Misdaad op leeftijd

by C.J. Wray, Lidwien Biekmann (translator)

Een charmante cosy crime over twee nationale schatten met een officieel geheim en een dubbelleven - Richard Osman meets Hendrik Groen.

Penny en Josephine zijn bekende Britse veteranen. Hoe oud ook, ze stralen en sprankelen en beleven nog steeds (illegale) avontuurtjes. Voor hun rol in de bevrijding van Frankrijk mogen ze naar Parijs voor de Légion d'Honneur. Penny werkte in 1939 als geheim agent in het verzet samen met de Joodse August, die omkwam. Penny vermoedt dat hij destijds is verraden door zijn buren, vanwege kostbare familiejuwelen. Op de dag dat de zussen worden gehuldigd, worden deze gestolen sieraden geveild. Kunnen de geliefde veteranen hun oude vriend wreken door een laatste, gewaagde kraak te zetten?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Thriller, Historical, Mystery Thriller

388 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2024

About the author

CJ Wray is a pseudonym for author Chrissie Manby, a Sunday Times bestselling author with more than forty books to her name. Raised in the west of England, she studied psychology before embarking on an entertaining and wide-ranging career that has seen her selling kitchens, editing erotica, interviewing an armed robber, and impersonating a princess.

source: Amazon

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for stories about plucky senior citizens. “The Excitements” starts out very silly, with Aunty Penny and Josephine Williamson planning their trip to Paris with their dear great-nephew Archie. The great-aunties are in their 90’s, and enjoy a good cocktail and witty banter.

The two nonagenarians are to receive an award for their work in liberating France in WW II. Archie has no clue as to what his Aunties were involved in during the war. He thought they were minor bit players.

Aunty Penny has a secret side-hustle that funds her philanthropy. Author CJ Wray (pseudonym for Chrissie Manby) provides the back stories to these two enterprising sisters. Archie is in the dark about what his doting Aunties machinations were during the war, but the reader learns, as their past lives are told in shifting timelines. Aunty Josephine has secrets, and Archie is searching for an unrequited love.

If you enjoy witty dialogue with intrepid spunky senior characters, this is for you. I listened to the audio, narrated by Karen Cass. It’s over 11 hours long, and you will be chuckling during the entire book. While listening, I was transported into the story. Highly recommend for a substantive story that seems like it’s a fluffy read!

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 solid stars. A very good debut effort on this tale of two nonagenarian sisters with WWII backgrounds, who are way, way more than they seem! I also enjoyed the third MC, their gay and rather clueless but very much beloved nephew, Archie, as he deals with “the Excitements” that ensue whilst learning of the long buried family secrets. And I learned about the British OSE, WRNS & FANY. This one’s fun & has a lot of heart & charm!

[Lydia Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything about this book is fun. The quirky characters were entertaining and kept me guessing at what trouble they would cause next. The storyline is full of details that brought the book to life as I read it. I could picture the excitements that the aunts went on as if I was going right along with them.
I did get a history lesson, even more I got a fun story about two aunt senior citizens and their amazing nephew living their best lives. I love that Archie took care of his great aunts, taking them on excitements, and helping them live a full life at their age. The aunts, Josephine and Penny, sure put him through his paces. They kept him wondering what would happen next but always showering him with love and taking him with on each excitement. Highly recommend.

[Sandra Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE EXCITEMENTS is a delightfully charming tale of two elderly sisters who are forever in search of their next "excitement" aka adventure. The ladies are well-preserved, ninety plus year old WWII veterans chock-full of life and dark secrets with a knack for finding trouble . . . or does it find them? The sisters depend on their gay nephew Archie to plan their excitements and get them where they need to be on time. The odd trio travels the world where the sisters are in demand to make appearances at festivals and fundraisers, often giving speeches and receiving recognition and awards for their service. Now, they're off to Paris, France to receive the revered Légion d’honneur medal awarded for their heroism in liberating France. At least that's why Archie believes they're going; however, as they often do, these ladies have a secret agenda to right some wrongs, and this may be their last shot at doing so.

