A former assassin turns bookseller in this charming mystery that will appeal to readers who enjoyed Deanna Raybourn’s Killers of a Certain Age.

Sixty-seven-year-old Sophie Swisher just killed a man. Again.

Sophie had left her deadly career behind and settled down in Des Moines, Iowa, where no one would think to look for her. Surrounded by the scent of old books and with a sassy street cat who walks her home at night, her new job at a bookstore is nothing like her last one. Decades of high-stakes missions were firmly in Sophie’s past, but peace proves short-lived when a mysterious yet alluring man in a fedora corners her in the culinary mystery section and offers her a choice: kill a popular presidential candidate or have her whereabouts touted to her enemies. 

Stuck between a rock and a deadly place, Sophie is sure she can complete the mission unscathed, especially with the help of a coworker with a surprising knack for top-secret assignments. After all, she’s gotten out of worse binds before—like the time she took down a whole country’s electrical grid just by showing a little leg.

This madcap and unpredictable mystery proves that pluckiness never dies. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Jesse Q. Sutanto.