Category: books and reading

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I’m loving these older protagonist books I’ve read recently. The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre and Killers of a Certain Age are standouts. And this one will stick with me for a while because it was so much fun.

A dark comedy told from a first-person perspective, the story follows Lottie, a former serial killer who has since “retired” at 75 and is not as spry as she used to be. However, when a podcaster comes knocking to interview her about her past, Lottie realizes it has come back to haunt her.

Lottie was “falsely accused” by a persistent detective, but she moved, changed her name, and distanced herself. However, this podcaster can’t know the truth, so Lottie is forced to kill her. This act unleashes a stream of events that Lottie desperately tries to stay ahead of.

This book was a lot of fun. Lottie was endearing, even though she was a terrible person. I was torn between wanting her to get away with her crimes and wanting to see what would happen if she were to get caught. Really enjoyed this one.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Really great vampire novel set in the 1970s. Duane Minor and his niece, Julia, are on the hunt after a vampire kills the rest of their family. Duane’s wife (Julia’s aunt), Heidi, and her parents were murdered because Duane had the gall to kick a vampire out of his bar for dealing drugs. However, Duane didn’t know who the man was.

Once the vampire disappears, Duane and Julia track him across various states, but he always manages to stay a step ahead. However, their revenge is profound, and they won’t give up until they find him. The vampire’s vengeance is brutal and without regard for anyone he takes down.

This book was great. You really feel for Duane, who is trying to do the best he can by Julia, who has lost the only family she really trusted. But his loss is all-encompassing, and he will do anything he can to find the man who took his wife from him. Definitely recommend this one.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

A slasher like none other, given that the main characters are in a retirement home. Our heroine, Rose, is spry of body and mind, but when her friends start dying, most are chalked up to natural causes or accidents, but Rose has her suspicions. Yes, they are older, but too many people are dying in too short a time frame.

When the deaths become more obviously murder, Rose and her buddy, Miller, work with the police to uncover the mystery. This book was tons of fun. As a reader, we know the people are being murdered, so watching Rose realize the magnitude of the situation and refuse to turn away was great. She’s a fantastic main character. I really enjoyed this book, and the murder-y reveal was a great payoff.