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Retirement Plan  By  cover art

Retirement Plan

By: Martha Miller
Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
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Publisher's summary

What do you do when you fall through the loopholes in the system and all you have to rely on are your own wits?

Lois and Sophie have scrambled and saved for years, planning for their retirement in Florida. But now they've lost it all, and Lois' sniper training from her long-ago service as an Army nurse leads to a desperate career choice.

When Detective Morgan Holiday is assigned to investigate a spate of sniper killings, it's just one more stress point in her already overburdened life. But as she grows increasingly solitary - coping with an Alzheimer’s-plagued mother who refuses to be confined to a nursing home, and a police partner counting the days to retirement - she comes to realize that these murders may cut close to home.

A modern morality tale of justice, retribution, and women who refuse to be politely invisible.

©2011 Martha Miller (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+

What listeners say about Retirement Plan

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    5 out of 5 stars

Rooting for the "bad guys" has never been so good!

My lord how I adored this. I listened to it to and fro from work. I must say the reader did an amazing job.

It's not hard to imagine an older lesbian couple reaching their retirement years and struggling for their income. One is a teacher, the other a retired military nurse, and living on social security and non-existent pensions is a struggle. Pretty much the only thing they own that doesn't have a use - they've sold everything else - is a rifle they have kept for sentimental reasons.

And though they can't quite pin exactly when - or which of them it was exactly - the decision was made, they did indeed make a decision to make some extra money by offering their services in a growth industry: hired assassination.

These two wonderful old women are a joy to read - even though they're killers for hide (and at times even because of it). That they have a moral compass in play (albeit one that still allows their murder-for-cash solution to life's problems) is central to how they're still so damned loveable, and as the tale progresses, and their backgrounds, histories, loves and pains come to light, my affection for them only grew.

Counterpointed with these two lovely ladies is another woman, the detective who is assigned to the case when the bodies start to stack up. Her journey was also intriguing, enjoyable, and emotionally encompassing, and the last few chapters, when things start to grow very taut, had me very nervous for all concerned.

Can you root for the killers?

In this case, how couldn't I?

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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If Jane Tennison Had Been a Lesbian

—Take one desperate-for-money, aging lesbian sniper who needs to support her partner, and a lady detective on her trail.

Throw in a mother w/Alzheimer’s, a crotchety old PI partner who's about to retire, and stick them all in Florida. What could go wrong?

Miller has always been adept at questions of morality, and the world of women "of a certain age." With her sense of humor, mixed into an entertaining detective yarn, you can't lose.

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9 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Hardboiled Lesbians! It's a whole genre??

This wasn't actually noir - though the small-city Illinois setting tends give the whole thing a greyish tinge.
I loved the premise of an older couple deciding that killing for hire (only really bad guys) was okay and I liked the details of the central family who have any number of believable struggles. It was easy to sympathize with them, Detective Morgan Halliday and the rest of the goodish guys. Bernadette Dunne was a perfect storyteller for this.

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8 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Good story

I was pleased that not only lesbians are shown but older lesbians were the central characters in this book. I enjoyed listening.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A Fast - Fun Read.

If you could sum up Retirement Plan in three words, what would they be?

Interesting - fast paced - surprise ending.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Retirement Plan?

When I found myself rooting for the "Bad Girls".

Which scene was your favorite?

When the next door neighbor got shot.

If you could take any character from Retirement Plan out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Vic the bar keep.

Any additional comments?

Enjoy.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Don't miss this one

Where does Retirement Plan rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would put this in the top 10 of audio books, and I've listened to a lot of them. I like the book when I read it, but it really comes to life as an audio book. The narrator is spot on. Beautifully read.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It's hard to pick between the three main characters -- Morgan the detective or the two elderly couple, Sophie and Lois. Morgan's dealing with her mother's Alzheimer's disease is heart-breaking. Sophie and Lois as contract killers sounds outrageous, but their matter-of-fact approach to it makes it seem perfectly sensible ... like opening a vegetable stand to make extra money.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The most moving moment was when Morgan's new partner - the one she thought was going to be a sexist jerk - stood guard so she could come to terms with her mother's death in private.

Any additional comments?

This is a book that is meant to be read aloud, and this narrator does an excellent job at it.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

This is Fiction, for Sure!

The story plot (two female senior citizens as killers-for-hire) had great potential. The characterization of lesbian women as "real" people was well done. Bernadette Dunne's performance was quite good.

That said, this book was a less-than-average listen. . . it just never got very interesting. Too easy to put this one down and go on to other things.

And the ending? Fiction for sure, given that what the (I-think-I'm-a-lesbian) detective does would get her in big trouble, since her colleagues knew what was in her possession. (Trying not to give it all away here!)

Not a bad listen. . .but far from the best. Average.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Entirely too steriotypical

Would you try another book from Martha Miller and/or Bernadette Dunne?

Probably not Martha Miller, but would not mind listening to Bernadette Dunne read another book.

Has Retirement Plan turned you off from other books in this genre?

I don't much care for the steriotype that was portrayed. Also the good and "bad" guys, as three Lesbians? Nah, would rather have had a straight character vs a gay character, but their sexuality be a secondary theme and incidental at best.

Which character – as performed by Bernadette Dunne – was your favorite?

I liked the main character Lois, and Sophie second.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Rather disappointed. Expected to read a good novel about Lesbian women but got the steriotypes as side characters. Lesbians, where I live, do not wear flannel, ever. That is an OLD image that we have struggled to alleviate, but here it is again, portrayed in a modern novel. Bummer.....I did like the reader, and wouldn't mind hearing her read another book.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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LOVED IT!!!!!!!!

This was definitely a good story, had drama, action, and at times you will say "OH NO SHE DIDN'T". You got to do what you do to survive the corrupt politicians that don;t give damn about the senior citizens in anyway " I SAY YOU GO GIRL"

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Entertaining commentary on our times

What did you love best about Retirement Plan?

I loved the lesbian community setting and the way these elderly women took care of themselves.

What other book might you compare Retirement Plan to and why?

Maybe one of Carl Hiassen's books, though not as over the top hilarious.

Which character – as performed by Bernadette Dunne – was your favorite?

I liked the killer best.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

How are you going to live when you retire?

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