Author CJ Wray has penned a witty tale featuring two eccentric characters unlike any others you've ever met. Penny and Josephine Williams are Britan's war treasures, adored and loved by the masses as war heroes who were part of the famous WREN's and FANY's, working for the Royal Navy and the nursing corps. At least that's the official word; however, what the world doesn't know is that Josephine was an undercover intelligence operative and Penny a spy in their younger days, and they developed several interesting skills rumored to involve grand larceny and hand-to-hand combat. With the trip to France, they have one last chance to settle old scores and pull one last heist. It may be their last big hurrah, so they intend to make it a memorable one and go out with a bang.

For the most part, THE EXCITEMENTS is narrated by Pennie and Archie with the timeline constantly shifting between past and present. The dialogue is entertaining with several tales shared by the sisters about their past adventures. The constant shifting of time may be problematic for some readers as it isn't always in chronological order, often swinging forward and back. While I found myself having to back up on occasion and reread passages to ground myself again before proceeding, it was easy to settle back in quickly. The story relayed in present time is often humorous with the banter between Archie and his aunts a delight to read. Readers will enjoy joining the two spry nonagenarians as they scheme and plot with poor Archie working double-time to stop their shenanigans from landing them in trouble yet again. While the story flows at a nice pace and the tone is overall light, there's a dark undercurrent of suspense ebbing throughout as readers wait for the other shoe to drop to discover what really happened to the sisters in Paris all those years ago that led to the score they're dead set on settling. Sometimes, a plot line is so convoluted, pulling readers in so many directions that the focus tends to get lost in the shuffle, and the story suffers. To a lesser degree, this is what happens in THE EXCITEMENTS in my opinion. At times, it's a comedy - hilarious and fun, other times it's a super spy mystery - intriguing and mysterious. It's most certainly a historical fiction story brimming with interesting information from the time period with a brief side of romance. One thing's for sure . . . it's a smorgasbord of reading pleasure if readers take their time and consume it in small bites, enjoying each part.

THE EXCITEMENTS is a tale of two resourceful nonagenarians with a secret agenda traveling the world, leaving havoc in their wake. The characterizations are pure gold even though the plot line is occasionally a bit muddled. Author CJ Wray excels at incorporating pertinent WWII history into this tale of two elderly, highly decorated veterans gone wild. Prepare to laugh aloud as the Williamson sisters attempt to pull off one final heist. Recommended to history buffs as well as fans of mystery and comedy.
3.5 Stars
Many thanks to William Morrow for an advanced readers copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own. This title is set for release on Jan. 30, 2024. This review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine and is also available on my blog Cross My Heart Reviews.

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’ve ever seen a young child dive into a dress up trunk and emerge simultaneously clad head to toe in astronaut gear, a princess crown, and cowboy boots looking pleased as punch then you have an idea of what reading this felt like. Unfortunately, what’s adorable behavior for children doesn’t work for putting novels together.

This novel is trying to be too many things at once and misses the mark on being a cohesive strong book in the process. It has its moments, hence the three star rating, but it could’ve been brilliant. As a result of too much being crammed into one narrative, many threads felt rushed. There were hodgepodge happenings throughout the story that should’ve either been edited out or further developed. Left as they were they slowed down the pacing. I wavered between thinking the book should’ve been expanded into a duology or edited down tighter. The non-linear dual timeline felt like an awkward way to tell the story. I think it was presented this way to build suspense surrounding certain threads, but it read as clunky and I was reordering the timeline mentally as I read. There’s a lot of tangents explored that felt extraneous. The tone jumps around a lot. My issue isn’t that there’s great variation in the overall tone because that’s realistic to life. It’s that the transitions from one tone to another feel choppy and unnatural.

Josephine and Penny are WWII vets planning a trip to Paris to receive the Légion d’ Honneur accompanied by their nephew Archie. The nonagenarians prove with clever minds still intact their training is still at their fingertips. I loved the character of Archie. The way he was written as a bright, caring, man, who goes out of his way to improve the quality of life for his aunts is impressive. Did I mention he’s gay? Yep. What I love most about Archie’s characterization is that he has a wonderful, thoughtful, intelligent personality outside of his sexual orientation. Him being gay isn’t shied away from, but it isn’t his sole personality trait either (pet peeve of mine in other books). I cannot applaud the author enough for this.

