When a husband in a circle of friends dies mysteriously and his widow receives a significant life insurance payout, the remaining three wives decide they need to cash in on the same deal and so set off a plan to eliminate their husbands from the equation.

I thought this book was an entertaining read and would recommend it to others who enjoy mysteries. The juxtaposition of the husbands’ viewpoint with the wives’ viewpoint moved the story along nicely. I was happy with the ending and liked the little twist offered right at the end of the novel. All and all this was a good read.

Many thanks to The Killer Crime Club and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

Thanks to NetGallery for the ARC of this book.

Age of Main Characters in this book: above 60 all of them,

This book can be easily summarized with the quote “Happy wife, happy life” and I love it. It will make you feel everything: love, betrayal, anguish, anger, sadness, hope, joy, intrigue, and more; it certainly comes with a rollercoaster of feelings.

I enjoyed this book so much, it keeps me reading and I gladly appreciate a book that can keep me hooked, I read a book a day and believe me, keeping me entertained is not easy, (you can ask my husband).
Every time I thought something was happening in some way, things changed and they happened in a very different way and I love that.
I love all the things you can learn from this book, even the bad ones, like how much a hitman charges; but, my favourite part is the emotional part, how important communication is in a marriage, even the hard conversations are necessary. I was frustrated seeing how they love each other and the miscommunication made them think very different things, OMG I’m getting mad again!
Anyway, if you are looking for a well-written book, with friendship, live lessons, and murder mystery-mafia comedy, this book is for you. I guess if you are too young you may not appreciate this masterpiece, but I assure you, if you are married and over 30 you would love it.

As for me, I will read anything this author decides to write. Thank you Sue for such an amazing journey. As someone who reads as much as I do, you don't have an Idea how much I appreciate a good story.

Four women in their 60s have had enough of their lazy husbands who, five years ago, lost them all of their financial security. Now they’re forced to work shitty jobs into retirement age, only to come home to the guys sitting on the couch, growing fat, and neglecting to do the smallest things that used to make the wives happy.

Until one of the friends’ husbands kicks the bucket and she ends up with millions in life insurance money and flits off to start a new life in Florida.
The remaining three can’t help but wonder… maybe they should arrange for their own husbands to disappear so they can have their own new starts.

Enter the men. After their good buddy Dave ends up dead, they become convinced this was no accident, someone is trying to kill them, too. Maybe it has to do with a little scheme they’ve been running at the casino where two of them worked, and the new boss with ties to organized crime?
When the wives and the men both turn to their barber, Hector, for assistance, things get interesting. A really fun caper with intersecting storylines, good guys, bad guys, in-between guys, and a whole lot of heart and humour.

So I mostly loved this book. It is a rare find because it’s supposed to be funny, and damn it, it actually is. Maybe not laugh-out-loud funny, but it kept the fun going throughout to a high degree. This is mostly down to the off-beat reactions the characters have, as well as their conversations rather than any attempt to force a joke on us. Generally I find those books land the best, and Hincenbergs did a lovely job in that regard. I love that the protagonists are all in their 60s, a refreshing change from a market overrun with 20 to 30-somethings. This is a multi-POV and each character does feel distinct from the other. What’s more, each character is enjoyable to spend time with, even those who are hired hitmen.

I adored the movie-like plot that had everyone acting on false information, and finding clues that confirmed their incorrect assumptions. It made for a lot of back and forths, changes to the plan, and a general, how is this all going to pan out feel. I’m not at all surprised that this has already been optioned for a movie (not to be confused with the movie with the same name that came out in 2023). It really feels like something you’d go to see on a hot summer evening, feeling the fun, the ridiculous situations, and the way the napkin of the plot finally folds back together at the end. I actually wrote in my notes “Waiting for the Ocean’s 11 type reveal at the end!”

There were a few misdirects I saw coming, but that did nothing to lower the enjoyment of the story. Really, it’s almost impossible to pen a story where every reader is completely surprised by every little red herring, and I enjoyed the way they were woven into the story regardless. And there was one big character I expected to be something other than they were, and I loved that it took a long time for that to unravel fully for me, and not in the way I expected!

