This book was not for me….too many characters and I became bored very quickly and didn’t find it funny or interesting.

The three sixtysomethings Pam, Nancy, and Shalisa—whose hopes of retirements drinking margaritas are dashed by their husbands' poor investments—are the focus of this wickedly humorous debut. Their remedy? They scheme to profit from life insurance coverage. Unfortunately, their husbands have other plans. With heart, humour, and a lesson that it's never too late to take a chance and start fresh, The Retirement Plan is a tale of power being regained in unexpected ways.

Blimey I had to keep my wits about me to keep track of all the characters, there was plenty going on. I like the humour, and the pace of the book. It was a fun read, and if you don't mind a bit of swearing you should enjoy it.

I thought that this book was quite slow paced in a way but it still had that interesting storyline to keep me going.
The writing style overall was pretty good as the chapters flowed very well and that there were no choppy bits however I think it would have been better if it had been structured in a way where the character’s names was at the beginning of each chapter and made it first person POV instead of having it in third person but that’s just my preference. Although it didn’t throw me off that much to stop me from reading. It’s cool that the story jumps back and forth from each character’s perspective which makes the story a whole lot of sense because it helps to put the pieces together. Despite all the mess that was going on, it was nice to see how strong the wifes’ and husbands’ friendships are. The banter between all the characters was funny which made it enjoyable to read. It was a nice touch to include the end chapter about Dave because I definitely needed to know how it happened! What a way to end a book! This book for sure gave me comedy-action movie vibes so I hope one day it will be turned into a series or a film

Pam, Nancy and Shalisa are planning their retirement. Holidays. Lazy days etc etc.
Then their husbands loose all their savings and retirement is not looking so appealing.
However, their life insurances are!
They enlist the help of the local hitman and that's where the trouble starts!

This was an absolute delight. It's a melange of coincidences and misunderstandings and utterly, but deliciously, ridiculous! It's tremendous fun and wonderfully entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It's the author's first novel, so I really must congratulate her on debuting with an absolute cracker. One or two rookie errors grammatically, but nothing you can't overlook and nothing that thwarts your enjoyment of a book that's well written, well cast and well dialogued.

With only a few pages to go, I was really worried about the tying-up of one loose thread, but then, there it was. Beautifully ended.

Well done, Ms H. I shall await your next book eagerly!

enjoyed the characters in this book and especially enjoyed the unexpected twists. You sort of thought you knew what direction things were heading in, then it veered off. A great read.

3.5⭐️
This was really good fun, but it was such a slow start and the three wives blurred a bit at the beginning.
The whole concept was really convoluted but was done really well. I think it would have worked better for me if I’d had time to read bigger chunks, unfortunately it was a busy week. Would definitely recommend carving out some time, especially at the beginning.
I loved Hector, and Brenda, they were such a powerhouse and their relationship was enviable. I enjoyed the other relationships, once I’d managed to remember who was who and I felt so much sympathy for Padma in the end.
This would make a fantastic film.

Brilliantly mad, dark and funny!

Three women plan to murder their husbands for the insurance money, but unbeknownst to them, their husbands are also working on a plan! I loved the characters, they made me laugh constantly, the twists were clever and the epilogue - I was literally crying with laughter! Poor Dave!

So many cases of mis-communication and mis-understanding made this story. From a shady casino boss with an over-bearing mother to a barber with a shady side gig, there are so many elements that intertwined to lead to the events in the story. Hard to say more without given anything away, but I don't think it's possible to read this book and not have a huge smile on your face!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Sue Hincenbergs and Little, Brown for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading the retirement plan. I like the saying in the book 'that good people do bad things' I think this is played out throughout the book by the husbands and the wives. A little farfetched to be believable but an entertaining read none the less

A heist, misunderstandings, a casino and a reluctant killer. Add the Indian mafia, disgruntled wives and lying husbands. Fun and entertaining book.

This was such a fun caper. Let's just say, it would make a great beach read, that's for sure.
With lots of great witty humour and plenty of twists it's packed full of dysfunctional relationships, with great pacing, interesting characters and a setting that drew me in.
The multiple POVs were handled well and it was entertaining, even if it was a bit longer than it needed to be.
I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for what Sue Hincenbergs does next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fabulous story, full of humour but also very cleverly plotted with some brilliant characters. I thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend.
When a group of 60 something friends get together there’s always lots of fun but behind the scenes the wives are fed up with their husbands who have lost their retirement money on a bad investment and the husbands are busy trying to to recoup their losses without their other halves knowing. Therein begins a tale of misunderstandings and much humour leading to the wives hiring a hitman to kill their partners as they believe there’s plenty of life insurance money to start the new lives they really want.
I don’t want to reveal too much about the plot as the actual story of what happens is all part of the charm of the book.
The women- Pam, Salisha, Marlene and Nancy are really brilliant, particularly Pam who is definitely the brains behind the plot.
I also loved Hector, the barber, a man of hidden talents, devoted to his wife and keen to do the best for her, happy to do away with the really bad guys if necessary.
The manager of the casino is also a joy, bullied by her mother into using a matchmaker and in over her head running the business she really adds to the entertainment.
This was such a visual book- I could certainly imagine it as a film with some older actresses playing the female roles. Think Goldie Hawn, Sarah Jessica Parker,Sandra Bullock…..
I laughed out loud several times too- there are so many funny lines in the book and to be honest it was great having older women as the main protagonists!
As I said at the beginning of my review I highly recommend “The Retirement Plan” as a five star read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance copy.

