The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre

I almost passed on THE AUTUMN SPRINGS RETIREMENT HOME MASSACRE because I don’t really like slasher horror. But I was intrigued by the premise of a group of seniors in a retirement home taking on whatever or whomever was after them, so I snagged this book when it was offered. I’m glad I did. Yes, it definitely has some violent scenes. But the violence isn’t gratuitous as with many slashers books and movies, nor is it the primary focus. The biggest surprise for me was the multi-layered plot and the emotional complexities. The real horror, from my perspective, was the way this story reflected our (society’s) treatment of older people. We see how they’re ignored, forgotten, and discounted by family, medical staff, cops, and the world in general. Despite having lived full lives, their worth is diminished and they’re often infantilized, as if all that knowledge and wisdom dissipates when a person reaches a certain age. I enjoyed spending time with these characters, getting to know them while playing detective. I alternated between my print and audiobook copies. The queen of audio, January LaVoy, narrates the audio, which of course elevates the experience. *Thank you to Kaye Publicity for the free print copy, and to Macmillan Audio (#MacAudio2025) for the free audiobook download!*