OSE, WRENS, FANY ➡️ My inner historical fiction fangirl was thrilled to see all three in one book. She wanted an in depth look, of course she didn’t get that, but alas we can’t have it all it seems.

The Excitements is being billed as a ‘one last heist’ type of story…and I gotta be honest if you’re looking for an Ocean’s elderly edition with a lot of laughs or something along those lines this ain’t it. It’s less a heist story and more a sleight of hand rinse and repeat for multiple chapters.

There’s a lot of feels in this story of two brave women who faced a horrible war and forged a sisterly bond over the years through laughter and tears. The “Excitements” (adventures) they shared with Archie as a child making them larger than life in his eyes and in turn him taking them on “Excitements” ,in their later years, coming to suspect they may be bigger heroes than he ever realized are a fun addition. The idea that life doesn’t stop as a person ages is something that I’ve found invigorating since I was still in my teens.

Here’s to excitement and adventure being ageless 🥂

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not the feisty heist story readers are promised - instead, it is a slow and muddy slog through flashbacks and present day nothingness.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written, entertaining, dual timeline, historical fiction novel. It has two likable, engaging, nonagenarian female protagonists, humor, secrets, mystery, intrigue, several twists, and of course, excitement. I listened to the audio book, and the narrator, Ms. Karen Cass, has a lovely voice and does an outstanding job depicting the characters and their personalities. I especially enjoyed the delightful interview with the surprise guest at the end of the novel.

[Sandy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartwarming read of two elderly women, in their 90s, Penny and Josephine, who are about to receive rewards for their service and their nephew Archie, who's taking them back to France. There are flashbacks to these women and their roles in WW2. There are dual time lines, but they are not introduced to the same point of time but jump about the time period's revealing a little bit more of the heroines lives both before, during and after the war, depending on the relevance to the current day story. There are many plot lines, not all of them making sense, (eg preparing to go to France and using it as an excuse for their behaviour when they didn't yet know they were going) but that didn't detract from the story which overall is a totally charming read. I fell in love with the Aunts and their adventures/excitements, so all in all, a jolly good romp.
Thank you to Tracy's book of the month club and net galley for a pre publishing read in exchange for my honest review.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had so many 5-star reads lately that it almost feels like a crime, but I'm glad it's not! The Excitements by C.J. Wray is definitely going to make my top 10 favorite books of the year and there wasn't a thing I didn't love about it. Josephine and Penny Williamson are inspired by real-life sisters Patricia Davies and Jean Argles who are also World War II veterans in the women's services. The end of the audiobook actually has an interview between Wray and Davies which is not included in the book, and I would highly recommend checking that out even if you don't listen to the audiobook itself. While this is a lighthearted and humorous read, it also brought me to tears more than once making it that perfect blend of serious and fun.

I did listen to this in audiobook form, and I absolutely adored it that way. Karen Cass is such a talented narrator, and she really knew how to handle the audio. There are multiple viewpoints which include men, but she voiced them all in a way that made them feel more real. I didn't have any issues with not having a full cast, and I especially loved the way Cass was able to make the funny parts even more funny with her narration. There were lots of amazing facets to both the storyline and writing that I am not smart enough to put in words properly but just know The Excitements is an incredible historical fiction novel that will pull on your heartstrings, surprise you in multiple ways, and make you laugh until you cry. Well done, Wray!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Josephine and Penny Williamson are two of Britains most beloved war veterens. They're in their nineties, and spend thei time travelling the country to appear at various events or give interviews. When they are asked to head to Paris to be awarded the prestigious Legion d'Honneur they seem reluctant at first, but their nephew Archie manages to persuade them. What Archie doesn't realise is that there are scores to settle in France, and the sisters have more planned than just appearing at an awards ceremony.

I loved the idea of two sprightly nonagenarians getting themselves into some mischief whilst on a trip to receive recognition for their war efforts. Whilst that does form some of the story for this book there is a lot more going on than that. A lot lot more.

