In “Kills Well with Others,” Deanna Raybourn delivers a wickedly entertaining follow-up to her breakout hit “Killers of a Certain Age.” Our favorite quartet of sixty-something assassins—Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie—are back for another globe-trotting adventure that proves aging doesn’t mean slowing down when there’s killing to be done. With sharp dialogue that cuts as efficiently as their tactical skills, these women remind us that experience trumps youth when your retirement plan involves eliminating those who’d like to eliminate you first.
Raybourn continues to excel in blending laugh-out-loud moments with genuine suspense, creating a unique cocktail of midlife musings and methodical mayhem. Whether they’re complaining about bunions while leaping from moving trains or debating the merits of elastic-waist pantsuits during a stakeout, these women embrace their age with the same pragmatism they bring to dispatching their targets. The result is a thriller that’s as refreshing as it is rollicking.
Plot: Unfinished Business and New Threats
The novel finds our heroines summoned from their respective retirements—Billie from her Greek idyll with longtime lover Taverner, Helen from reconstructing her ancestral home, Mary Alice from domestic bliss with wife Akiko, and Natalie from her various artistic pursuits. Naomi Ndiaye, current head of the Museum (their former employer and elite assassination organization), informs them that someone is targeting people connected to a past mission.
When they discover that the daughter of Boris Lazarov—a Bulgarian assassin they eliminated in 1979—is alive and seeking revenge, the game is on. Raybourn masterfully weaves together present-day action with flashbacks to their earlier missions, particularly a 1994 adventure involving stolen Nazi art that connects to their current predicament. The central MacGuffin—Raphael’s lost painting “Leda and the Swan”—adds a historical element that elevates the stakes beyond mere vengeance.
The narrative takes us from colonial Williamsburg to the canals of Venice, aboard the Queen Mary 2, through Swiss old folks’ homes, and onto Montenegrin trains. Raybourn excels at using these exotic settings not just as picturesque backdrops but as integral elements of the plot. A highlight is a nail-biting sequence on a viaduct spanning a Montenegrin gorge that showcases both the women’s ingenuity and the author’s skill at crafting heart-stopping action.
Characters: The Deadliest Golden Girls
What continues to make this series shine is the distinct personalities of its four protagonists:
- Billie Webster: Our primary narrator, she’s pragmatic, direct, and perhaps the most naturally suited to their violent profession. Her on-again-off-again relationship with fellow assassin Taverner adds emotional depth without devolving into melodrama.
- Helen Randolph: The elegant sophisticate who can garrote you with her Hermès scarf while discussing the proper temperature for brewing Earl Grey. This installment gives her a delightful subplot involving a younger Belgian lover.
- Mary Alice Tuttle: Sharp-tongued and practical, she’s settled into marriage with Akiko but hasn’t lost her edge. Her fierce loyalty becomes particularly evident when Natalie is endangered.
- Natalie Schuyler: The wild card—unpredictable, creative, and slightly unhinged. Her decision to bring a live chicken on a mission provides some of the book’s funniest moments.
The antagonists are equally compelling. Galina Dashkova (née Lazarov) makes a formidable adversary, driven by decades of rage over her father’s death. The revelation that Museum insider Marilyn Carstairs is the mole who betrayed them adds layers of institutional paranoia to the proceedings.
Strengths: Experience Has Its Rewards
Razor-Sharp Dialogue
Raybourn’s greatest strength remains her dialogue. The women’s banter crackles with wit and warmth, revealing decades of friendship:
“You saved Nula!” she exclaimed, cuddling her chicket with her good arm.
“You are not getting that thing home,” Mary Alice warned her.
“Watch me.”
These exchanges provide breathers between tense action sequences while deepening our understanding of the characters’ relationships.
Age as Asset
“Kills Well with Others” continues the first book’s refreshing approach to aging, treating the women’s experience as an advantage rather than a liability:
“Is this where you explain your motive for betraying us is always being overlooked and how you’re just a tiny cog in a huge machine and selling us out was the only way you could take care of your poor elderly mother? Does she need an operation?” Mary Alice’s voice was so sharp with sarcasm, Swiss Army could have used it as an attachment instead of a corkscrew.
