Book Review: The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs asks is what would you do if your husband had lost your retirement nest egg on an investment, has been making you miserable, but has a million dollar life insurance policy? For these women the answer is both simple and complex. You hire a hitman and hope to get away with murder.

Four women, best friends, find out through the death of one of the husbands about the life insurance policies. The men meanwhile are scared by the death of their friend. They suspect foul play. They turn to a member of the community with a plan. The plan is outrageous and creates crazy goings on.

I loved the characters of the women and found them relatable. Not so relatable that I would follow their plan, but they are very human. The men think they've thought things through, but they are mistaken. Between the plans of the husbands and wives there is plenty of humor.

I gave this book 5 stars for the humor and the plotting. I thought it was an excellent first book. I loved the humor, the plot, and in the end all the characters. Surprisingly, I felt this is a book I might read a second time. If you enjoy action/adventure type books with plenty of humor, then this might be a good book for you.

View all my reviews

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #616: Evil Ways by Julie Mulhern

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: No good deed goes unpunished.

Ellison agreed to one afternoon of bridge, one favor for a woman whose husband is having a heart attack. She doesn't ask who else is playing. She should have.

When Lavinia Denton dies at the bridge table, Ellison is sure she’s been murdered.

Ellison doesn’t mean to investigate. Really, she doesn’t. But people keep telling her things.

And all that information she didn’t ask for? It just might get her killed.

Evil Ways by Julie Mulhern is the 21st book in the Country Club Murders series. It's published by J & M Press. It's expected out September 1, 2026.

Why am I waiting on this book? I've read the other books in the series and have enjoyed them. They are cozy mysteries where Ellison investigates aided now by her husband, Anarchy, who is on the police force. The mysteries are well written. There are always wonderful twists. And there is light banter and some humorous situations. If you like your cozies with a side of humor, this series could be for you. Join Ellison in the kitchen as she talks to the coffee pot and tries to figure out who is responsible for the death she is looking into. Book one in the series is The Deep End and is available on Amazon for Kindle for $2.99. I receive no compensation for sharing this information.

What book are you waiting for? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

 "We attend this, ma'am," I said, "because the murder suspect is of another gentryclan. The two families are now on the verge of outright war. One death may become dozens, if not hundreds."

"But none would be interesting!"she said.

The I is the narrator, Din. The she is the brilliant investigator, Ana. And, Ana is complaining that the investigation into the death is too straight forward and not worthy of her brilliance and attention.

A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett was released August 4, 2026 by Del Rey. It is the third book in the Ana and Din mysteries series.

What have you been reading?

Friday Favorites: Any Author Living or Dead...

Today's topic:  If you could spend time with the author or authors of your choice, who would you choose?

I know most people who ask this question try to get you to limit it to one person. I've found that very seldom, though, can people actually do that. It's like once they start naming authors, they can't stop. 

For my part, the top three today that I chose are Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Terry Pratchett. Given the sense of humor and imagination that these men have,  I expect it would be a lively and fun time. And I say top 3 today because perhaps on another day, in another mood, I might pick different people to share my time with,

Top left on the graphic is Kurt Vonnegut. I've pretty much enjoyed everything I've read by him, but Slapstick has become a family favorite. Such things as heavy gravity days, inhaling Chinese, and the Church of Jesus Christ the Kidnapped have made it into the family lexicon.

In the middle, there is Douglas Adams. I've enjoyed the Hitchhiker's Guide "trilogy" as well as the Dirk Gently books and Last Chance to See. The man had a fantastic imagination. "Always know where your towel is," the one accessory every hitchhiker should carry with them. Don't listen to Vogon poetry willingly. What is 42? The only thing that travels faster then light is bad news. And, Douglas Adams actually spent some time working on Doctor Who.

The third author I chose was Terry Pratchett. Honestly, his Discworld novels and Good Omens are the extent of my reading experience with him so far. I've thoroughly enjoyed his creation of Discworld and the beings that populate it. Who else could conceive of a librarian as an orangutan at the Unseen University? A Death that speaks in all capital letters? A separate Death of Rats? A wonderful witch such as Granny Weatherwax? I've never tried to pick one book of his as a favorite, but say instead that I rather enjoy the series. Some books more than other books, of course, but there isn't one favorite above all else.

So tell us, who would you like to spend time with? And if you are so inclined tell us why?

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #615: Emily Wilde's History of Dark Faerie by Heather Fawcett

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: Curmudgeonly scholar Emily Wilde must brave the beautiful but haunted Black Forest and open a portal to a long-lost, eldritch realm dreaded by the Folk, in this fourth installment of the New York Times bestselling series.

Driven by an insatiable scientific curiosity, Emily Wilde has made a name for herself as the world’s foremost scholar of faeries. Along the way, she’s rescued a faerie kingdom and helped her now-husband—fellow professor Wendell Bambleby, dashing and infuriating in equal measure—regain his throne. And while understanding her fellow mortals has never been her strong suit, she’s also made a small number of friends.

But two years later, one of those friends goes missing in the beautiful but faerie-haunted Black Forest in Germany, a region of picturesque villages and sinister Folk. And if she’s to save him, Emily will have to reckon with the darker side of her own nature, and how ruthless she’s prepared to be to solve the most tantalizing of scholarly mysteries: the history of the ancient and long-lost realm she’s named Dark Faerie, the only place the Folk fear.

