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Killing Time: Serial Killers Never Retire - They Just Go On Hiatus
Serial killers never retire. They just go on hiatus. The urge to kill is always there, bubbling below the surface. Billy and Charlie thought their killing days were behind them. They used to be prolific life-takers, but old age finally caught up with them. Now they are ending their days in a dismal nursing home in Blackpool, with only their memories to keep them going. Memories of murder and mutilation. But when Archie turns up at the home, everything changes. Archie is a breath of fresh air and he puts new life into Billy and Charlie - and before long they realise that it’s time to start killing again. Praise for Stephen
He has the uncanny knack of producing plots that are all too real — Daily Mail The sheer impetus of his storytelling is damned hard to resist. — Daily Express A master of the thriller genre. — Irish Times
He has the uncanny knack of producing plots that are all too real — Daily Mail The sheer impetus of his storytelling is damned hard to resist. — Daily Express A master of the thriller genre. — Irish Times
220 pages, Paperback
Published September 6, 2021
48 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Leather
245 books1,528 followersStephen Leather was a journalist for more than ten years on newspapers such as The Times, the Daily Mail and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. His bestsellers have been translated into more than ten languages. He has also written for television shows such as London's Burning, The Knock and the BBC's Murder in Mind series. For much of 2011 his self-published eBooks - including The Bestseller, The Basement, Once Bitten and Dreamer's Cat - dominated the UK eBook bestseller lists and sold more than half a million copies. The Basement topped the Kindle charts in the UK and the US, and in total he has sold more than two million eBooks. His bestselling book The Chinaman was filmed as The Foreigner, starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan and grossing more than $100 million.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 2, 2022
I listened to this book in just over a day
Serial killers living in a nursing home is a great setting for this book and at times the dialogue between them is laugh out loud funny and other times the tension is so good my heart was racing
There are so many twist and turns and I did not see a major one
Highly recommended
Serial killers living in a nursing home is a great setting for this book and at times the dialogue between them is laugh out loud funny and other times the tension is so good my heart was racing
There are so many twist and turns and I did not see a major one
Highly recommended
November 14, 2021
I’ve been surprised by some of the reviews of this book, readers either didn’t give it the time or had forgotten the author’s sleight of hand.
What happens to old and retired serial killers? Well two of them have ended up in a home together and have put their murderous past behind them. So we start with what at first appears like two likable characters stuck in a home with unsympathetic staff and the fear of Covid. You like the guys until their true natures are revealed. It is not until a new person joins the home and he elicits the guys into having fun again and also maybe exploring their dark urges.
This is Stephen Leather, so don’t expect the obvious here in a topical and thoughtful thriller. You have to understand the author and how he works and how he will eventually reward you. He’s taken a dark subject and turned it into something that evolves during the book and takes directions you aren’t anticipating. Part of the joy and reward of this book is just not knowing where he is going with it.
What happens to old and retired serial killers? Well two of them have ended up in a home together and have put their murderous past behind them. So we start with what at first appears like two likable characters stuck in a home with unsympathetic staff and the fear of Covid. You like the guys until their true natures are revealed. It is not until a new person joins the home and he elicits the guys into having fun again and also maybe exploring their dark urges.
This is Stephen Leather, so don’t expect the obvious here in a topical and thoughtful thriller. You have to understand the author and how he works and how he will eventually reward you. He’s taken a dark subject and turned it into something that evolves during the book and takes directions you aren’t anticipating. Part of the joy and reward of this book is just not knowing where he is going with it.
November 21, 2021
Another cracking page turner from Stephen Leather. I really enjoyed the story. I did guess what was going to happen so it didn't turn out to be such a surprise but it was certainly a different type of story than usual which made it interesting and in fact poignant to what happens inside care homes for the elderly, and the appalling situation that happened in them with the covid lockdowns.
I don't know how he manages to keep churning books and interesting stories out at the rate he does, but there's no complaints from me for that. As long as he keeps writing, I'll keep reading.
I don't know how he manages to keep churning books and interesting stories out at the rate he does, but there's no complaints from me for that. As long as he keeps writing, I'll keep reading.
