Too Old for This

Name: Too Old for This
Author: Samantha Downing

Samantha Downing

Thriller

At a glance

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Senior protagonist

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Bingo night

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Decades-old unsolved murder

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Page-turner alert

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.

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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.

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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…

Don’t just take
our word for it

"Twisty, clever, and wildly entertaining…delivers a Bingo-playing, retired serial killer who just might be the most compelling anti-heroine you’ve ever read. Samantha Downing is at her diabolical best in this darkly comedic thriller."

- Darby Kane, author of Pretty Little Wife

"Samantha Downing’s signature dark humor is cranked up to one hundred in Too Old For This, a whip smart story about a geriatric serial killer who simply wants to settle down. Walker-wielding Lottie Jones is as twisted as they come, and I, for one, will never underestimate the elderly again."

- Stacy Willingham, New York Times bestselling author of A Flicker in the Dark

"This is Downing at her best. Delightfully macabre and so artful that the reader might well root for Lottie, even when she is psychotic to the max. The perfect recommendation for someone looking for something different and extremely entertaining."

- Booklist (starred review 🌟)

The remains of my dinner start to congeal. I bring the plate into the kitchen, rinse it off, and return to my recliner. Pull up my compression socks. Unpause the TV.

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The knock at the door is a surprise. It’s too late for salespeople or pollsters or children raising money for soccer uniforms. Too late for anything good. I mute the TV and wait for them to go away.

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Another knock.

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Sit still, I tell myself. God knows, it took me long enough to learn that sometimes the best thing you can do is sit still.

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“Mrs. Jones?”

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A female voice, one I don’t recognize. It’s young and a bit whiny, and I wonder if she is selling Girl Scout cookies.

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I heave myself up and out of the recliner. My joints do not appreciate this, and show their displeasure with creaks and pops.

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“Who’s there?” I yell.

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“Mrs. Jones, my name is Plum Dixon.”

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Hard to forget a name like that, even for me. “You’re the one who left a message earlier.”

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“Yes, I’m from—”

🙋‍♀️ Why we chose
This book’s a pretty easy sell. I mean, it’s about a sweet old lady who’s also a serial killer! Downing delivers dark humour, endless twists, a decades-old unsolved murder case being dredged up by an overly enthusiastic investigative reporter, and a whole lot of church bingo. Too Old for This will keep you hooked, make you laugh, and surprise you page after page.
Pro tip: read this book in public—the cover makes for an excellent conversation starter.