Publication Date: May 6, 2025
THEY’D KILL TO BE WIDOWS.
Three best friends turn to murder to collect on their husbands’ life insurance policies… But the husbands have a plan of their own in this darkly funny debut that will delight readers from the first laugh to the final twist.
After thirty years of friendship, Pam dreams of her perfect retirement with Nancy, Shalisa, Marlene, and their husbands—until their husbands pool their funds for an investment that goes terribly wrong. Suddenly, their golden years are looking as dreary as their marriages.
But when the women discover their husbands have seven-figure life insurance policies, a new dream forms. And this time, they need a hitman.
Meanwhile, their husbands are working on their own secret retirement scheme and when things begin to go sideways, they fear it’s backfired. The husbands scramble to stay alive…but soon realize they may not be quick enough to outmaneuver their wives.
Struggling with their finances and stuck in unhappy marriages, three women make a shocking decision—their husbands must die. But nothing is as it seems in The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs.
Pam was perfectly happy with her life and marriage until her husband lost most of their money in a bad investment. Now, she is stuck working past retirement age and in a marriage that has lost all its spark. When Pam’s husband calls her to tell her that their best friend, Dave, has died, her life turns upside down.
Dave left his wife, Marlene, with a huge life insurance payout, which turned Marlene’s life around. And when Pam and her friends discover that Dave isn’t the only one with a large life insurance policy, the wheels start turning.
Pam, Nancy, and Shalisa find themselves with little money and unhappy marriages. So, they come to the only logical conclusion—their husbands must die. But their husbands have their own drama to deal with. Having skimmed from their jobs for years, they fear their scheme has been discovered, and with their boss being connected to a dangerous crime family, Dave’s accident may not have been an accident after all. Chaos and antics ensue, and nobody is safe.
I am a big fan of dark comedy, and this book was right up my alley. I loved that you would read one perspective and know what one character was thinking, only to switch to another character who completely misinterpreted everything that happened. It was a perfect example of miscommunication, but it was done in a comical way instead of frustratingly. I did figure out the twist at the end, but that didn’t make it any less satisfying! Every character felt well-rounded, and I just loved the chaos.
A perfect blend of Noises Off and Clue, The Retirement Plan is a fantastic dark comedy that will leave you laughing all the way to the grave.
Sue Hincenbergs is a former television producer who has worked on multiple award-winning programs. She lives in Toronto with her (very much alive) husband, her scruffy, middle-aged rescue dog, Kramer, and the rooms full of the stuff her three sons left behind when they moved out. The porch light is always on in case one comes by for a visit. The Retirement Plan is her first novel.
