type books. You're sure to laugh at points.

I really enjoyed this novel; the characters felt real, and the well-paced plot kept me engaged from start to finish.

Murder is Hard Work
I didn't expect to have so much in common with a serial killer. We both are mature women who like to problem solve. We both enjoy church activities. We both are experiencing the invisibility that comes with aging. We are both handy with tools. I found this novel to be delightfully original. I am not obsessed with true crime podcasts or books, but I do enjoy the occasional well written mystery and this fits the bill. Lottie is so matter of fact as she goes about her killings, always justified of course, that it does not become gruesome.
This novel held my interest from beginning to end. I will be recommending Too Old For This it to all my reading friends. I look forward to reading more novels by this author.

What an amazing book, I was hooked from the first page. A fascinating villain you just have to adore. Great writing, fun, exciting, can't wait for it to be published and available to all my reading friends. Thanks to netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Definitely a highlight in 2025.

Lottie isn’t your typical 75yr old. Lottie used to be Lorena, a woman accused of multiple murders in the 80s, she got off, but was she actually innocent? People start showing up at Lottie’s doorstep wanting to talk about her past, and things start to get too messy for Lottie to keep track of. This book made me rethink my chamomile and earl grey teas.

What an entertaining serial killer thriller! I was hooked from the start and found myself rooting for Lottie, despite her obvious guilt. This novel was an engaging pageturner and even when you saw the twists coming, they were still thrilling. I enjoyed it right to its very satisfying end. This was a case of cheering for the one you shouldn’t and not for those you should. That’s not an easy task and Samantha Downing did it with ease. I look forward to reading more from this author.

HOOKED. From start to finish! I think I picked up about 6 books and could not get into any of them, but I read the first chapter of this one and had to KNOW what was going to happen. Also, why was I rooting for the serial killer? 😂

This was so good! I think there should be more books about 75 year old women serial killers, I would read every single one - especially if they were written by @smariedowning this book was addictive, shocking and will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Thank you to the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review. PUB DATE: 8/12

This story has such a unique premise and I was here for every absurd and relatable moment of it. Downing has crafted a cleverly killer thriller. (Say that 5 times fast.) Lottie is so excellently written, you'll almost forget what she has done. We love our morally grey characters and Lottie is no exception. Though this might be the first one who plays bingo and brings spinach dip to the potluck....

This story is a wild ride that is full of sass and dark humor. Is it a life altering book? No. But you will have one heck of a time reading about the escapades of a 75 year old serial killer. And who knows, maybe you'll find it as oddly delightful as I did.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the early copy!

This book is a phenomenally fun ride!

Lottie is an alluring, whip-smart, resourceful, and incredibly self-aware main character who just cannot help herself sometimes. The self-awareness keeps her human, it keeps her cogent, and it holds in check certain other traits that could be really frustrating for the reader. A lot of fiction written from the killer's POV falls into this trap of a character who's either outrageously and pointlessly sadistic (seemingly just for the thrill of it) or someone who's lost all of their human qualities to this cold, calculating, robotic demeanor. I understand both are derived from stereotypes that have roots in real true crime, but their use in fiction has gotten sort of exhausting. It's hard to nail that, and to make it realistic. Because these are still human killers of other humans, they are still *people*, and that is why they and their hard-to-pin-down strangeness make the average Joe so squirmy. If they're good at hiding, most people won't notice their depravity.

This book was an ultra-huge gust of fresh air, in that sense. Lottie was so well-written, I didn't realize how passionate I am about that until we get this thought from her later in the book: "How can I not smile at that." It made my toes curl a little, and it reminded me who's perspective I was reading. She'd lulled me into forgetting who she was even though I was there, with her, for everything, and even in this relatively non-violent moment, she's still... herself.

The plot wasn't as exemplar as the character writing, but I think that's just because it ultimately didn't matter as much. Lottie WAS the plot. The whole narrative is wrapped & twisted up around her. The other characters really sort of fade away. Which I do think may have been intentional, as I think she's supposed to possess a certain magnetism.

Read this if you like thrillers!