But Emily is not alone—she has her beloved Wendell, and her niece Ariadne, who hopes to follow in her footsteps. Told from the perspective of all three characters, this installment of the Emily Wilde series opens a magical portal to the most wondrous and dread faerie realm of all.

Emily Wilde's History of Dark Faerie by Heather Fawcett is expected out January 19th, 2027 from Del Rey.

Why am I waiting on this book? Heather Fawcett writes well. Her characters are interesting and the plot and world building is awesome. I've read the first three books in the series and enjoyed them. I want to know who gets in trouble. And I want to know what's next for Emily, Wendell, and Ariadne.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our ever-growing TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Book Review and Teaser: Killer Vibes by Jack Friday

 

From the publisher: 

Meet Peter Key: self-proclaimed “laziest private investigator in Texas” (it’s harder than it looks), unapologetic bisexual, dedicated stoner, and the surprised recipient of a windfall inheritance from an uncle he barely knew. Peter’s life was a mess before, but now— as the owner of a dilapidated house in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Austin—he has a mountain of debt to deal with and pressure to sell from every side.

But Peter doesn’t like to be pushed around. And when he discovers a bag full of cash, he starts to suspect his uncle’s death wasn’t an accident. He soon finds himself pulled into a lethal game where not everybody plays by the rules.

Fortunately, Peter’s never been good at following rules.

Sexy, suspenseful, and packed with Austin’s quirks, Killer Vibes is a wild and wickedly funny romp that introduces us to the irresistible and irrepressible PI, Peter Key.

Killer Vibes by Jack Friday was released July 14, 2026 by Minotaur Books. It's the first book in a new series. Praise for the novel included a blurb by Elle Cosimano: "Peter Key is my new favorite amateur sleuth."

The teaser: (Peter is talking about pictures he is packing.) 

"Here was my sister Jenn getting her bachelor's. Here was Aunt Sylvie at my birthday a few years back, both of us burdened by party hats and looking as thrilled as a dog in a cone."

My thoughts: It's a good book. It was not quite as funny as I expected, but still a good book. I had not read a mystery with a character quite like Peter before. He definitely doesn't play by other people's rules. His independent streak sometimes gets him into trouble, other times out of it. He is a sympathetic character. I wanted to see him succeed and not get hurt. He was kind and smart. Some of the other characters were notable as well. I really liked his boss, Grady. And I liked his boyfriend Carlos and dog Brutus.

As in all good mysteries, things aren't always what they seem to be. There were plausible red herrings and twists. And of course some of the biggest twists came near the end. 

Generally speaking, the pace of the book was well done. There were some lulls, but only to deliver more information.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's well-written with interesting characters. I'd recommend this book to fans of mysteries with a private investigator lead. Also the reader should know that Peter Key, the main character is bisexual. If that bothers a reader, then they should skip the book rather than complain about it later. 

I received my copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinions in any way.

Friday Favorites: Autobuy/Autoread Authors: Alex A. King

 

A question I've seen a lot asked of book readers and. book bloggers is, "Who do you autobuy?" I can understand that because it indicates which authors are deemed precious enough to part with money to be able to read them at your leisure. But some of us can't afford it as much as we'd like to.

I'd like to know, who do you autoread? Which authors' new books do you reserve from the library, or buy - first or second hand? Everyone has a few authors that they look forward to reading no matter what they are writing. And who it is, doesn't always remain the same, Sometimes it changes according to mood or life circumstances.

For me currently, one of my autoreads and autobuys is Alex A. King. She has written at least 5 different series. The first one I ran across was the Kat Makris series. Book one is titled Disorganized Crime. Kat grew up hearing tales from her father about Greece's boogeyman. Come to find out there is some truth to his tales and Kat must confront the somewhat familiar monster. Family Ghouls is the first book in the Greek Ghouls series. It's another fun series. The main character can see ghosts and has been tasked by her friend and neighbor to find out who killed her. Kick the Bucket is the first in the Revenge Services series. Each book focuses on a different character that works for the service. I thought the concept of an agency that helps people get revenge on others was interesting and a fun thing to read about. I also have enjoyed the Women of Greece series. Pants on Fire is the latest one. They are fun to read too. More romance, which I seldom read, than anything else. Each book focuses on a different woman and man. It came out last May and focuses on a woman who inherits half a house from her grandmother. The Penny Post Myth Agent series is still funny, but for some reason I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the other series. When I find out that she has something new coming out, I either read it on Kindle Unlimited or purchase the Kindle version.

What draws me to her writing is the humor and descriptions.  

“She did sarcasm like other people did breathing.― Alex A. King, Family Ghouls

“She's the most outgoing of them all and lives life without a backspace key. Or a volume button.”
― Alex A. King, Pride and All This Prejudice

"The fifty-something principal, who was never an educator herself, has the complexion of an old leather canteen and the personality of razor wire." -- Alex A. King, Pants on Fire

So, tell me one of your autoread or autobuy authors. Who is it that you can't wait to read when you've heard a new book is coming out or is out already?