January 5, 2022
Very original, great story line
I thought it was slightly slow to begin with but it was a great story. On reflection I think it needed the back ground to make it work, so it wasn't until I read the whole novel I could really appreciate it (like all.good stories). Great idea, very original and worth the read. Leather, again proving he is a master story teller.
I thought it was slightly slow to begin with but it was a great story. On reflection I think it needed the back ground to make it work, so it wasn't until I read the whole novel I could really appreciate it (like all.good stories). Great idea, very original and worth the read. Leather, again proving he is a master story teller.
September 2, 2022
I’ve enjoyed this author’s books for a while now but have to say I absolutely loved the sound of this one and couldn’t wait to read it. I enjoyed it that much I ended up reading it in one evening as I couldn’t out it down.
The story takes place in a nursing home for the elderly. It is a pretty bleak setting and have to say it will put you off getting older! Prisoners are treat better than they do in this home! Sadly you hear too many stories of staff abusing and bullying residents and unfortunately there is one despicable member of staff who really wound me up throughout and what I would have loved to have done to them if I could have got my hands on them!
You’re not supposed to like serial killers are you? It’s hard not to like Billy and Charlie when we meet them. Especially when Archie comes along. These three have some great banter and get up to a lot of mischief. In fact a lot of the story is filled with these three bonding and going on little escapades. It does suddenly get a lot darker though and my opinions started to waver.
Killing Time was a seriously addictive page turner that I didn’t put down until I turned the last page. At just over two hundred pages it made for relatively quick read. More so as the storyline was so good. This is a little different to the authors other books but highly entertaining with some unexpected twists and turns. A must read for lovers of serial killers especially.
The story takes place in a nursing home for the elderly. It is a pretty bleak setting and have to say it will put you off getting older! Prisoners are treat better than they do in this home! Sadly you hear too many stories of staff abusing and bullying residents and unfortunately there is one despicable member of staff who really wound me up throughout and what I would have loved to have done to them if I could have got my hands on them!
You’re not supposed to like serial killers are you? It’s hard not to like Billy and Charlie when we meet them. Especially when Archie comes along. These three have some great banter and get up to a lot of mischief. In fact a lot of the story is filled with these three bonding and going on little escapades. It does suddenly get a lot darker though and my opinions started to waver.
Killing Time was a seriously addictive page turner that I didn’t put down until I turned the last page. At just over two hundred pages it made for relatively quick read. More so as the storyline was so good. This is a little different to the authors other books but highly entertaining with some unexpected twists and turns. A must read for lovers of serial killers especially.
November 6, 2021
another great read from stephen leather.
Serial killers never retire. They just go on hiatus. The urge to kill is always there, bubbling below the surface.
Billy and Charlie thought their killing days were behind them. They used to be prolific life-takers, but old age finally caught up with them.
Now they are ending their days in a dismal nursing home in Blackpool, with only their memories to keep them going. Memories of murder and mutilation.
But when Archie turns up at the home, everything changes. Archie is a breath of fresh air and he puts new life into Billy and Charlie - and before long they realise that it’s time to start killing again.
Serial killers never retire. They just go on hiatus. The urge to kill is always there, bubbling below the surface.
Billy and Charlie thought their killing days were behind them. They used to be prolific life-takers, but old age finally caught up with them.
Now they are ending their days in a dismal nursing home in Blackpool, with only their memories to keep them going. Memories of murder and mutilation.
But when Archie turns up at the home, everything changes. Archie is a breath of fresh air and he puts new life into Billy and Charlie - and before long they realise that it’s time to start killing again.
July 15, 2022
An avid reader of the authors work I missed the release of this one and only came across it by accident when recently checking out the release date of the next in a popular series he writes.
There's a lot to like about Killing Time, a standalone novel that revolves around three elderly serial killers living out their final years in a poorly run care home.
Its funny, sad, shocking, thought provoking and very cleverly written all in one. Fiction that alongside the witty prose and capers highlights with disturbing accurancy some real challenges and failings our elderly face in their advanced years.
