I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi Published by Tor Nightfire on September 30 2025
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 416
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A killer is on the loose in a retirement community in Philip Fracassi’s latest, a “slasher light” serial killer story with unexpected heart and humor.
Who would think that a serial killer story set in a retirement home would work, but Philip Fracassi has proved the universe wrong and written a tense, horrifying (at times) tale with a slew of wonderfully developed characters and lots of thoughtful themes about aging, life and death. The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre starts out as a murder mystery and later turns into a slasher, but the main draw for me was the characters, who each have their own quirks, passions and fears. Yes, there are a few over-the-top scenes that didn’t quite work, and there is an odd supernatural element that I wish had been more prominent (or left out entirely), but overall this was a bunch a fun and a very quick read.
Rose DuBois is in her late seventies and has been living at Autumn Springs Retirement Home for the past five years. She loves her little community, has her own private apartment, and can still visit with her daughter Sybil and her grandson whenever she wants. Her best friend is Miller, a retired professor who is in love with Rose but content to just be friends, since she isn’t interested in a romantic relationship. Rose has plenty to do, including movie nights, chess games and crochet class, and she figures it’s a good place to spend her twilight years.
But then people start to die. First it’s just a couple of accidental deaths, like slipping in the bath. Then two of the residents commit suicide—or so it appears. Within the span of a week, four of Rose’s friends are dead. All the deaths are ruled normal, after all, heart attacks are to be expected when you’re in your eighties, right? But Rose doesn’t believe it for a second. Even though the police aren’t looking very closely, Rose knows so many deaths in a short span of time can’t be a coincidence. When her friend Maureen swears that a dark, hooded figure was standing outside her window one night, Rose decides to take action. With the help of a local detective, who also has doubts about the rash of “accidental” deaths, Rose is determined to uncover the killer’s identity—before tragedy strikes again.
Based on the cover, I was expecting a much bloodier story, but in fact, The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre is less “massacre” and more “retirement home,” meaning that the characters were the main draw for me. Although don’t get me wrong, blood is spilled, and characters that I grew fond of die, but this is nothing like other slasher heavy stories I’ve read. I did enjoy the mystery, especially since Rose is acting as sleuth, but I did think the police were way off base in ignoring what was happening at the retirement home, so in that respect the story wasn’t completely believable.
But let’s talk about the characters. Rose is a smart, loving woman who cares for others but also has grit and determination and a healthy dose of self respect. I loved that she is at that age where she’s content without romantic entanglements (she’s a widow, and there’s a traumatic backstory that we learn about later in the story). She’s glad to have Miller as a close friend, but in her mind, that’s where it stops. I also loved her friendship with a man named Tatum, who has Alzheimer’s and is constantly searching for his beloved (dead) dog Jack from years ago (cue the waterworks!).
Other memorable characters for me were Gobi, a retired film maker who loves hosting movie nights and showing old horror films, and Stan Swanson, a conspiracy nut who believes in aliens and would give anything to meet one. I also loved the Baxter sisters, Betsie, Bridget and Barbara, who dress in black and live together in one tiny apartment in the retirement complex. Everyone thinks they’re witches, and they play a very important part later in the story. Fracassi gives each of his characters a distinct personality and backstory, so when some of them inevitably get caught up in the killer’s plot, it’s a punch to the gut.
The author injects some sobering themes about growing older into his story, giving readers food for thought about the elderly and how they are sometimes treated. I liked this emotional element, which hits on the realities of aging, getting sick and what happens when you have no other family members to help you. These parts are offset with humor and action, though, so they don’t bog down the rest of the story.
I did think the final reveal of the killer was a little disappointing, especially since we are never told why the killer is killing off elderly people (unless I missed something!), but it didn’t take much away from my enjoyment. I loved spending time with Rose and her friends, and the upbeat, emotional ending balanced out the horror.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Oh Gosh, the part about Tatum sounds heartbreaking!! That said, the book sounds great, even with some hiccups here and there. It was already on my TBR but now I am even more curious!!
I hope you love it!
I’ll be reviewing this book on my blog tomorrow.
I will check it out!
The setting is interesting!
Horror and humor? Can they coexist?
Yes they can!
“I did think the final reveal of the killer was a little disappointing, especially since we are never told why the killer is killing off elderly people (unless I missed something!)”
This is odd. And I found it funny when you said “there is an odd supernatural element that I wish had been more prominent (or left out entirely)”. Overall, it sounds like the supernatural element and the killer’s motive weren’t supposed to be important, but only to make the story a bit…meatier? I appreciate the focus on the elderly, and that the characters aren’t just there for the kills – which is a refreshing detour from your usual slasher novel routine. You might remember that I’ve read Fracassi recently (The Third Rule of Time Travel) and liked his style, so I might try this one at some point. Excellent review as usual!
Thanks Roberta! I really loved the supernatural element, but it’s sort of thrown in at the end. Maybe I should have seen it coming, lol.
The fact that this one is so character-driven makes me want to check it out. I love quirky characters in any kind of book. 😀
The characters are very quirky, it’s a great ensemble cast.
Sounds interesting! I didn’t love the one book I read by this author (Third Rule of Time Travel), but maybe I’d like his writing better in a different genre. I like the sound of the characters, and a slasher story set in a nursing home is definitely something new and different!!
It was very different, and I’m glad I read it:-)
Well I think that is one story that I might be able to read! I mean it doesn’t seem like horror to me and I love reading books about older characters. That reminds me of the Thursday Murder Club
There are definitely horror moments, but the characters steal the show!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks!
Great review, Tammy! This sounds like a great read with a unique setting for a serial killer story. The part with Tatum would send me into sobbing hysterics though :'(
I loved Tatum so much, and the fact that he’s looking for his dog:-( OMG
Wow, I wouldn’t have expected this setting to work so effectively for horror!
Me either! I was pleasantly surprised:-)
When you said the story is less “massacre” and more “retirement home,” that immediately got my attention. I guess I’ve finally hit an age that has me contemplating the future a bit more and I sometimes wonder if I might one day choose a community like in this book. I love the sound of this one and found I also like the sound of the audiobook narrator so added it to my wishlist. Can’t wait to one day try it. Thanks much for bringing it to my attention, Tammy.
I’m of that age too, and my parents are definitely of that age, so it’s something on my mind. I think audio will be fun:-)
I could not agree with this more! I wanted to wait to read your review until I finished mine, but I was too curious since I just finished it and YES YES YES the setting and the focus on the complexities (both physical and emotional) of aging were fabulous! But I too was left doing a bit of head scratching at the reveal of the killer. For me, that part definitely could have been better, but the rest of it was a win for me too! (Heck maybe I will just copy and paste my comment as my review and call it a day heh.)
LOLI’m glad we felt the same way! I’ve seen some very low reviews and I don’t get it. Yes, there are some issues, but I had a blast reading it for the most part. Looking forward to your review!
To be honest the fact that you’ve described this as ‘slasher light’ actually comes as a relief for me as I was intrigued by the concept but dont really like full blown slasher vibes. The heavier themes and interesting sounding characters makes me think this could work for me. But I am disappointed to hear that the reveal was underwhelming and no motif was fully explained. Even so im curious to see how the sisters labeled as witches tie into things.
There are still some violent slasher moments, but compared to other slashers I’ve read, I felt this was more on the tame side. I did love the characters, they were definitely my favorite thing about the book.
I’m so excited to read this one!
Can’t wait to hear what you think!
I just finished this and I had the same thoughts about the ending. It seemed pretty out of the blue with no chance of having been able to figure out who or why!
Apart from the slightly disappointing reveal (or at least motivations) this sounds really good.
Lynn 😀