Wow. This freaking book has almost left me speechless.
I started reading this book excited about a retirement home slasher story, which it was, but ended up with tears in my eyes by the last few pages.

It’s been a good while since I’ve been this moved by a piece of writing. The characters Fracassi has created in this story are some of my favorite. Rose and Miller being truly unforgettable.

Rose Dubois, the woman you are. Flawed, yes, because who isn’t? But your strength and determination to save yourself and your friends and family are truly awe-inspiring. Your friendship knows no bounds and we would all be so lucky to have a friend like you.

This story was incredibly entertaining and fast paced, yes, but it’s Fracassi’s phenomenal writing that makes this book a masterpiece. His words cut you open and go deep but then tie you back together again with a nice little bow. He really sharpened his knife with this one, twirling it around like a masterful word madman, and I am a willing victim to be slayed by his words.

So incredibly well done. I love this book with my entire heart.

3.5 stars

Rose DuBois is in her late 70s and she is shocked when multiple residents of the Home start dying. She’s also suspicious…she isn’t buying natural causes. She and her male suitor, Miller begin to investigate and attempt to get a friendly cop on their side. At the same time Rose has to deal with her daughter’s suggestion that Rose move in with her. Is a serial killer loose at Autumn Springs?

This was a fun book, and a great way to do horror…it’s horror-lite and I think the masses will enjoy it. And oh, Mr. Fracassi, nice job with Tatum and Jack…I don’t often get misty eyed when reading horror! My one caveat is that at nearly 450 pages it may be a bit too long; there were some parts that could have been trimmed, for sure. I wonder if the author is setting Rose up for a sequel. While she is a worthy character, I don’t know that more would really be believable. Anyway, if this sounds at all appealing to you, then I think you’ll enjoy it.

"My whole world is a crime scene" - Rose Dubois
This novel is a romp with both a vibe that slasher fans will love along with those who enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club or An Elderly Woman is Up to No Good. It's definitely a book to recommend to those readers who are waiting for the Golden Girl mystery as well. The humor and clever kills reminded me of Brian McAuley.
While it is a slasher with bloody kills and terror, many mystery and suspense readers have found the same level of violence in that genre.
The ensemble cast surrounding the final girl, Rose DuBois, are diverse and fun. Fracassi is able to make us love them even as we are terrified that they might be next to fall victim to the killer. Rose in particular is a complex, smart, and wonderful character.
This is a perfect book to bring on a trip or to the beach. (Listen, I live 15 minutes from the beach so I have more authority here.) It is both full of heart and will make your heart race. It's one of those books that will draw you in and make you not want to stop reading because you have to know who might be next.

**In this enjoyable slasher, Fracassi mixes some of the dark humor and kills that slasher fans appreciate along with a nuanced look at how the elderly are treated by society. Each trope of the slasher that is introduced is turned on its side, even having a final girl in Rose. Beyond the fun that slasher fans will have, fans of The Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman or Helene Tursten's Elderly Lady is Up to No Good will find much delight in the world of Autumn Springs.

The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre is a slasher novel unlike anything I’ve read before—sharp, heartfelt, and absolutely devastating in all the right ways.

Rose is in her late seventies, stubborn, determined, and wholly herself. She’s living out her golden years at Autumn Springs, making the best of a place that, while comfortable enough, hums with a quiet kind of loneliness. When her friends start dying—first one, then another—most people are willing to chalk it up to accidents or old age. But Rose knows better. And the fact that no one is in any real hurry to intervene? That’s what makes this story so chilling. Isolation isn't just being alone—it's being unseen, unheard, unhelped—and Fracassi captures that terror perfectly.

What makes this book special isn’t just the escalating suspense (which will have your heart pounding) or the brilliant, bloody nods to classic slasher tropes. It’s the way Fracassi builds a full, breathing world around Rose and the residents of Autumn Springs. These characters aren’t just victims—they’re whole people, full of regrets, hopes, stubborn pride, and the deep aches of living a long life. You know them. You root for them. You mourn for them.