My biggest issue with this story was the pacing. While I loved the premise of the plot, and things really do start to heat up about 50% in, I feel it could do with an edit for length in the first half of the story. I know there are so many storylines to get around to, and those all take time, but I didn’t find myself really turning the pages and feeling the suspense until halfway through. That’s a really minor negative though, because there was never a doubt that I’d finish this story, it just took me longer than I expected to get really engrossed.

Finally, mega props to the writer, Sue Hincenbergs for having her debut novel come out in her 60’s. I’d say this one was worth the wait, and I hope she’d got a few more up her sleeve before she enters her 70s.

If you want a story with hijinks, heart, and humour, grab this book to take with you to the beach this summer!

Thank you Killer Crime Club and Netgalley for the ARC. The Retirement Plan is like no other, definitely not one most people would try to put into place for their golden years. The story was witty, funny, interesting and shocking at times. It follows 4 couples as they navigate through the later part of their lives with an unexpected twist that all began with the death of a friend. Sue Hincenbergs explores relationships that are tested by time and a lack of care and feeding. Bringing Hector and Brenda into the mix weirdly added a sanity check throughout the story for both the husbands and the wives. I really enjoyed this book and I hope to see more from Sue Hincenbergs in the future.

I loved this book .with the twists and turns - kept me reading for hours and I loved the ending. I felt for the husbands and for the wives. The description of each character made me understand what they were all feeling.

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs is a darkly humorous and entertaining satirical novel.

What happens when a group of middle-aged women hire a hit man to take out their husband's so they can collect on their life insurance policies ?!?...everything but what they want to happen.

Full of marital misunderstandings, miscommunication, and strong characters, this is a must-read for anyone needing a little humor in their lives.

I wanted to love this book more then i actually did, started off great but then i found too many players got involved and the story seemed crisscross too many times.

trying to read more books off my physical tbr but i will gladly make an exception for this book.

this book follows three women who are sick and tired of their husbands and decide to hire a hitman to dispose of them so they can claim their life insurance. only issue. their husbands have hired the same hitman and have devised a plan of their own.

this has the miscommunication trope in the best way. it was fun reading the wives povs and then also getting to read the hitmans full knowledge of the situation.

i can definitely see how this could be compared to finally donovan (another fave). would definitely recommend for anybody looking for a fun mystery to read this summer!

Thank you so much to netgalley and publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book!
All opinions are my own and entirely honest.

4.5 stars

WHAT. A. DELIGHT. I had such a blast reading this book, and could not put it down. I had so much fun with the plot twists and the characters brought such a huge smile to my fac constantly. I love this genre that I'm calling "retirees doing things you wouldn't expect them to." Highly recommend for lovers of The Thursday Murder Club. Just so much fun and so delightful.

This is absolutely a case of 'creative differences' that affected my star rating of this book. I enjoyed this right form the jump and will forever feel that this is the book that best layered the layers. Absolutely exquisitely done. The way that two storylines linked up with Hank at the centre is just *chefs kiss* for sure. That alone will make me pick up this authors next book and the one after that. I had a great time with this and enjoyed the level of depth we got with the characters and the story. I enjoyed the commentary on life. I enjoyed the way this story played out until about 75% and that's really where it went downhill for me - personally. And again: it's not the authors fault - this is me wanting a different ending to this than I was provided. But I will absolutely still recommend this book if someone is looking for a little bit of a goofy plot that is well written that keeps you turning the pages.

Thank you Netgalley, Harper Collins Canada and Killer Crime Club for the ARC of this book.

In order to collect on their husbands’ life insurance policies, three middle-aged friends turn to murder—unaware that their husbands have a devious plan of their own, in this darkly funny debut perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club and Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

Meet three wives who want a new life, and three husbands who are in their way . . .

After thirty years of friendship, Pam dreams of her perfect retirement with Nancy, Shalisa, Marlene, and their husbands—until the husbands pool their funds in an investment that goes terribly wrong. With their dreams of beachfront condos and a sunny, carefree retirement shattered, the women’s golden years are looking as dreary as their marriages.

