Killers of a Certain Age

Killers of a Certain Age belongs to the contemporary thriller genre though it departs from it in some ways to advance Raybourn’s interests in gender, power, and women’s inner lives. Thrillers rely on narrative tension, suspense, and frequently, a quest for survival. Raybourn follows this convention in most respects, as Billie and her friends soon realize their lives are in danger and their retirement cruise will be far from peaceful. Few action thrillers feature an ensemble of women. This cast of characters, together with Raybourn’s explicit attention to gender politics, establishes the genre as more feminist than others of its kind.

While most thrillers rely on a cascade of threats and a short timeline for a protagonist to manage them, Raybourn has an abiding interest in helping the reader understand how the four women became who they are today. The first chapter concerns the team’s first mission, immersing the reader in their past before introducing the challenges of the present. This allows Raybourn to underline that the women’s struggle for survival and success has always involved a secondary battle with sexism: Vance underestimates them in the past while the assassination attempts against them in the present involve both sexism and ageism. While most thrillers rely on immediate action and a character’s response to escalating threats, Raybourn introduces narrative tensions that originate in the past at regular intervals. Constance’s efforts to atone for her past and honor her fallen friends have relevance decades after her death. The flashbacks also allow Raybourn to deepen the reader’s sense of Vance as a villain since his antipathy toward Billie has historical roots.

While many thrillers involve the journey of a singular hero, Raybourn chooses to focus on a collective and the complex dynamics within it. While Billie is a central figure in both the past and present sections of the text, her journey is never described in isolation. The group dynamics involve emotional dialogue and personal confidences, such as Helen’s admission that her husband’s impotence and failed dog breeding projects are sources of disappointment in her life. This episode, along with Mary Alice and Natalie’s squabbling, introduces comedy into the text that is unusual for the genre.

Both Billie and Mary Alice confront the effect of their work on their personal lives through their relationships with Taverner and Akiko. Before she sacrifices herself in Vance’s trap, Billie reconciles with Taverner, accepting that she loves her life even if their relationship ended. Helen’s journey is about discovering life after widowhood—though the specter of mortality is common in thrillers, the active acknowledgment of grief and loss is less frequent.

Like many thriller writers, Raybourn makes frequent use of plot twists, such as the discovery that Martin is behind the original plot and is now working with Vance. To enhance tension, she often conceals these twists from the reader. No detail is too small, as Mary Alice’s reference to playing softball with Akiko turns out to be relevant to the later use of potatoes as bombs. Billie’s attention to her appearance before leaving to meet Vance turns out to be professional in nature: her barrette is what allows her to dispatch him during their final fight. Raybourn’s eye for suspense is always gendered, focused on the feminine as an underrated source of power and strength.