Yes, there are shades of Agatha Christie here—there’s a slow-burn investigation with nods to Miss Marple and Inspector Poirot—but this novel also wrestles with the realities of aging: the heartbreak of invisibility, the dignity of independence, the reminder that beauty and bravery don’t end with youth.

This book made me want to call every older friend and relative I have. It made me appreciate the stubborn, brilliant fighters tucked inside nursing homes and retirement centers everywhere. And it reminded me that some of the fiercest heroes aren’t young and invincible—they’re older, wiser, and still standing, even when the world stops looking.

Equal parts terrifying and tender, The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre is a triumph!

#Tor #PhilipFracassi #TheAutumnSpringsRetirementHomeMassacre #AgathaChristieVibes

Philip examines the "final girl" trope through a fresh new lens in his upcoming novel. This particular demographic of society is so rarely used in fiction and, despite the violent nature of this tale, it is portrayed with respect and dignity. The Autumn Spring Retirement Home Massacre is a real and honest look at aging and what that looks like for many people. We meet such a great group of characters that we get to know well throughout the course of the story. That made the kills feel extra personal? This book also kept me guessing as to who was behind the violent and brutal slayings, with short chapters that, in my opinion, kept the book from feeling bogged down in details. That can often happen in books over 400 pages but, Philip is a proven master at keeping us invested. I shall never tire of this writing style. Not gonna lie, the afterward got me right in the heart as well. This is a master-class, no holds barred ride from an expert of the craft. Thank you to Cassidy over at Tor Nightfire for sending me an ARC with such speed. You know I ripped that sucker open and read it immediately. You can pick this up when it publishes September 30, 2025!

I first reviewed Philip Fracassi back in 2017 for the Ginger Nuts of Horror website and over the passing years have read everything he has published, this has coincided with his reputation in the horror world flourishing with a run of terrific collections, novellas and novels. His back catalogue from the last decade is amongst the strongest in the genre, including the novels A Child Alone With Strangers, Boys in the Valley, Gothic, the novellas Sacculina, Commodore, Overnight, collections Behold the Void, Beneath a Pale Sky and No One is Safe! Earlier this year Fracassi took his fiction into fascinating new territory, with the publication of his first science fiction novel The Third Rule of Time Travel which I also reviewed.

The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre finds Fracassi back on more familiar ground with a return to horror, although the novel teeters perilously close to descending into cosy mystery territory. In fact, if it was not for the escalating body count and sporadic violence it might have done so, as the elderly (some ancient) main characters spend an extraordinary amount of time chatting about how old they are, which gets repetitive, and being extraordinarily nice to each other, which gets rather boring. Much of the novel is spent with the group of oldies sitting around the lunchroom gossiping and trying to figure out whether the latest death was anything other than natural. And as the number increases the likelihood of old age being the culprit decreases rapidly but nobody truly wants to believe there is somebody out there offing harmless elderly citizens.

‘Geriatric Horror’, genre fiction featuring predominately old people is relatively rare, with Fracassi’s latest offering following hot on the heels of Todd Keisling’s entertaining The Sundowner’s Dance, which is set in a very similar location. Rose DuBois is far from your average Final Girl, as she is in her late seventies, living out her final years at the Autumn Springs Retirement Home. Unlike many of the other residents she does have a family, a daughter and grandson, but prefers to live independently in the retirement home where she has her own flat and plenty of support when she needs it.

Early in the novel one of Rose’s friends dies alone in her apartment and after a second death she begins to get suspicious as the home administrators seem to be deliberately vague about the cause of death. After setting the scene Rose and her close knit group of friends begin to investigate as a couple of the deaths are particularly suspicious with the police eventually becoming involved. Although the novel is primarily carried by the highly engaging Rose, who has her backstory revealed as it progresses, it does drop in on others also, including a methodical police detective who suspects everybody.

Although The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre was a solid read, like with Fracassi’s previous novel The Third Rule of Time Travel it failed to totally grip me. Clearly inspired by slasher horror films, but without the sex and nudity, the narrative follows a similar arc, with long gaps in the action between the deaths. In the film equivalent these scenes would be loaded with drug taking, underage drinking and worse, but as the characters are ancient that was never going to happen! Alternatively Fracassi weaves his story around Rose and her friends, with her friendship with Miller a real highlight. The old dude has a thing for her, but she would rather keep her independence and have him as a friend to watch mystery shows with.

