#TooOldForThis #NetGalley
Lottie Jones thought her crimes were behind her.
Decades earlier, she changed her identity and tucked herself away in a small town. Her most exciting nights are the weekly bingo games at the local church and gossiping with her friends. When investigative journalist Plum Dixon shows up on her doorstep asking questions about Lottie’s past and specifically her involvement with numerous unsolved cases, well, Lottie just can’t have that. But getting away with murder is hard enough when you’re young. And when Lottie receives another annoying knock on the door, she realizes this crime might just be the death of her.
I loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for giving me an advance copy.

It's not often that you use the words "fun" and "murder" in the same sentence when writing a review, but both words apply to this book.

This story is about Loretta, an elderly lady who was a serial killer. She lives in a big house, purchased with the proceeds of a criminal investigation that tried, but failed, to find enough evidence against her. We meet her as an elderly woman, rattling around in a house too big for just her, suffering from arthritis, noticing declining mental faculties, and hoping to live out the rest of her life peacefully.

That is, until a knock on the door brings a journalist who wants to create a documentary about her and the "miscarriage of justice" she supposedly suffered. This alleged injustice led to her and her young son being ostracized in their community, eventually forcing them to move. The journalist is insistent that, with or without Loretta's help, the story is going to be written.

Loretta cannot allow that, in case the truth is uncovered. What should she do? And so, the story really gets going!

It's rare that I read a book about a murderer and find myself on the side of the murderer rather than the victims, but the characterization of this woman makes you like her, whether you want to or not.

For a murder story, it's not too deep. There are plenty of twists and turns, but it's not the sort of book that requires intense concentration to understand what's going on. It's fun to read and will keep you entertained on a long journey or while lying on the beach.

This started off with so much promise, and I really enjoyed the first third of the book. It started to lose momentum and then went a bit all over the place. It is so far fetched, which I know this is fictional, but to the point where it annoys you how impossible everything is. I've found this before with this author. I also feel like there were a few points that were mentioned and never actually answered or spoken about again which was odd.

This was outstanding and will be one of my absolute favourite novels this year.

It's never too late to teach an old woman new murders...
Lottie Jones has skeletons in her closet. But you'd never know from the quiet life she leads, living in the same town for decades and her only social outings being her weekly church bingo games with friends. But then investigative journalist, Plum Dixon, tracks her down and begins asking questions about her past. One she does not wish to revisit. Getting away with murder when you are young is hard and Lottie is retired. But she can't have anyone jeopardise the new life she has created.

This one was so wickedly funny and I was absolutely cheering Lottie on all the way🎊😂 This author's dark humour is brilliant. Lotties life of potluck bingo and elderly complaints mixed with her need to come out of 'retirement' was so entertaining and I could not put it down. My eyes literally hurt by the end as I think I forgot to blink when I was reading 😂

I feel that the undetected female serial killer is becoming slightly overdone so I was intruiged
to read that this was an elderly female serial killer. Had she ever been caught ?, was she still killing ? ...

Its an easy enough read (if the reader isn't squeamish) but I found it to be quite predictable
and the initial potential was not fulfilled.

At seventy-five, Lottie Jones is retired - from the bank, and from serial killing. She hasn't committed a murder in years, and doesn't particularly want to. She's getting old, she has arthritis, nobody knows about her past. She has friends, she goes to church, she has a loved son and grandchildren. But when a young woman, planning a documentary about Lottie - or Lorena Mae Lansdale, as she used to be- comes knocking at her door, the past threatens to invade the present... and the bodies start piling up again. But Lottie's not as young as she was, and she's making mistakes which might just get her caught.

I can't say I was rooting for Lottie - she's a monster, with no regret or compassion for her victims. (Had she been a man doing the exact same things, I'm not sure readers would regard her in the same way.) Nevertheless, it's undeniably entertaining to read. I had no idea how it would all end - will Lottie be brought to justice, or left in peace to get on with her life despite having left a trail of bodies everywhere she goes?

An enjoyable dark comedy.