Plot wise this one covers a bit of historical fiction, mild romance, espionage, jewel heists and a hostage situation. There is so much going on that the main focus of the story quickly becomes lost, and really we don't see anywhere near as much of Penny and Joesphine in their twighlight years as I would like. I did notice a few plot holes too, in terms of things not quite adding up (such as Penny claiming the crystal elephant saga was a warm up to check her skills in preparation for France, despite not knowing at that point that the France trip was coming)

Whilst the focus of the story is set in the present day with the sisters heading to France, there is considerable time spent in the past too, revisiting times from the sisters childhood, through their years in the armed forces and tracking through to the present. Unfortunately these flashbacks aren't told in chronological order, so things become very hard to keep track of. This journey through the sisters lifetime also means that there is a huge number of characters to keep track of, and with the jumping around in time this is very hard to do.

I did really enjou the focus on women in the war and the part they played. Reading about the WRENs and FANY was fascinating - if anything I would rather have had more of this side of things than some of the other additional storylines.

There's some light humour throughout the book that works well. There's ups and downs throughout the story but ultimately it has a feel good sense to it. Penny, Josephine and Archie are a great central trio, all are likeable and it is a little amusing that Archie doesn't really take after his aunts at all, much as he really wants to!

The bones of this story have a lot of promise, and I think C. J. Wray did a fabulous job with the WWII history side of things. Unfortunately there was too many other things going on in this one that detracted from that main storyline, and things ended up very jumbled. I think ultimately the book is just trying to be too many different things at once.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group UK for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Niamh · Rating 2 out of 5]

'The Excitements' is a prime example of a novel wherein the author has so many ideas but complete paralysis in choosing any above others, so they just throw them all in together. What emerges is a slog of a novel that is not what was promised on the blurb / cover (there is little 'heist' to speak of and it really only involves one sister), jumping wildly between timelines and giving one sister far more page time than the other, whilst beating to death the 'don't discount old ladies' trope as it goes. In the third act, it decides to go completely off the rails, dragging out and losing any attempt at suspense a hostage situation that ends with a thud, rather than a bang. This novel felt infuriating at the best of times because it swerved wildly, languising in monotony - even in moments that were clearly supposed to be exciting - and also, for some reason, discounting huge sections of the war? There's a suspension of disbelief one has to have for these WWII books - but this was laughable. A rather misleading title.

[Candice Woods · Rating 2 out of 5]

Funny senior citizens, excitement and a heist is what I was promised in this story and sadly didn't receive. The witt and humor of the 90 year old, yes well done but the only enjoyable thing about the book.
The heist and excitement was just slow, uneventful and didn't keep me on my toes like a "hesit" should. I was anticipating more collaboration hesit for the sisters and didn't receive one.
Sadly disappointed in this book.

[CynnieRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penelope and Josephine (and Archie) are to be underestimated at your peril.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

easy going read, funny in parts

[Ranjini Shankar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did. Two 90-year old war veteran sisters planning a heist in France should have been awesome but it ended up being a confused muddle. The plot, characters and the timeline was all over the place and it tries to do far too much in too short of a book.

Josephine and Penny are sisters, war veterans, and roommates. Their grand nephew Archie adores them and keeps an eye on them. When they get nominated for a medal in France, they all go there for some excitement but little do they know just how much they will find.

Easily half the book is spent in the past but it’s not in any particular chronology so it would always take me some time to figure out where in the characters life we were and what the point was. I felt like characters were added towards the end just to close loop holes and rushed explanations were found to justify others. There was also not nearly as much humor as I’d thought there would be given the premise. It does cover a part of the war from a very interesting POV but it isn’t given that much airtime. Lots of interesting ideas but it needed room to breathe.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely fun, in a bittersweet way.

[Sharyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Granted there is A LOT going on and some may have trouble following the chronology, but it is well worth it. We start in the present with Archie taking his 99-year-old Aunt Josephine and 97 year old aunt Penelope out to lunch. He has been having "adventures," which they call "excitements" with them since he was 6 years old.
The sisters are some of the last WWII veterans, and throughout the book we learn of their visits to relatives in France, which contain very important plot points.
We also follow them into WWII when Josephine enlists in the WREN's, and Penelope follows 2 years later as a FANY.
There are spies, jewel thieves, crooked cops, gangsters, hostage takers, Jewish round ups in France, and much, much more. There is also love, laughter, and tears.
Archie's love and protection for his great aunts is the glue that holds this book together. I think you will love them as much as I did.
This book will be published on my birthday, January 30th.
I plan to recommend this book to all of my bookclubs. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC. This is my honest review.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Malinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I looooved this! The characters were extremely likeable and I enjoyed the story immensely. The old ladies made me laugh so much and I even teared up once or twice!