Given the age of the characters, it is difficult to stage full blown action sequences and as a result the novel is rather one paced, however, there was one terrific sequences where one poor old granny is shot in the head! I also had mixed feelings about the ending (the eventual killer in particular), and although it made perfect sense I could not help feel disappointed with the big reveal.

With The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre Fracassi continues to push the envelope with another novel which, once again, has little or nothing to do with his earlier work. Even if it falls short of his strongest work I was still cheering on Rose, Miller and the gang as they faced down the dastardly killer of their friends.

(4.5 rounded up) Dare I say that this is like Richard Osman’s “The Thursday Murder Club" series, but make it a gory slasher? I had a lot of fun with this. Someone is murdering the residents at a retirement community and kind and feisty Rose, our delightful 78 year old narrator, becomes the detective of this story alongside her friend Miller. The killings are not spared any grotesque details and you can tell this is not Fracassi’s first go-round at horror, but this had a lot of heart, too. It’s not a short book, clocking in at 400ish pages, but the page count is put to good use with a lot attention paid to the characters. I loved all of them! And it’s nice seeing a horror book with elderly main characters, but not portraying them in a pitying, condescending, horrifying way. I love slashers as a horror genre, so I was in on this before I read it, but it won me over for other reasons. Although the slasher horror of it was great as well!

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley so thank you Tor Nightfire, I love a new Fracassi.

This was a fantastic slasher, in the best way possible.
The character and world building, I know we all love a good Fracassi, he has a way with words but this time?
It was something special, you learned, you became attached, and you loved them, and you knew them.

Rose Dubois I see you and I know you.
She wasn't perfect and that was perfectly fine, because she was herself, and knew her own mind, she was stubborn, and determined and someone I would love to meet.
She made the best of something like this retirement home, and she LIVED.

And when those around her started to pass, and everyone else shrugged it off, she didn't and that's what I love.

There is just something about this nursing home, while they aren't really isolated, the nature of it being a retirement home, no one is in a hurry to help out or get to them, and that's a type of isolation to me that's more terrifying than truly being along, the being along, and no one stopping to help you, as everyone around you dies...

This was fast paced, I know I said the world and character building, and that tends to go with slower paced books, but this one, I don't want to say fast paced, but my heart was pounding, and I needed to know the who or what, what is picking off the elderly, is this just murder and mayhem or is this supernatural and everyone is screwed?

I worked in a nursing home for a long time, and maybe that's why this book hit me so hard, or I loved it so much, but it was horrifyingly brilliant.

I already Pre-ordered this so here I am, saying, you NEED too as well.

Imgur link goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for (around, subject to change) September 28th
Blog link goes live September 23rd
Will be covered in Friday Reads on 4/25, and in September New Releases
Amazon and B&N will go up on release


**TL;DR**: A unique premise with an engaging and fun execution.
**Source**: Netgalley - Thank you so much to Tor Nightfire!

**Plot**: Deaths begin to stack up at the Autumn Springs Retirement and residents become suspicious.
**Characters**: I loved these characters, Philip Fracassi knocked this folks out of the park.
**Setting:** The grounds of the retirement home were well explained and I could see it visually in my mind. A great setting.
**Horror**: This is a traditional slasher and it really worked without being over the top.

**Thoughts**:
A slasher in a retirement home, even I couldn’t resist this one. I typically don’t care for slashers. They’re just over the line for me on gore and blood and over the top emotional manipulation but this one… it’s good. I gave it a shot because the premise of course, and also Boys in the Valley by this author was great for me. He continues to win because this was incredibly engaging and fast paced.

Rose and her friends in the Home all became such beloved friends for me. I was heartbroken when bad things happened and I cheered when the good guys had their small wins. The characters were written with true love, and Philip really captured a wide range of folks. It’s easy to assume ‘They’re in a home they’re all infirm’ but truly these folks were engaging, strong, and had rich personalities.

Because of our enclosed campus we had a great setting. There were a few buildings, so we had a good diversity within that setting but each was well established and distinct. Within that setting we also got quite a few creative deaths. I was impressed with the variety we got and the killer (who had a viewpoint at times that gave me chills).

