The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Brimming with dark humor, violence, and mystery, The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre is a blood-soaked slasher sure to keep readers guessing until the very last page.
The above, from the Publisher’s synopsis, is what first caught my attention in regards to this book. After reading it, I’d agree, that description is spot-on. I couldn’t be happier about my experience with it.
🧡🧡🧡 I’M OBSESSED 🧡🧡🧡
The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre follows Rose, a single-woman, in her late-70s living on her own. Well, she does live in Autumn Springs though, so is surrounded by friends and companions her own age, as well as the staff always willing to lend a hand.
When one of her friends dies, while alone in her apartment, Rose is okay chalking it up to an accident. These things happen at their age.
After another resident drops dead though, and then another, Rose starts to believe these are no accidents. Finding it difficult to convince the people in charge of this fact however, Rose and her good friend, Miller, start looking into the deaths themselves.
The more they dig, the more convinced Rose becomes that there’s a real-life killer on the loose at Autumn Springs, and if she doesn’t watch her back, she may end up next on the killer’s to-do list.
Y’all, I loved this. Absolutely loved it. As a Horror Girlie through-and-through, I always appreciate when someone puts a new spin on the genre so close to my heart.
Fracassi’s choice to have a Slasher MC, a potential Final Girl, in her late-70s, is such a smart and creative choice, IMO. As the wild success of books such as The Thursday Murder Club have made clear, people are itching for some time with more aged protagonists.
I adore following older protagonists as I’m an older protagonist myself. And no offense to anyone in their 20s, but once you reach a certain age, there’s only so many books you can stomach following protagonists in that age bracket.
Rose was a very likable MC. She was smart and resourceful, not willing to back down in the face of danger. I also liked how her looking into these deaths, it didn’t feel forced. The information, in the beginning, just sort of fell into her lap and she ran with it.
I had so many questions around these deaths, so could understand why Rose would be curious enough to pursue it. Particularly, when the authorities were trying to sell her a story of ‘accidents’ that just weren’t lining up.
Fracassi also got super creative with his kills, which made this very fun. I never knew what to expect next. I appreciated he didn’t hold back just because he was dealing with elderly characters either.
And the characters, all the fabulous characters, there were so many quirky, interesting side characters, which made this story extra-compelling. It wasn’t just Rose, they were all great, just trying to live their best lives.
This also kept me guessing to the very end, as predicted by the publisher. I loved how fast-paced it got as the conclusion closes in on you. I was speeding through so quickly. I couldn’t stop. I needed to know who, or what, was behind the Autumn Springs Massacre.
I can’t recommend this enough, including the audio format, for anyone looking for a delicious twist on the Slasher genre. Rose is a protagonist I won’t soon forget, and I’d happily read this again some day. It definitely entertains.
Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is the 2nd-novel I’ve read from this author, and the 2nd-5-star rating. I definitely need to be picking up more from him!