[Elyse Hallett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m always there for a seasoned vigilante. However, the first hundred pages were hard for me to follow with too many changing & underdeveloped timelines and too many random plots that all too neatly wrapped up in the end. I love WWII historical fiction and would have loved to have dove into both sisters’ pasts more. My favorite moments were when the story focused on Penny’s time in the war. Unfortunately, that was such a small focus in the midst of all the other plots. I had a hard time following. But I always enjoy reading about elderly women fighting to do good in their own way and about WWII, so I still enjoyed this!

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️,5

Mijn eerste luisterboek ooit!
Ik vond het een fijn verhaal met humor, historie en emotie.
Ook soms wel een tikkeltje te chaotisch, maar over het algemeen een goed verhaal.
Het verhaal is ingesproken door Inge Ipeburg. Opzich vond ik haar stem prettig om naar te luisteren. Ze sprak vrij levendig, met een goede wisseling in intonaties, maar soms had het voor mij gewoon iets vlotter gemogen.

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not sure who recommended this book, but I heard that it was a must-read this year. Wrong. It is a cozy with no cute cats or interesting bookstores. The two main characters are dull and life-less, and the story moves back and forward in time so often it makes your head spin. The only time it gets interesting is very close to the end, but even that twist turns dull. I don't recommend.

[Jefferz · Rating 1 out of 5]

CJ Wray’s (pseudonym for Christine Manby) The Excitements is a textbook case of a publishing firm doing a fantastic job of marketing and writing a synopsis for a book that is considerably more interesting than the actual book itself. The Excitements has a lot of different elements that feels like they’re going in all different directions with little thematic cohesion or planning. Worse, the actual story is bland, consistently underwhelming (when it’s not being comically unrealistic), and overall poorly crafted. I don’t remember how this ended up on my to-read list (perhaps because it features senior female characters, an accidental trend I’ve been on this year), but I certainly am questioning my past choices and do not recommend this one at all, even if you like cozy historical fiction books.

Perhaps it partly on my end for reading too far into the synopsis, but I truly feel like I was betrayed by The Excitement’s marketing that summarizes “Scandal and crime… veterans intend to settle scores, avenge lost friends, and pull off one last daring heist before the curtain finally comes down on their illustrious careers”. To be frank, the “scandals” and “crimes” are used very loosely here, with the scandal involving a (very light) romance and at least in the USA, a minor felony at best (really just shoplifting). An obvious exaggeration, settling scores and avenging lost friends also is a stretch and illustrious careers feels like a purposeful misdirection. When I read that kind of summary, I was expecting some type of spy or covert operative movements for both sisters or some kind of senior citizen comical adventure romp. In reality, there are only light elements of that in one sister and not the other, and the story could’ve almost entirely worked if it had only focused on Aunty Penny considering Aunt Josephine had such little relevance to the story.

Marketing aside, my biggest issue with The Excitements is its plot and approach at throwing a dozen random plot threads at the wall to see what sticks. Part historical fiction, the first third of the novel mainly focuses on Penny and Josephine’s experiences during WWII via the British Women’s Royal Navy Service (WRNS) and First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY), historical elements I was not previously familiar with as an American. Despite being merely surface level in detail and narrative experiences, this section is the strongest and most cohesive section of the book that feels the best researched and inspired. The sisters' upbringing and extended stay in France provides an important framework for their French mannerisms and patriotism in WWII and is clearly the inspiration for the novel as confirmed by Wray’s acknowledgements section. The problem is that the historical fiction elements stop there once WWII ends and the book loses its direction.