This was a great one - I can’t recommend this enough for slasher or horror fans. If you’re looking for something for the Halloween season this a great one to pickup. I gave it 5 and it’s one of the few horror novels I think I could enjoy rereading. Give it a shot!

This book made me so sad!

This kind of like if Agatha Christie wrote a slasher novel. Rose, our main character, is a feisty grandma with some hidden (and dark) depths who makes a fabulous geriatric Final Girl!

I fell in love with all of our residents at the retirement home and wanted every one of them to survive and live out the rest of their lives in some semblance of happiness.

Our slasher's identity was a bit obvious to me, but it was still fun finding out if I was right.

Because of its Agatha Christie feel (with references to Miss Marple, Poirot, etc.), the book feels a bit light at times - despite our slasher. But, most important, is the care the book pays to the process of aging. The book is definitely full of heartbreak, but it's also full of heart. It reminds you that aging can have it's beauty, despite some rather awful horrors. It also makes you want to go out and spend time with all of your older friends and relatives before it's too late.

*ARC via Publisher

The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre is everything I didn’t know I needed—a slasher steeped in mystery, violence, and deeply developed characters. From the very first chapter, I was hooked by the rising tension and the creeping sense that something truly sinister was happening behind the quiet walls of Autumn Springs.

Rose DuBois is a standout protagonist. She’s not your typical final girl—she’s in her late 70s, sharp, determined, and impossible not to root for. Her friendship with fellow resident Miller was a highlight for me—genuine, loyal, and full of heart. The entire cast was so well-crafted that I found myself emotionally invested in their fates with every page.

As someone with a soft spot for older characters getting the spotlight, this story hit me right where it counts. Aging is portrayed with nuance, dignity, and strength—something you don’t often see in horror.

This was a gripping, character-driven read—bloody, grounded, and surprisingly moving. Definitely recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing an eARC of The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre prior to publication.

A slasher where no other slasher has gone before? Awesome! I think seasoned horror fans will love this unique location on a favorite premise. We’re getting older and some of us feel like we’re in this home already. The killer was twisted. This was a thrilling read.

This is a fantastic slasher novel set against the background of a retirement home. But it's also a tight, twisty thriller, cloaked with blood and brutality.

The killer is twisted, methodical, and seems to be able to go anywhere within the property and disappearing quickly. The M.O is diabolical. They seem to know all about the residents and their health issues and leaves a trail of bodies that appear as accidents or suicide. This is what the police think anyway.

But Rose, her best friend Miller, and a determined group of others start putting the sick pieces together and do some investigating of their own. This will lead to the blood thirsty killer targeting them. Several red herrings are added and we don't know the identity of this masked killer until the end. And it's not who you might think!

It's the characters which really makes this book stand out from other slashers. We get to know them, their secrets, and their true selves. We get to experience the often overlooked and lonely members of a certain age as things start escalating and they have nowhere else to go, their families too busy to care. But they're really well rounded and extremely sympathetic. Knowing they won't all make it adds a certain poignancy to this novel and packs an emotional punch.

But it's also full of surprises, suspense, and good ol' bloody mayhem you would expect from a slasher book. This one is great and I highly recommend it.

Really enjoyed this newest addition to Fracassi’s works. Super fast paced, great characters, and a fitting ending.

I downloaded this without looking closely at genre or synopsis and started reading thinking it was yet another popular, even cozy mystery, set again in a retirement home with older people being the crime solvers. Well, yes, it’s set in a home of seniors enjoying their life but that’s where it stops. This is no cozy mystery, it’s the antithesis of one and it’s not a book for the queasy.
Rose loves her life at Autumn Springs. She has her independence, her good friends, and a life she enjoys. That is until the killings start. Someone is bumping off seniors, most especially her friends, and in very creative and gruesome ways. And no one including the police believe it’s anything but accidental or health related deaths. So it’s up to Rose and her friends to put themselves in harms way to save themselves.
The complex and delightful characters make this book, including Rose, Miller, Gopi, and Tatum Bird to name a few, so when the author mentions in the acknowledgements she’d like Rose to continue, it’s a heartbreaker that most of the characters will not be with her.
So I believe this to be a genre defying book. The author goes on in detail about what it’s like to be a senior in the community if you’re healthy, need assistance or at End Of Life, and the way she describes it, It’s all pretty grim. But there’s a lot of black humor as well and of course, if you love slasher books, this is definitely going to thrill you.