Then one of the husbands dies in a freak accident and the other three women are shocked to see their friend rebound with a huge life insurance payout and a new life in Florida. In the aftermath, the three discover that their husbands have identical, seven-figure life insurance policies. A new dream begins to take form, and this time it involves a hitman.

Meanwhile, the remaining husbands have a secret retirement plan of their own. But when things begin to go awry, they fear their own scheme may have backfired . . . with deadly consequences. The husbands scramble to stay alive, but they may not be fast enough to outmanoeuvre their wives.

What follows is a high-stakes tale of cat and mouse that is both laugh-out-loud funny and unbearably tense and, ultimately, a big-hearted look at friendship, marriage, and middle age. 

This was a fun, quick read. I was literally laughing my head off throughout it. The misunderstandings and incorrect assumptions the men and women make are hilarious. This would be a great beach/vacation read. Not my usual genre of books, but it was SO worth reading! 4 out of 5 ⭐️

This is not your typical book. Part mystery/thriller, part women’s fiction and partly just absurd in a good way. You have the women planning to kill their husbands, the men thinking that someone is out to kill them but no clue it is their wives because they have bigger problems. A hitman who gets involved with everyone and you still have time for margaritas and charcuterie boards on a boat.

Bonus points for a local author on this one. Sue Hincenbergs is a former television producer who has worked on multiple award-winning programmes ranging from sitcoms to lifestyle. She lives in Toronto with her (very much alive) husband and rescue-foster fail scruffy dog Kramer.

I found it a little hard to follow the couples in the beginning so they are

- Pam & Hank: Hank works as a manager in a casino and they have a daughter living abroad
- Nancy & Larry: Larry works at a bank and they have a son who is estranged from Larry due to his sexuality
- Shalisa & Andre: Andre runs a courier company and they have no children
- Marlene & Dave: Dave works at the casino maintaining the slot machines, they have several daughters

Then Padma, who runs the casino and is the daughter of a Mumbai Mob type boss who is trying to find love instead of an arranged marriage, and Hector, a barber with his wife Brenda.

You can tell that Hincenbergs worked in television. This would make a hilarious mini series. It felt a little long for a book but would work in hour long episodes. So much of the chaos in this book could have been saved by any of them actually speaking to their partners.

It is hard to say more about this one without spoilers , but it was a different yet enjoyable read. I am happy to see that Dave’s story was explained at the end because it was still a mystery how he died. We obviously knew some people were not involved, but still could have been others.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Canada for the advance copy for review.

The book follows 3 besties who decide to murder their husbands for the life insurance money⁠⁠. But, the husbands have a plan of their own 👀 It was the most absurd plot in the best way, everyone was misinterpreting things during every chapter which lead to some crazy antics.

The book is filled with hilarious misunderstandings involving a handful of characters and multiple POVs. I do think this book should have been shorter, it started to drag on a little too much halfway through. I can totally see this being turned into a movie and I desperately need Lisa Kudrow and Christine Baranski to be casted as the wives.

The Retirement Plan is a fun read that entertains you and keeps those pages turning.

We meet four couples that have been friends for decades.

Retirement is fast approaching.

You cant help but feel for the four ladies when their husbands managed to lose all their retirement money and then some

What the women dont realize is the men have been scheming to replace the money not legally but replace it all the same.

When one of the men is found dead and his death looks somewhat suspicious the women realize that all of the men have taken out million dollar life insturance policies.

Oh what could they do with that money but there is the catch of them being alive.

A hitman sounds good.

Sue Hincenbergs takes the reader down a twisted road full of twists and turns that is diabolically clever.

I laughed out loud , I was caught off guard on many occasions and I was routing for the ladies as they got themselves into one dilemma after another.

Then there is the men, the other side of the story but I leave that up to you the reader.

I highly recommend The Retirement Plan . It was a fun refreshing read and I cant wait to see what the author has in store next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Canada/Harper Avenue for the privilege of reading and reviewing The Retirement Plan.