I've really enjoyed some of the author's previous novels and she has become a go to author for me. Too Old For This is slightly different to the author's previous novels but it's a darkly humorous and clever novel that I raced through over the course of 24 hours. The anti heroine is 75 year old Lottie, a retired serial killer living a quiet life in a small Oregon town, attending the local church, playing bingo and worrying about her son's upcoming second marriage. That's until Plum Dixon, an investigative journalist turns up on Lottie's doorstep with plans to investigate Lottie's past. This sets in motion a chain of events that left me gasping, smiling and horrified. I am not usually a fan of the darkly humorous serial killer genre but Downing writes so well and Lottie's characterisation is superb that I was completely drawn into this novel.
A hugely enjoyable read that I would highly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
4.5 stars

Dark, Pacy…
Lottie Jones is getting older. She enjoys the more simple pleasures in life. Surely she has nothing to hide? When an investigative journalist turns up asking her .. well, frankly awkward and very intrusive questions, Lottie has to act. Obviously. Packed with dark humour, an eccentric and eclectic cast of characters and a pacy plot this is an entertaining and wholly wicked read.

Too Old for This by Samantha Downing is an enjoyable, light read that fits perfectly into the “summer holiday” category. After seeing it pop up in a number of recommendations, I decided to give it a try—and I’m glad I did. While it doesn’t dig particularly deep or offer many surprises, it delivers exactly what it promises: a straightforward, entertaining story that’s easy to get into and hard to put down.

The plot is fairly predictable, and you can see where it’s going early on. But that doesn’t take away from the experience—in fact, there’s a certain comfort in knowing how things are likely to unfold. The writing has an easy rhythm to it, and the characters are engaging enough to keep you invested, even if they aren’t explored in great emotional depth.

This isn’t a story that tries to reinvent the genre or push any major boundaries. Instead, it leans into its simplicity, making it a great choice if you're looking for something undemanding yet fun. It’s not going to blow you away with twists or complex themes, but as a feel-good read to take on vacation or unwind with at the end of a long day, it more than does the job.

Overall, Too Old for This is a satisfying, no-frills novel that embraces its lightness. If you're in the mood for something that's easy to follow and simply enjoyable, this might be just what you're looking for.

4.5 stars
This immediately drew me in and I loved that it was packed with action and kills from the very beginning.
You can't help but root for Lottie and I really appreciated that, as an older serial killer, we get some insight into how her life is now that she is growing old and heading into her twilight years.
Seeing her struggle with the bodies and note how it is taking a toll on her physically, alongside looking into retirement homes and weighing up what she'll do next, we see people continuously underestimate her, to their detriment. And I think this insight into how the world views us as we age and how life looks and feels at this stage was really well done.
As someone who reads quite a lot of crime/thriller books and watches true crime docs, it wasn't too gory and I loved the ways that Lottie covered up her crimes. There's also some great dark humour, too.
I've heard nothing but good things about Samantha Downing's books, and after reading this, I can't wait to go back and read more of them.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for this ARC.

Lottie Jones is 75 and has been a serial killer for a long time, starting with her son Archie's father Gary in the 80s.. There was a time where she was under suspicion for killing three different people, but nothing could ever be proven, and Lottie and Archie moved and changed their names. Now an investigative journalist called Plum Dixon knocks on her door, wanting to make a docuseries about people wrong ully accused of murder, and Lottie has to come out of retirement. Plum is the first to go but her death brings other people to her door and Lottie's kill list gets longer and longer.

The entertainment of this story lies in the matter-of-fact descriptions of what Lottie does to avoid detection, using her age and some technical knowledge to her advantage, but she also makes mistakes and the reader is constantly on high alert, willing her not to get caught. One police officer tries to blackmail her, Plum's distraught mother turns up and finally the person who arranged all the new interest: Kenneth Burke, the detective from 40 years ago who didn't manage to lock her away but had never really let go. A tense cat and mouse game ensues that will have you at the edge of your seat. At the same time, the story is funnier than it has any right to be. Lottie's interactions with a telemarketer and her friends from church had me snort now and then, plus Archie's new fiancée Morgan interrupts proceedings in her own way.

This is wickedly good fun. If you like your serial killers old and female, church going, cookie baking, with a creaking hip and disturbing knowledge about dismembering and burning bodies, then this is for you. And that cover - fabulous.

Lottie Jones wants to be left alone to get on with her life.
If only people would stop knocking on her door!
Dark, thrilling and funny.
The murders, the characters and the storyline were just brilliant.
Real life took a backseat for me.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.