Rose DuBois is enjoying her small apartment at the Autumn Springs retirement community, even if she does have to listen to the occasional pesky freight train that rumbles through from the tracks outside her window. She's enjoying a (so far) platonic relationship with a retired professor named Beaureguard Mason Miller, or Miller for short. Then the death rate at the community begins to rise alarmingly. At first, the staff and even the police are dismissive about the situation, feeling that it's expected that elderly people are going to die, and if several of them die in a short period of time, that's nothing to worry about. Then the deaths get more gory and violent and can no longer be explained away. As the deaths begin to close in on Rose's small circle of friends, she worries that she might not have the pleasant retirement she'd hoped for.

I was expecting this to be a light-hearted mystery, so I was a bit surprised when things turned bloody! It was still a very enjoyable read and there were funny and poignant parts as well. I was a bit dismayed at all of the portrayals of forgotten/neglected/unnecessary elderly people, but I suppose the author was trying to highlight the plight of an increasingly elderly population and some of the attitudes and problems they face. The afterward indicates we may see more of Rose in the future, so I will be interested to see what she gets up to next!

A wonderful mix of of Stephen King and Kevin Williamson. Likeable characters, a great setting, good kills and a satisfying ending. What more could anyone want? Fracassi has the juice and he’s an author everyone should know about.

Finding ways to successfully subvert a trope is harder than finding a lost pair of dentures. Or so I’ve heard. I often can’t find my glasses, and sometimes they’re on my face, so I’m well on my way.

This novel was a blast. It took a tried-and-true slasher formula, and completely obliterated it — in all the best ways. Over the course of its 400 pages, I got to know each of these characters intimately, and I cared for each one of them. This was not a surface-level examination of emotion as the description on the dust jacket might make you think. Fracassi took his time dishing out details to build real depth. I love how this story creates connective tissue between who we are and the events that shape us, but also gives us room to break free from their stranglehold.

The elderly are so rarely featured in fiction, and when they are, it is often done to elicit a sense of disgust from the reader. This portrayal, in contrast, was done with reverence and had an empathetic, tender and compassionate touch. This is a story that reminds you that life on the downslope of the age curve can be gratifying and full. Bravery and beauty aren’t bound by age. Neither is murder, however.

The pace of this novel was perfect. It was snappy without feeling cursory. The ending was surprising and satisfying. The tension was taut throughout, and only relented in perfectly timed increments.

I feel lucky to have read an advanced copy of this book, so thank you to @tornightfire for the approval! I hope my review did it justice.

Philip Fracassi- The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre.

Oh I loved this one so much. I was beyond pleased when I received the ARC for this (thank you) and started reading immediately.

I loved the characters, our main protagonist Rose is such a strong and real character. I loved her relationship with the other residents too.

This is a slasher. A good and simple slasher. Set in a retirement home, and the old folks are the victims. It was bloody and gory and fun and there was definitely the whole “who is it” theme going on. Some parts are tense, some parts are horrible, but I’ve never cried at a slasher until this one.

There were some really properly emotional parts, and as I grew to love characters I was really rooting for them to survive. Without giving too much away my favourite scene of a pair of reunited friends really made me sob.

Would definitely recommend you pick this one up on its release.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this early edition

This was a ride. And I honestly loved every single moment. I loved these characters and I love the fact that the author wrote about one of the most vulnerable people on the planet (the elderly) although in this book some meet a deadly end. .. but in a little over 400 pages, you get to know them all and care for them. The love and care he put into these characters was brilliant!

The killings start really early (which I loved so much, I don’t like waiting) lol - the mystery, the humor, the violence and the storytelling was all so well done! And I had a fun time trying to guess who the twisted killer was. There was never a dull moment and the bodies were just piling up!