Beyond the two sisters' contributions via WRNS and FANY, one sister joins an undercover operative operation while the other basically disappears from the story completely for decades. There’s also plot elements involving this training that ultimately doesn’t go anywhere, the “crimes” that are essentially just misdemeanors, some discoveries that imply certain characters sacrificed others in the past, etc. While this doesn’t necessarily sound too bad on paper, actually reading these events left me completely baffled and amused. The story quite literally feels like Wray is making things up as she goes along with non-existent foreshadowing, no setup, and herky jerky jumps as these past events are told out of chronological order and not even thematically coupled. I fail to see how any of Penny’s post-WWII crimes has anything to do with her stint in WRNS and the event inspiring her supposed “revenge” doesn’t even happen until two thirds into the book. Meanwhile Josephine’s story consists of a very brief romance (in terms of actual pages devoted to it), absence of notable activity for years while her sister is actively doing supposed crime and military things, only for her resolution to pop-up in a random chapter near the very end of the book in the middle of a peak hostage situation, having absolutely no relevance to the situation and derailing what little momentum the book had going (I guess it’s a life flashing before your eyes moment?).

Worse off, the entire read is quite boring and uneventful largely due to the absence of a notable conflict or mystery. The story is told via 3rd person omniscient in the present day as Archie is preparing to escort his two grand aunts to an honorary ceremony in France for their War contributions. The present day events mostly feel like the characters are wandering around killing time with nothing of real value, neither building interest in the story nor providing comic relief. The “heist” isn’t introduced as a concept until over half-way through the book, at which point I imagine many readers already DNF-ed based on the reception of other reviews. There’s a bit of a mystery involving Penny’s interest in an emerald ring, its background, and its appearance at a fundraising gala occurring the same day as the sisters award ceremony, but again this has almost nothing to do with any of the historical WWII elements at all (where the ring came from is the sole connection). I hesitate to even call it a last heist considering Archie and Aunt Josephine have no idea about it at all and the entire story arc gets even more laughable once a random gunman decides to hijack the event. You would think the book would tie this gunman’s hijacking either back to the emerald ring, the invasion of the WWII Nazis, WRNS/FANY, something the book introduced previously. No, the gunman instead threatens to shoot people at random in return for the release of political prisoners that has absolutely nothing to do with WWII since this is in the present day. He is also exacting revenge on a named attendee at the fundraising event who got rich at the expense of his country/land and people. Do we know what country/land or people these are? No. Do we know how this guy who we’re introduced to in a single page earlier in the evening got rich? No. Baffled yet, I sure was. I assume this entire sequence was introduced in order to give the two sisters an opportunity to save the day but its execution is so random and out of place, it’s actually quite unintentionally funny. There are so many redirections, plot surprises or misdirections that come off as something Wray came up with on the spot, the whole reading experience is hilariously nonsensical (note, this is not an absurdist or satirical piece purposefully doing that).

I’m the type of reader who immerses myself in the story but the closer I read, I noticed more and more plot holes and the read went from boring and inoffensive, to mediocre and puzzling fast. Aunty Penny steals a crystal elephant from a jewelry store at the beginning of the story as “practice” for her later planned heist despite not knowing she was even going to Paris in the first place (she learns about the trip later that day and even then is against going to Paris despite preparing anyway?). Penny becomes a pro at self-defense and outshines all the other recruits in section F after only reading a self-help self-defense book as a teenager? A gunman is taken down by simply being hit by a metal matchbox, how exactly is that a weapon? Penny confuses the pain of a heart attack with the discomfort of something being stuck in her throat when she puts it there herself? Archie tries to flex his biceps to one-up Malcolm despite it being a formal event with men wearing suits that wouldn’t show muscles anyway? Josephine is also 98 while Penny is 97 yet they can walk without assistance, travel, and even attempt to make a getaway at their age? I have grandparents that are in their mid/early 90’s and from my experiences working with the elderly for my day job, that just isn’t believable at all no matter how spry they are. It really didn’t take long for the book to go from boring to bizarre to sheer comedy for all the wrong reasons. I started to enjoy the book as soon as I stopped taking it seriously and tried to predict what ridiculous random plot element it was going to throw in next.

