Book Description 

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…

My Review 

Senior citizen Lottie is perfectly happy to live in obscurity and anonymity, but her tranquility is shattered when a journalist arrives unexpectedly and starts asking questions. 

So she gets rid of the problem, so to speak, and plans to return to her regular routine. But that’s not how the story plays out, not at all. 

This book is very similar to the children’s book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, except with murder instead of sweet treats. Every time Lottie thinks that she’s tied up all the loose ends, another string unravels.  

Lottie is a very likeable protagonist, despite the homicidal tendencies. She simply wants to be left to her own devices, which is something we can all empathize with. She might appear meek and mild, but many people learn over the course of the narrative that Lottie is not to be trifled with. The combination of sardonic wit and practicality make this book darkly funny, and I found it easy to root for Lottie’s success in her endeavors.    

I would absolutely recommend Too Old for This. The fast pace of this book held my attention and I found myself reluctant to put the book down because I needed to know how Lottie was going to get out of the latest snag. This is my first experience reading one of Downing’s books, and now I want to go back and devour her back catalog.

I received a digital ARC of this book from Berkeley/NetGalley.