Too Old for This

Too Old for This 

Too Old for This is the latest novel to be checked off my to be read list. I rarely pick up a book just based on the cover, but that is absolutely what happened with this book. The cover captured my attention, and then the description sucked me in completely, and I knew I wanted to make this my next read. 

I’ve been reading a combination of thrillers and short romance reads lately, and I needed another thriller to keep me wanting to read. I was craving something that would keep me on the edge of my seat. 

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Prior to reading Too Old for Thisk, I had never heard of Samantha Downing. She’s written several books and a short story prior to this one, but her name was never on my radar. I’m not even sure where I had originally seen this specific book mentioned, but once I did, I knew I needed to read it. 

This may be the first Samantha Downing novel for me, but if it is as good as I’m expecting it to be, it certainly won’t be the last. 

Have you read Too Old for This? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

About Too Old for This 

A retired serial killer’s quiet life is upended by an unexpected visitor. To protect her secret, there’s only one option left—what’s another murder? From bestselling author Samantha Downing.

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…

Thoughts on Too Old for This 

“Murder began to feel like a chore instead of a joy.” 

Samantha Downing, Too Old for This

In Too Old for This, we meet Lottie Jones. A retired serial killer. The first question is, do serial killers really retire? It isn’t like they just get bored with murdering people and decide it’s time to buy a vacation house on the lake and take up fishing as a hobby. I was certainly curious how this works, and how it would be written here. 

The book starts out escalating fairly quickly with Lottie murdering Plumb. It seems a bit excessive. Like, just ignore her phone calls and knock at the door. Or, just tell her to go to hell. But no, let’s just jump straight to murdering her in the kitchen. If Lottie managed to get away with things all those years ago, she should be fine now. Just be quiet. 

But no, no. Lottie can’t be quiet. She inserts herself into Plumb’s boyfriend’s life, and the police. Normally you would think just deny everything, play dumb, and be quiet. But no, not Lottie. She thinks she’s smarter than the police and Plumb’s boyfriend who is still looking for her. 

We then come across more characters that Lottie is determined to just murder away. Because murdering your problems away makes so much sense. Why not?! 

Past this, it isn’t anything terribly exciting. I’m still waiting for some great plot twist that has me on the edge of my seat, but it hasn’t happened yet. But at the thirty percent mark, I feel like I’ve already been reading this book for hours on end, and it just won’t end. 

I’m bored to tears during the parts where Lottie’s son calls her because she isn’t answering his girlfriend’s texts, so the girlfriend complains, and he calls his mother. It’s this tedious exchange that does nothing for the story. 

I disliked Lottie. Dislike might not be the right word. I wanted her painted more like the sweet grandmother next door. You know, the one nobody suspects of anything? I wanted to actively like Lottie, and it just didn’t happen. 

She seemed more like a psychopath, and a boring one at that. She was the standard old lady that nobody likes, who gossips at Bingo, judges others at church, swears in church, and always seems worried about what others think of her, and is plotting ways to change that. Lottie came across more like the mean spirited old lady everybody in the neighborhood avoids. She could have at least been funny. 

By the time it was done, I was well past ready for it to be over. In fact, my husband Googled how many chapters were in the book because I was listening to it. I sped it up through the last three chapters because it wasn’t moving quickly enough for me. The “twist” came so late that they were more small curves, and I just didn’t care. I was bored. 

Final Thoughts on Too Old for This 

“Killing had become a bit like sex. First, I had to be in the mood. Next, the opportunity had to present itself.”  

Samantha Downing, Too Old for This

I’m calling ​​Too Old for This a three star read. I can’t remember most of it, and I was bored. It’s a very forgettable novel. Which is a big part of why I’m glad I have my blog. Otherwise I really would forget some of the books I’ve read along the way. 

I read reviews before buying this book, and it was nothing but rave reviews, praising it as absolute brilliant writing, that was hilarious, intriguing, and interesting. Everybody loved the character of Lottie, who was like everyone’s grandmother. Reading reviews first was my mistake. Because it set me up with high expectations, and they just were not met. 

I was bored throughout this book. There wasn’t anything egregiously wrong with it, I was just bored. This is one of those books where I will have forgotten it by the time I hit the publish button on this review and move on to something else. Which is actually where I really appreciate my own blog, as it will jog memories when I read my own reviews. 

Lately I’ve been checking reviews on books I’ve read, and my opinions are so vastly different from others that I’m left wondering, did we even read the same book? I felt the same when I read The House Across the Lake because it had such terrible reviews, and I enjoyed it. 

I felt the same way about Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. I wanted a brilliantly written older character, and didn’t get it. I got stereotypical. 

This is my first Samantha Downing novel, and I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt and try another of her novels later down the road, and hope that they are better. It’ll be a little bit before I read more of her writing, but I’m definitely willing to give it another try. As I said earlier, there wasn’t anything wrong with her writing. It just didn’t suck me in the way I wanted and expected it to. 

Which is the interesting thing about reading. It is totally subjective. Mass amounts of people read the exact same book every single day. Yet it hits differently for each and every person. I’ve always been fascinated by that fact. 

Have you ever read a book that it seemed everyone else raved about, that you just couldn’t get into, or finish? What was it? I’m totally curious about this. 

As always, I still encourage you to check out and read Too Old for This for yourself, and form your own opinions. You may end up loving it, and I really hope you do. It simply wasn’t my favorite, and it is okay if you feel differently. Try it and see. 

Discussion 

Have you read Too Old for This or any other writing from author Samantha Downing? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

About the Author 

Samantha Downing is an internationally bestselling thriller author. Her novels include My Lovely Wife, He Started It, For Your Own Good, and A Twisted Love Story. Her debut novel, My Lovely Wife, was nominated for Edgar, ITW, and Macavity awards in the US, the CWA award in the UK, and was the winner of the Prix des Lectrices award in France.  

Purchasing Too Old for This 

• If you are interested in buying the hardcover version of Too Old for This, click here.
• Click here for the Kindle version.
• Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.

More From Samantha Downing 

Did you enjoy my review of Too Old for This? Need another great Samantha Downing novel to read? Here are my favorites! 

• My Lovely Wife 
• He Started It 
• For Your Own Good 
• Sleeping Dogs Lie 
• A Twisted Love Story 
• Too Old for This

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