What makes the entire reading experience worse is how bland the characterization is for all the characters; good characters definitely could’ve half salvaged this book. The sisters’ grand nephew Archie has paper thin characterization except for the fact that he’s gay (which also has nothing to do with anything except for his old crush on Stephane, the host of the Parisian fundraiser). Side characters that pop-up throughout the two sisters’ lives also quite literally pop-up with little introduction, only to be killed off or to betray another character pages later with the sisters reacting dramatically. It’s a recurring trend that the book makes a great deal of effort to say how overwhelmed the sisters are, but the emotional reaction is entirely unearned and not setup. Each side character is also given such little time or introduction, half the time I struggled to remember what each character was notable for when they popped up again later in the story (again, made worse by the events being relived out of order). The present day events also have two additional seniors Davina Mackenzie and Sister Eugina who are also being honored at the event in Paris. I could not figure what role they were supposed to serve as they did not provide comedic relief, they did not add depth to either sister’s backstory, they certainly had nothing to do with any of the “crimes” or “scandals”, and their only contribution was reading morse code on a tv news broadcast of the gunman hijacking the fundraiser. As the book moves to its conclusion and epilogue, characters do 180 personality changes to secure a happily ever after with no character development to warrant the changes. Davina Mackenzie suddenly isn’t full of herself, Archie’s past flame Stephane suddenly rejects his fiancé over the course of a few hours (I know some of the queer community can move fast but that’s quite extreme), a soldier named Jerome who constantly undermines Penny suddenly has a moment of enlightening and respects her on the last day of training, and the sisters have such close camaraderie despite not being honest with each other for decades.

On top of poor characterization, the dialogue varies from passable to laughably awkward at times. A hallmark choice quote:

(Gunman speaking during the takeover) “No. No, not you. I will spare this… invertebrate. But I want his replacement to send a proper message about strength and bravery. So, worm, you can join the rest of the audience…” Is this supposed to be threatening or dramatic? What is this even?

While Penny and Josephine’s dialogue is generally decent, as a man also in his 30’s Archie’s dialogue is completely unnatural for a man his age (regardless of his sexuality I should add) and in general, male characters across the board sound off in mannerisms. Both sisters also end many of their sentences with basic French terms and slangs and while this may just be me being an American reader, I personally found the way the French phrases were included to be quite cringy and a caricature instead of feeling authentic. However, my criticisms of the dialogue obviously only apply to when characters actually talk, which is quite little. A good portion of the book’s writing is just “she did this, she did that, she thought this, she thought that, she felt this” with very little introspection or dialogue between characters.

All in all this was a baffling read and an overall poorly executed book. There were some great ideas and concepts individually but the effort to connect them (if at all) was poor and needed better transitions. I don’t know what I was hoping for with this book but I certainly didn’t get it as this not funny (at least intentionally anyway), the light romance and character drama did not have proper setup, the present day senior citizen moments were not particularly charming, this was just a slow mess of loose topics knotted together that really needed extensive editing to be presentable. At least it was relatively short and quick to read, but if that’s the best thing a book has going for it, I might as well read a novella that doesn’t get lost in its own story right out of the gate. I guess it would make a passable coffee table décor book with its nice cover and casual tone; a cover that also features both women in elegant flowing gowns that both would never be caught dead in (the William Morrow cover for the English releases, the Dutch cover is far more appropriate).

[Jerica Mercado · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 Loved this! Toujours alive! 🩷


If you've read my reviews for a while now you'll know that one of my favorite types of books to read is #pensionersinthepages It just really delights me to see senior citizens living their best lives, maybe solving a mystery, probably causing a commotion, but definitely doing it in style. So of course as soon as I saw travels review this read in her feed last year I knew it was a book for me. And guys, it so was!
In The Excitements, by C.J. Wray, we meet sisters Josephine and Penelope, who in their mid- to late-90s are most definitely still living their best lives keeping their great nephew Archie busy and always emulating their motto, toujours gai (always happy). At the start of the novel the sisters, who both served in women's units in WWII, are being honored by the French government for their contributions. Their trip to Paris dredges up all sorts of memories and old wounds as both sisters remember their time in Paris before the war and their own war experiences.
The narrative flits back and forth between the present - featuring POVs from Josephine and Penny, as well as Archie, and occasionally others - and the past, where we get letters and diary entries, and Penny's memories of her particular experiences. All of it combines to give the picture of some truly remarkable lives. I know I've said it before, but I mean it this time - I want to grow up to be Penny someday! Excellent at disarming a man with only an umbrella (or a cigarette case, or even her own wiles), Penny was amazing at every age. I loved seeing her grit and fire as a young woman in the War, but also equally loved the passionate Penny we meet after the war and into the present. She was remarkable. Sadly we didn't get as much of Josephine's backstory, but her wit and her humor were enough to completely win me over. By the time I finished this book I was determined to learn Morse Code if only to be able to tap out M-O-R-O-N when I encounter one.
I also just loved that this was a blend of adventure and maybe mystery along with historical fiction. I learned a bit that I hadn't know about British secret operations and their training efforts, as well as the women's branches of service and the roles they played. It's something I'd definitely like to know more about.
And honestly, I just want to sit and have cup of tea after cup of tea (or stronger) with these two remarkable women just to hear their stories and share in their lifelong goal of living toujours gai!
I give this all the stars, it was delightful!