Meet Lottie Jones… or should I say Lorena Mae Lansdale? 😏 She may be a bingo-playing, potluck-attending, seemingly harmless septuagenarian now, but back in the day, she had a little habit of making people disappear—especially if they crossed her or her son. And she was very good at it.
Now, she’s retired in Baycliff, Oregon, living in a house funded by the city after her wrongful conviction years back (or was it?). But when an overly ambitious documentarian, Plum Dixon, knocks on her door wanting to feature her story in a new true-crime series, Lottie has to take care of this situation, the last thing she wants is to dredge up her past on TV. ☠️
What follows is a spectacular domino effect of chaos, dark humor, and, murder. And I say spectacular because this book is a mixture of Dexter and Deanna Raybourn’s “Killers of a Certain Age” series, making away with someone and chopping them up was executed so nonchalantly, as if it was just another day at the office. It was horrifying yet hilariously impressive.
You know what she’s doing is wrong, but Samantha Downing works her magic once again, making you root for this dangerously clever anti-heroine. (I mean, if we can cheer for Dexter, we can cheer for Lottie, right? 🤭)
Beyond the dark comedy and thrilling plot, Too Old For This also shines a light on the struggles of aging—the way society underestimates, isolates, and often ignores those getting older. Seeing Lottie navigate modern technology and societal shifts? Relatable. Seeing her wield a hammer when necessary? Even more relatable. 👀
If you love:
✨ Morally gray main characters
✨ Sharp, dark humor
✨ Unhinged, but oddly loveable serial killers
✨ Fast-paced, twisty storytelling
Then Too Old For This needs to be on your 2025 TBR! 📚🔥

Sharing Lottie's invisibility cloak of a certain age but fortunately, not sharing her history, I am mercifully not haunted by the possibility of someone waiting to document a life-history best forgotten.

My junk drawer, filled with tools, has never looked so sinister...and the walk-in shower, so treacherous. And the murders...increasingly outrageous, somehow give rise to an inappropriate smile...but surely not laughter!

Initially a seemingly innocuous tale, the tension quickly rises as the bodies pile up and Lottie is forced into more devious methods to avoid detection.

How could a book about murders be so entertaining...and how could I be nodding in appreciation of this clever septuagenarian? I’m not sure, but I am heading to my library to find more by this clever author.

It’s all in the words….

Too Old For This

I’ve never been interested in the geriatric genre of thrillers but there’s a first time for everything .

I like things that go bump in the night and scare the bajesus out of me but let me tell you, Lottie, she gave me a run for my money .

Lottie, is a total vibe

I aspire to be Lottie in my elder years, store bought spinach dip and all .

What I loved so much was Downings words. I never thought you could really get that true “fusion” between thrillers and humor.

Downing sets my soul on fire and I am totally here for it

Each page fluid, entertaining and exciting… I couldn’t wait to see what this crazy old bird was up to next .

Downing has never failed us and she sure hasn’t now. Grab your own copy August 12, 2025 or better yet, preorder so you don’t forget!

Big thank you to Samantha Downing, Berkley and NetGalley for allowing me the honor to read a sure to be bestseller (early!) in exchange for an honest review! Y’all are the bees knees!

Check out this teaser :

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…

A unique premise about a 75-year-old named Lottie Jones who is a grandmother and a church-going bingo player. And also a serial killer.
I had high hopes for this as I LOVED Downing's My Lovely Wife. This story was a fun escape with dark humor and a wild ride, but don't expect any big twists. It was entertaining, though.

5 thriller killer stars

Samantha Downing has crafted another winner here with this tale of a retired serial killer. Lottie Jones is a character seared into my memory! My jaw dropped several times throughout this book as we get a glimpse into her mind and activities. My advice--be very careful what you say around Lottie, as you might be her next victim and she leaves no clues behind.

Lottie, now 75, is living under a new identity, with new friends at church, bingo, potlucks, and a lovely house. Why does a pesky podcaster, Plum, turn up wanting to dive into the past? How did Plum even find her and why is she so persistent? That will just never do and Lottie needs to take care of her.

Lottie thought she had put all the suspicions from her past and the dogged detective behind her, but Plum showed up and threw her life into a tailspin. Now Lottie knows that she has to be so much more careful than in the past, with cameras everywhere and electronic footprints, it’s so tiring to keep track of the lies and murders.

This one kept me on the edge of my seat as I waited to see if Lottie had finally met her match several times in the book. Is it bad to root for a serial killer? That’s some skillful writing there that I was considering doing just that!

My thanks to Berkley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this one. Scheduled to publish 8.12.2025. Mark your calendars now!

4.5 stars - I have enjoyed author Samantha Downing's past books, so I had to request her latest, "Too Old for This". And I LOVED it! What a great premise - a sweet little old lady (Lottie) who just also happens to be a retired serial killer!! And what's going to happen when an investigative journalist knocks on her door to upset her quiet life, hmmm?? What fun, and full of snark & dark humor - I couldn't put it down! Really enjoyed & highly recommend! Many, many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for my advance readers copy - greatly appreciate the opportunity to review it!!

Seventy five year old Lottie Jones is a serial killer living a quiet life under a new name. She was once accused of three murders in Spokane in 1985, but the police could never find enough evidence to charge her. However, she still suffered a very public trial by media, losing her job, her friends and family with her young son Archie having a really hard time being bullied at school. After her name was cleared, she sued the city and the payout allowed her and Archie to move and start afresh in a small town in Oregon. Now she’s just another quiet little old lady, living in a small town, going to church and bingo, where she has a small group of friends.

That is until the past comes back to plague her in the form of a young woman called Plum Dixon, who is planning to record a series of podcasts about people wrongfully accused of crimes. The last thing Lottie wants is for the past to resurface and destroy the lives she and Archie have made for themselves. She decides the only way to make this go away is to make sure that Plum disappears for good.

This is so much fun as Downing has injected a lot of wry humour into this cat and mouse novel. Lottie is a cracker of a character and a real card. Even at her age, she’s a very dangerous person to cross. Smart and a lot sharper than she thinks she is, she is never to be underestimated. Especially when she answers the door smiling and invites you in for tea and cookies.

Lottie might be a loving mother and grandmother, but her inner thoughts of what she would like to do to people who annoy her are scarily dark. The only problem is that she’s getting on and getting away with murder takes a lot out of her. She also worried about how times have changed, with modern forensic techniques and technological advances that weren’t around forty years ago.

Unfortunately, Plum’s disappearance starts a veritable tsunami of people looking for her, including the local police, her boyfriend, her mother and someone who’s been looking for Lottie for a long time. How Lottie deals with all this is hugely entertaining.

You might need to suspend belief and just go with the flow to enjoy this gripping and totally addictive thriller. Especially if you enjoy black humour and a likeable but cold blooded killer who feels no sympathy for her victims.

What happens when a plucky, young documentary film maker shows up on your doorstep to ask about your past (allegedly) life of crime? All Lottie wants to do is be left alone to enjoy her weekly bingo game at the church and to while away her time in her old house. When Plum shows up to ask questions about her past, Lottie has some decisions to make. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Highly recommended.

I just love Ms Downing's books! She has a fresh style, unique plots, and characters that I've never met before.
Too Old For This was a much anticipated read! And it didn't disappoint! I will leave the synopsis to other reviewers, but I will tell you will want to read this book in one setting. And you'll chuckle, you'll gasp, you'll cringe in horror, and when you're done, you'll be sad because you have to wait for the next book from the author.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this prerelease ebook!

Oh Samantha Downing, you sly devil you. It is no secret that I will read anything that Downing writes and I have still been waiting for another book to live up to her debut My Lovely Wife. Too Old for This did exactly that plus more for me, and when I picked this up on a Sunday morning, I didn’t stop until I was done on Sunday night and it was time for bed! It’s been a long time since I binged a book with my eyes, and this is a novel that you better have time set aside for because it will happen to you! Lottie is one of the most twisted and loveable anti-heroines that I have met in a long time, and her dark humor thanks to Downing gave me life.

I think it would be fun to see this onscreen someday, and I can totally see myself doing a reread with the audiobook once this is out in the world this summer. The uniqueness of Lottie as a character (how many elderly female serial killers have you seen in a book?) and the wildness of the twists will leave you breathless and wishing this was a series. Downing does write some of the best characters I have ever seen, and I loved the laugh-out-loud quality to the storyline as well. This is a really dark read at the same time and the suspense was totally on point from start to finish. I wasn’t sure how things would go, and in the end, I was so oddly happy and satisfied. Such a delicious read that will remain in my memory for a long time to come.

Read this if you are looking for an original thriller full of body parts, cleverness, and a fierce female main character.

Too Old for This
Genre - thriller
Rating - 5⭐️

OBSESSED. This will for sure be the thriller of the summer. I binged this in two sittings and couldn't get enough. I already cannot wait for what’s next from this author.

Despite reading 100+ books consistently every year, I sometimes get a little intimidated starting a new book - am I up to learning a new plot and remembering a new cast of characters? Completely not the case here - the action starts immediately and was unputdownable from Chapter 1.

I love when readers get inside the mind of the villain and then we can't help but root for them. Lottie is bound to be one of my favorite characters of the year. She was sharp, witty, and so nuts that it made for such a fun, wild ride. The supporting cast was memorable, but Lottie stole the show.

A note on my personal preference - I wasn't quite sure the direction the end was going to take. While satisfying, there were a few loose ends I thought might be tied up.