Moments like these celebrate the freedom that comes with no longer caring what others think—a freedom these women weaponize effectively.
Seamless Action Sequences
Raybourn excels at crafting action that feels both realistic and cinematic:
I vaulted up the steps two at a time, my flats silent on the deep pile of the carpet. At the top was a landing with a stationary bike, the area serving as a mini–exercise room. Double doors opened to a bedroom which was furnished with a king-sized bed, pristinely made with the teddy bear taking pride of place in the center.
These details ground the action in a tactile reality that makes the women’s exploits believable despite their age.
Weaknesses: A Few Missed Targets
Convenient Coincidences
At times, the plot relies too heavily on coincidence. The women repeatedly find themselves in exactly the right place at the right time, and certain revelations occur with suspicious convenience.
Underdeveloped Side Characters
While our four protagonists continue to develop in meaningful ways, some supporting characters remain thinly sketched. Wolfgang Praetorius, in particular, shifts from potential antagonist to victim without much exploration of his moral complexity.
Implausible Logistics
Occasionally, “Kills Well with Others” requires a suspension of disbelief regarding the logistics of international travel, particularly in how quickly characters traverse continents without the usual delays of customs, transit, or jet lag.
Comparison to “Killers of a Certain Age”
Like a skilled assassin improving her technique, Raybourn has refined what worked in the first book while addressing some of its weaknesses. The flashbacks are better integrated into the main narrative, the stakes feel more personal, and the women’s individual arcs are more distinct.
While “Killers of a Certain Age” established the concept and characters, “Kills Well with Others” deepens our understanding of both. The first book dealt with the women’s transition to retirement and betrayal by their organization; this sequel explores the lasting consequences of their career choices and the impossibility of truly leaving their past behind.
If the first book was about accepting aging, this one is about leveraging it—using decades of accumulated skills, connections, and experience to outmaneuver younger adversaries.
For Fans Of…
If you enjoyed Richard Osman’s “Thursday Murder Club” series but wished for more international intrigue and professional killers, this series is for you. It will also appeal to readers of Nick Petrie, Charlaine Harris’s “Gunnie Rose” series, and anyone who appreciates Thomas Perry’s methodical approach to criminal craft combined with Walter Mosley’s character depth.
Final Verdict: Worth Every Bullet
Raybourn has created something unique in the thriller landscape—a series that celebrates women of a certain age without reducing them to stereotypes or stripping them of sexuality and agency. “Kills Well with Others” balances humor and heart with well-crafted action sequences and just enough mystery to keep pages turning.
Minor flaws notwithstanding, this sequel confirms that the “Killers of a Certain Age” series has legs—even if those legs occasionally need compression stockings. As Billie reflects near the novel’s end: “So you pick up your bag and you close the door behind you, just like you’ve closed a hundred other doors. And you know that every time you do, you’ve left another piece of you behind.” Fortunately for readers, these women have plenty of pieces left to give, and Raybourn has plenty more stories to tell about them.
For anyone who’s ever felt invisible after forty or wondered if their best days were behind them, Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie provide a viscerally satisfying reminder that the most dangerous people in any room might just be the ones you least suspect. They’ve earned their wrinkles—and their body count—and I, for one, can’t wait to see what targets they acquire next.
The Bottom Line
Strengths:
- Wickedly funny dialogue and dark humor
- Strong character development, especially for the four protagonists
- Global settings that enhance rather than distract from the plot
- Seamless integration of action, espionage, and friendship
- Thoughtful exploration of aging and professional obsolescence
Weaknesses:
- Occasional reliance on coincidence and convenient timing
- Some underdeveloped supporting characters
- A few implausible logistical scenarios
Whether you’re a longtime fan of thrillers or new to the genre, “Kills Well with Others” offers something fresh: assassins who worry about bunions and retirement plans while efficiently eliminating their targets. It’s a reminder that growing older doesn’t mean becoming irrelevant—sometimes it just means you’ve had more practice hiding the bodies.