There's a lot to like about Killing Time, a standalone novel that revolves around three elderly serial killers living out their final years in a poorly run care home.
Its funny, sad, shocking, thought provoking and very cleverly written all in one. Fiction that alongside the witty prose and capers highlights with disturbing accurancy some real challenges and failings our elderly face in their advanced years.
October 31, 2021
Not quite what I was expecting from the blurb. Billy, Archie and Charlie are all in a home for the elderly and confess to each other that they'd murdered before and they'd like to do it again. It doesn't turn out quite how they expect it to. There's no doubt that Stephen Leather is a master story teller. I wasn't expecting the twist when it came and it just got better. 4 stars as it's a bit slow getting started.
November 6, 2021
This was pretty slow for the first 40% bit picked up after. Not bad, but not great.
My biggest frustration is that the older Leather gets the more he uses his books to editorialize his frustrations with the UK government. I think this whole book exists because the author is frustrated that people in care homes are treated worse than people in prisons by the PC British nanny state. It's not that I always disagree with him, it just gets a bit tired.
My biggest frustration is that the older Leather gets the more he uses his books to editorialize his frustrations with the UK government. I think this whole book exists because the author is frustrated that people in care homes are treated worse than people in prisons by the PC British nanny state. It's not that I always disagree with him, it just gets a bit tired.
November 16, 2021
An amazingly serious though funny story about two 'pensioned' serial killers in a resting home and what happens when a third oap serial killer joins them... I won't give anything away from the plot, but in the end the good guys win, the bad guys get caught and the worst guy gets killed. Don't think too hard, but go get your wallet and buy this book. It's thát good!
November 12, 2021
Different but entertaining
A very different but still very entertaining book by Stephen Leather.
It took me a while to realize that Archie was not who he claimed!
Very enjoyable!!!
A very different but still very entertaining book by Stephen Leather.
It took me a while to realize that Archie was not who he claimed!
Very enjoyable!!!
August 28, 2022
WHAT A NOVEL IDEA
OK, so versions of elderly men breaking the law are not new, but there is an amazing twist that I suspected. A great read that had me smiling all the way through. Very different from his Spider Shepherd stories.
OK, so versions of elderly men breaking the law are not new, but there is an amazing twist that I suspected. A great read that had me smiling all the way through. Very different from his Spider Shepherd stories.
October 31, 2021
Brilliant!
What a great read. Stephen Leather never fails to deliver!
A great master at the top of his game.
Thank You!
What a great read. Stephen Leather never fails to deliver!
A great master at the top of his game.
Thank You!
November 23, 2022
A good story set in a care home struck by Covid with a twist or two at the end.
February 12, 2023
great
Slow start but just gets better and better. Very clever story difficult to imaging what’s coming next. The first none says book I’ve read and really enjoyed it thanks Steven.
Slow start but just gets better and better. Very clever story difficult to imaging what’s coming next. The first none says book I’ve read and really enjoyed it thanks Steven.
June 18, 2023
Good story, real page turner, just a bit surprised how easy two “experienced “ coppers were exposed.
Still highly recommended
Still highly recommended
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2024
I did enjoy it ... just not too comfortable with the idea of liking vicious serial killers. It does round off nicely though.
December 20, 2021
A book of two halves
Set in a Care Home where 2 ex-serial killers are homed, the first half of the book concerns their existence and the abuse by one of the Carers to other residents. They are joined by Archie, another serial killer, but is he? Three ex-serial killers in the same care home seems too coincidental. Then the twist comes along and the reason why Archie isn’t all he seems to be is revealed. A good read but just wished the first half wasn’t so long as it did put you off care homes for life.
Set in a Care Home where 2 ex-serial killers are homed, the first half of the book concerns their existence and the abuse by one of the Carers to other residents. They are joined by Archie, another serial killer, but is he? Three ex-serial killers in the same care home seems too coincidental. Then the twist comes along and the reason why Archie isn’t all he seems to be is revealed. A good read but just wished the first half wasn’t so long as it did put you off care homes for life.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews