✨ I’m going to need Ms. Samantha Downing to sit me down and explain to me exactly how she has me rooting for bad guys every single time. This one is binge-worthy and filled with dark humor, games of cat and mouse, heart-pounding suspense and an elderly lady you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley - but that you also kinda like. (Send help.) It’s an action-packed roller coaster ride and another hit for this author.

✨My mother is the same age as Lottie and in better shape than I am. She could 100% pull of the physical feats that Lottie does in this book. And don’t think I’m not side-eyeing her now trying to figure out what she’s capable of. 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

✨This will be one of those rare books that I re-read because I can only imagine how fabulous Lottie will be on audio.

✨Watch for this one on August 12. I highly recommend for readers who enjoy:

🔨Endearing serial killers antiheroes
🔪Women over 70 main characters
👵🏻Characters you love to hate and hate to love
🔪Dark humor
🔨Cat and mouse

My thanks to @berkleypub and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

Thank you so much to Berkley for this highly anticipated book!

SAMANTHA FREAKING DOWNING! That should just be the whole book review. This woman is INSANE (meant only in the kindest way possible)

If you've read Samantha Downing's books in the past you know they can get a little...out of the box crazy and sometimes extremely dark. While this one was very messed up and demented, it also almost had this light nonchalance about it too. It's very hard to explain how Downing pulls this off, but she does. This is NOT a cozy mystery, but it did feel comforting in a very messed up and twisted way. I think the comfort only went as far as the cookies and tea scenes honestly, but hey, it's something.

Another thing I love about Samantha's books is her memorable characters. I NEVER remember character names and can easily recall to mind the names of her characters in FOR YOUR OWN GOOD [(Teddy) Insert milk emoji IYKYK], A TWISTED LOVE STORY, and now I'm adding Lottie Jones to the list!

Lottie Jones is going to shock a lot of readers come August and I can't wat for everyone to read it!

4.5 stars rounded up!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkely Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Lottie Jones is 80 years old, living a quiet life with a few friends going to church twice a week. An investigative journalist knocks on her door bringing up allegations of her possible multiple murderous past that Plum wants to make into a documentary. Lottie comes out of retirement and things escalate as she keeps trying to kill her way out of this mess. Very entertaining book and I chuckled many times with Lottie's dry wit.

This was like dexter but he's an old deary, both witty with a propulsive plot, this had me HOWLING with laughter!

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC

I was very excited when I read the premise of this book. Old lady serial killer? Yes, please. I'm happy to say that Samantha Downing did a great job. Too Old For This was a page turner with an intriguing main character. Lottie was so fun to read about. I jumped between being surprised by her brutality and laughing at her dark humor.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me a digital ARC. This is the first Samantha Downing book I’ve read. And, Wow! am I glad I did! What a fun and exhilarating ride!
Lottie Jones is a sweet little old lady that lives by herself. She attends church every Sunday and joins her group of friends at same church every Wednesday for bingo night. She also happens to be a “retired” serial killer. Years ago, in her 20’s, Lottie, then known as Lorena Lansdale, discovered how good it felt to dispose of anyone who mistreated, bullied or just annoyed her. Soon a local police detective zeroes in on her and starts putting the pieces of her puzzle together. After making her life, and the life of her young son, very hard with his very public investigation and accusations his case completely falls apart. Lorena sues the county for defamation and wins a nice settlement and a new, sealed to the public, name. She moves from Washington state to Oregon with her son to start a whole new life. But does continue her beloved lifestyle.
Now it’s years later and a retired Lottie has eased into her quiet life of retirement with occasional visits to her adult son in Northern California. But everything changes one night when Lottie gets a visit at home from a young woman named Plum Dixon. Plum is working on a docu-series about people falsely accused of murder and how it affected them. Her research has brought her to Lottie and she’d love to interview her for her show. Lottie thinks fast and Plum is soon dispatched. Setting off a crazy roller coaster ride for Lottie and the reader as we learn there are consequences to impulsively killing an unwanted visitor to your home. Someone who may have a boyfriend and/or mother who misses them.
As Lottie’s life becomes more complicated and suspenseful this readers experience became more exciting, tense and fun. I really enjoyed this book and, weirdly, the character of Lottie. Her dry whit and outlook while telling this story left me rooting for her. And needing to repeatedly remind myself that she’s actually the bad guy. I will be heading to my local bookstore immediately to purchase Samantha Downing’s back list! I’m very anxious to start reading her previous work.

This is my fourth Samantha Downing book and I think having an idea of what to expect from the author made this way more enjoyable. If there’s one thing I know about this woman it’s that she’s going to write characters that readers will love to hate!

I was in the mood for a fast-paced book that would keep me engaged and that’s exactly what I got. I almost always go in blind so for me, the cover and title alone were enough to go on, but if you need a bit more convincing let’s just say a retired serial killer finds a reason to come out of retirement.

The story is snarky and fun and I finished it in just under 24 hours. It was suspenseful but don’t anticipate too many extreme twists. I think a few plot points would have been really fun to develop a bit more but otherwise it was pretty unique and darkly funny!

My biggest complaint is that our protagonist is 75-years-old and spends quite a decent chunk of time soliloquizing about her imminent demise. Maybe Martha Stewart has given me unreal expectations of aging but in my book a sharp and decently agile 75-year-old doesn’t have one foot in the grave just yet.

Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader! All opinions are my own.

Too Old For This sucked me in from the very first chapter. I just had that feeling that this book was going to be a five star read for me and it didn’t disappoint. I absolutely loved the main character Lottie her personality was so entertaining to read. She was so witty and had an answer for every problem that came her way. I really don’t want to say much about this one because you really should just go in blind. I really loved this book. I had so much fun reading it one sitting.
5/5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book rules.

I had a fantastic time reading it today. It’s funny, sad, suspenseful. Just a great book.

SUMMARY:
Lottie Jones is just the cutest old lady on Bluebell Lane. All her time is spent at church with her two best friends, playing bingo and gossiping. Her son is getting remarried, so that offers plenty of drama. She retired from her job at the bank seven years ago and has been living a quiet life ever since.

She killed her last victim over a decade ago.

Now, a young woman comes knocking, dredging up secrets buried in 1985. She wants to make a docuseries about the time Lottie was wrongfully accused of murder. Will she finally be able to get the truth out of Lottie?

MY THOUGHTS:
Lottie is such an interesting character to follow. Like, she is so funny. Her realization that she is getting too old to live alone and do the things she loves is heartbreaking. You really start to care about her and want her to be happy. Then at the end of a long sequence of her happily dancing at a wedding or cooking with her friend, she says something absolutely wild that reminds you she is a monster.

I feel like a lot of books that have the main character be the villain go a little to far in making the character likeable or unlikeable. This book did neither. Lottie maintained a perfect grey middleground the whole time. What a great character.

Speaking of characters! We have great side characters in this one. The entire Morgan chapter was so great. Lottie’s best friends Sheila and Bonnie were delightful.

This book is also a fantastic meditation on aging. Like yeah, the thing Lottie is having to give up is murder. Still! The way this affects her, the way she has to start using a cane, how she looks into retirement homes...it’s sad! Seeing her make her peace with all this is actually kind of uplifting.

FINAL OPINION:
READ THIS BOOK. You won't regret it. Out of the 18 books I have read this year, it is by far the best. Set yourself a reminder of its release date; you don’t want to miss it!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Lottie is in her 70’s and retired. Her days consist of going to church and a weekly bingo night for some gossiping with her gal pals. Sounds innocent enough. What no one knows is Lottie is a retired serial killer. Years ago she had to take her son, change their names and leave their old life behind. But someone has found out who she is and now it’s time for Lottie to go back to work. She may be older and her body is full of aches and pains but she will get the job done.

Too Old For This takes you on a ride that you never want to get off. You can’t put this one down. Fast paced, dark, humorous and twisty. What more could you ask for? Samantha Downing, please, never stop writing!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Is it weird that I found this book so much fun? This lady is in her seventies and just minding her own business when this chick shows up that knows all about her past life. Well that chick is a problem that needed taken care of. But then other people start poking their noses in and an old woman can not get any peace.
Old people serial killers needs to be the next thing.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was very fun! A 70-something woman thought she had left behind her life of crime, but when a journalist comes sniffing around, she may have to come out of retirement.

In pure Samantha Downing fashion, this book is great! Lottie Jones is a retired serial killer living a quiet life. When Plum Dixon stops by her house, her retirement is over. Things happen and more things happen! This story is very engaging and entertaining!

Lottie is sharp for her age and can outsmart most people. She has a grown son and several grandchildren. She gets in bad situations and can outwit herself out of them. She does crazy stuff but you will love her whit and charm!

This book is great and highly recommended!

Well Played, Razor-Sharp Instincts and Twisted! 5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy! This book will be released 8/12/25.

Alright, it’s official. If Samantha Downing has no fans, then I no longer exist ✨

An old lady serial killer?! Immediately yes.

Who knew I would so easily get sucked into the world of Thursday night bingo, hip replacements, and decades old revenge?

This was so much fun! As always, she continues to bring us hit after hit!

An intriguingly cozy thriller! Lottie/Lorena is endearing. She has her close frenemies from church, she attends bingo and brunch, and she visits retirement homes with the realization that she doesn't want to die in her home. Along the way, Lottie commits murder. And then another to cover it up, and that just sets her on a path with few choices. I loved this thriller, and there are some humorous moments along the way that will keep the reader engaged. Super believable, not really, but that's a suspense novel for you. Patrons will be placing holds on this for sure.

This book drops you in it from the get go.. I am not normally the one to side for serial killers but I like Lottie and I love how this book takes you through her thoughts and actions. I love her relationships with her friends and that she goes to bingo but at the same time is a cold blooded killer. This is a great book.

"Too Old for This" is an upcoming thriller by the amazing. Samantha Downing. The story follows Lottie Jones, a typical senior living out her retirement quietly playing weekly bingo at church and enjoying small town gossiping. Her past as a retired serial killer is blown wide open when she meets Plum Dixon, an investigative journalist looking to dig up Lottie’s past. To protect her past, Lottie contemplates committing another murder, but she soon realizes her with her age, murder is more complicated.

I enjoyed following Lottie and her “Dexter/Golden Girls” personality. On the outside you see a sweet grandma, but you have no idea what she’s capable of.

The characters are very well developed. You feel like you know Lottie and could be her friend….just don’t cross her.

This was my first book from Samantha Downing. Consider me a fan!!!! From the first page to the last, I devoured this book! It kept me guessing until the end

Lottie Jones has spent a lifetime eliminating problems—and people—who dared to stand in her way. For decades, she moved through life with precision, taking down obstacles with an efficiency that left even the police baffled. They once came close to pinning several deaths on her, but Lottie slipped through their fingers every time.

Now, at nearly 80, she’s retired from all that nonsense. These days, Lottie enjoys the quiet life—bingo nights at church, gossiping with her friends, and critiquing questionable potluck dishes. She’s traded in her sharp instincts for a well-earned sense of peace.

At least, she thought she had.

Enter Plum Dixon, an ambitious docu-journalist who’s unearthed Lottie’s past—trails of fake names, carefully constructed misdirection, and a string of mysterious deaths that never quite led anywhere. Plum is convinced she’s found the story of a lifetime, and she’s not leaving without answers.

Now Lottie has a choice: prove that she really has hung up her hat for good… or remind the world that old age doesn’t mean harmless. With the challenges of modern serial killing—pesky phone tracking, omnipresent cameras, and nosy journalists—it’s harder than ever to stay off the radar.

But Lottie didn’t survive this long by being sloppy.

Wickedly clever and darkly hilarious, Too Old for This is a razor-sharp thriller that proves retirement is just a state of mind.

#TooOldForThis #SamanthaDowning #Berkley #KillerInstinctsNeverDie #SeniorCitizenSass #TrueCrimeMeetsBingoNight

Samantha Downing is back and she’s created possibly her most deviously cunning antihero yet! Meet Lottie Jones, aka Lorena Mae Lansdale. Don’t let this septuagenarian fool you. Her mind and body may not be quite as sharp now, but she knows her way around plenty of other sharp and deadly things … after she’s served you some tea and cookies, of course.

Serial killer stories are a dime a dozen lately, but what I really loved about this book is that it showcased Downing’s trademark black humor with an MC, Lottie Jones, who did truly heinous things but was also witty, likeable and smart - something she achieved previously with her character Teddy Crutcher in For Your Own Good. You want to root for her, despite knowing how wrong what she’s doing is!

Downing also brought attention to the very real plight of aging, where society isn’t always kind or accommodating to those already dealing with physical, mental and financial stresses. You see that Lottie isn’t on her ‘A’ game anymore and that the world is moving on, so there’s a sympathetic response. Watching her struggle with all the advances in technology … I felt that to my core!

This was engaging, fun, dark, macabre, ridiculous at times - but in the best way - and, for me at least, was a return to form for Downing after not loving her last book A Twisted Love Story quite as much. You’ll have to suspend disbelief and just roll with this one. My only minor criticism: at 400 pages, a couple parts dragged a little or felt repetitive, but it didn’t affect my enjoyment. One thing is for sure: I’ll think twice before I knock on anyone’s door again!