[Ellie (bookmadbarlow) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous tale of two old ladies and the mysteries of their pasts.
Penny and Josephine love Excitements, their great nephew Archie likes to help create them, but maybe their current one might be the end of them both.
Told in alternating chapters the books tells of the ladies pasts, during the war and up to present day, as well as their current predicament.
The characters were fun and richly created, whilst their histories were fascinating. They sound like the type of people to sit next to at a party.
It wasn't all fun and games though, there were some serious poignant sections to the book and it definitely made me want to explore more the part women played in the war effort.
Highly recommend this one.

[MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlikely but entertaining.

[Lana | Libraryofabibliotaph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een boek vol humor dat vaak echt heel luchtig en vlot leest, aangevuld met plottwists en puzzelstukjes die mooi in elkaar passen, waarbij toch ook wel allerlei zwaardere onderwerpen aan bod komen, met dappere omaatjes die de show stelen.

Dit boek gaat over verschillende leuke personages, die je al snel meenemen op hun avontuur. Zowel de korte inhoud als de cover van dit boek trokken meteen mijn aandacht. Oudere dames, veteranen van de Tweede Wereldoorlog, die op hun oude dag klein en groot kattenkwaad uitsteken? Dit klinkt veelbelovend, en zeker als iets dat ik nog niet eerder gelezen heb. En dat was het ook. Het verhaal leest heel vlot en is echt ontspannend om mee in de zetel te kruipen. Je gaat je al snel hechten aan de personages en leeft sterk met hen mee. Ik vond het ook heel mooi om het levensverhaal van Penny en Josephine te ontdekken, met enerzijds heel herkenbare passages en anderzijds hardere momenten van tijdens de oorlog.
De wissels in POV en tijdlijn waren soms wel wat verwarrend. Ook al past alles uiteindelijk heel mooi in elkaar, tijdens het lezen was ik soms niet helemaal meer mee. Dit zorgde er ook voor dat ik het boek wel steeds redelijk makkelijk op kant kon leggen, ook al werd ik wel meegetrokken in het verhaal.

Alles bij elkaar genomen is Misdaad op leeftijd wel een aanrader voor als je op zoek bent naar een vlot lezend verhaal, met grappige hoofdpersonages, die eens een ander verhaal vertellen dan wat je tegenwoordig constant op bookstagram en booktok ziet verschijnen.

3,75/5 ⭐

Bedankt uitgeverij Lannoo en Wereldbibliotheek voor het recensie-exemplaar.

[Laurel Schmitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This story is told in a non-linear timeline about sisters, Josephine and Penny, WW II veterans now in their late 90's. For me, this story fell a bit flat. There were several points along the way where I completely lost interest, and it took me several days to come back to reading it. It is about two sisters, but you mostly read about Penny's adventures. I felt I knew very little about Josephine and her war-time efforts by the conclusion of the story. I kept waiting for the "one last daring heist", and when it finally happened, it was overshadowed by another event which took away from the intensity. Two events competing for attention. In the end, I had more questions than answers as to why certain characters and events made an appearance in the storyline.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m going to round down to like 3.75 ⭐️only because this book really emphasizes the sister shenanigans and tomfoolery and I feel like it didn’t live up to that. I almost was bored with the beginning. The last 80 pages pulled it together tho

Also really thought “one final mission” would entail idk a mission, together? But I guess not

[BetinaBoughtBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cozy read! Going into it, I had no idea what to expect. It was on sale on kindle and it sounded like it would be a nice light read so I bought it. I love a good story about ass kicking grannies and this did not disappoint ❤️