This book is fantastic! I read it in one day. It would make a great movie; it’s a farcical, hilarious comedy drama. The number of mix-ups and misunderstandings that are so brilliantly executed, and the many twists I did not see coming, kept me reading until late at night. I will definitely look out for future books by this author.

Four unhappily married couples' lives are turned upside down when one of their group, Dave, dies. His head smashed in by his garage door and a $1,000 casino chip on his chest. His wife, Marlene, is thrilled to discover he has a $1million life insurance policy and reveals his three best friends have the same.

The seeds are sewn as Pam, Shalisa and Nancy would love to have that much money and so hire a hitman to kill their husbands for the insurance payout. Unbeknownst to their wives, Hank Andre and Larry were working on their own get-rich-quick scheme involving the local Casino.

The story is so cleverly plotted with funny misunderstandings, with every little detail linking together in a twisty, amusing rollercoaster of a ride. The first couple of chapters were a struggle with so many new characters introduced all at the same time, but Sue Hincenbergs then gives them a chance to breathe and grow (or not, in poor Dave's case).

Hector the Barber/Hitman is a great character, helping both the husbands and the wives plotting whilst doting on his own wife, Brenda. He reminded me of Bogdan from Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club. A reliable man who will do anything for those he cares about. Though I do like Hector better.

I understand the movie rights have already been acquired and I can easily imagine this transitioning beautifully to the big screen. I wonder if Hincenbergs had that in mind when her characters discuss who should play in a film? Jamie Lee Curtis as Pam, Sandra Bullock as Nancy, Niecy Nash Betts as Shalisa and Jennnifer Coolidge as Marlene.

The last chapter in particular is brilliant, tying up the last few loose ends beautifully.

If you like cosy mysteries like The Thursday Murder Club, then I guarantee you will love this.

I would like to convey my thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group, Sphere for providing the opportunity to review this novel. All opinions are my own.

The Retirement Plan is due to be released on 6th May 2025.

Hank and Dave were stealing from their employer, a casino. Dave has just died in a freak accident, but Hank suspects he was murdered by the casino owners, who happen to be the Mumbai Mafia (or at least an approximation thereof). His paranoia leads him to misinterpret innocent remarks by his boss, Padma, as warnings that he and his other accomplices, Larry (the banker) and Andre (the courier) will be next. In desperation they hire their barber, Hector, “a guy that gets things done”, to kill whoever is hunting them.
Five years ago, the guys had had savings and were looking forward to retirement in the not too distant future. Then they were scammed and lost everything and were looking forward to retirement in destitution instead. Hence the casino thefts. With all the stress involved, they had become rather ‘detached’ from their wives, failing to notice the effect this was having on them. However, Marlene, Dave’s wife, is shocked to be paid a million dollars from an insurance policy he had, and ‘accidentally’ discovers that the other guys also have such a policy. Pam, Nancy and Shalisa, the other wives, fed up with their ‘estranged’ husbands decide to hire someone to kill them, and turn to the only guy they know who can “get things done” – Hector. Hector takes both contracts.
This is a caper story; a well written, amusing and intricately plotted story. In order for it to roll out correctly to achieve a satisfactory resolution, every little detail has been slotted in, the slightest gap would have made it unworkable or questions would have remained in the reader’s mind. All of the characters are believable, even when their actions are essentially unbelievable. But that is the crux of any work of fiction, of course – the willing suspension of disbelief. Suspend yours and enjoy.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

This was such a fun and exciting book to read. It had more twists and turns than a country road. I'm not always a fan of multiple POVs but in this case, I enjoyed it as it was done so well. The characters are well developed and although there were plenty of times I wanted to slap them, they are very relatable. There are also some giggles throughout the book, which adds to the heart-pounding action and drama. I never knew where this book was going to take me from one page to the next, and I loved going along for the ride.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

This book could have been half the length and I’d have been far more engaged.
The concept and the writing style worked really well and, despite there being a multitude of characters, the author does a great job of making them all memorable and recognisable. The timing of perspective changes is done very well and with great comedic effect, as is the irony of the characters’ assumptions coming true.

Though this book was obviously bound to be slightly unhinged, for me it just went slightly too far. Padma felt like a complete caricature and I found her chapters far too ridiculous to be enjoyable, especially later on in the book. The humour of the pop culture references became cheesy and started to make me cringe due to the vast amount of them. The quoting of ‘happy wife, happy life’ worked well until it felt like it was repeated on every third page by every single character.

I think the concept is great and with some slight tweaks, the characters would be more engaging and I could feel more attached to them. As it currently stands, I lost interest in the story and in the characters at around the halfway point as it became more and more ridiculous.

When love dies, or does it?
This is a lovely book that is a joy to read. The humour in it shines out from every page.
Four couples have been friends for over thirty years. The husbands lost their retirement funds in a dodgy investment that went bust, and after that, each of them kept getting on their partners nerves. The husbands come up with a radical plan to secure their futures, and later, the wives do the same. However, neither side has a clue to what the other is planning. From then on, it's a joyful ever more complicated romp.
One of these complications is Padma, the diminutive new boss of the local casino that is owned by an Indian owned conglomerate. She is being pressured by her overbearing mother to choose a husband from those offered by a matchmaker. Padma unwittingly plays a key role in what happens with the couples.
It's definitely worth five stars. An outstanding first offering from author Sue Hincenbergs.

What a brilliant book and a great debut!
Good friends with boredom and marriage issues, get drawn into the world of grand theft and hitmen.
Circumstances lead to misunderstandings and events spiral.
A fun read which I couldn't put down.