Deanna Raybourn's four female assassins from her propulsive thriller Killers of a Certain Age are back! And in Kills Well with Others the stakes and suspense are even higher, as they find themselves and the ones they care about the targets of a dangerous, unknown assassin.
Recruited in the 1970s by the Museum, a secret organization that trains assassins, Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie became members of the agency's first all-female squad, Project Sphinx. Over the decades, the deadly team have eliminated drug lords, arms smugglers, and human traffickers. Now it's a few years after the events of the first book, and the Sphinxes have been greatly enjoying retired life, when they are summoned by the new head of the Museum. A mole within the organization is leaking the names of operatives. Agents have already been killed and the four protagonists are on the list of targets.
This new installment can easily be read as a stand-alone novel, while fans of the first book will enjoy learning character backstories through flashbacks from the '60s to the '80s. Past missions and assassinations are revisited in great and gory detail, but the banter, snark, and comedy keep things light. "Do you travel with a torture kit?" Mary Alice asked pleasantly. "No, but it would be easy enough to put one together.... The kitchen is full of useful tools."
The well-plotted mysteries, ruthless assassinations, and glamorous jet-setting are certainly a highlight of this series but so is the study of powerful and enduring friendships. As everyone knows, nothing builds bonds stronger than figuring out how to surreptitiously kill your target at a kids' birthday party. --Grace Rajendran