The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre

Philip Fracassi’s latest novel introduces readers to a fresh, wildly entertaining sub-genre: the cozy mystery slasher. Fracassi joins the ranks of horror greats such as Richard Laymon, Jack Ketchum, and Edward Lee, but adds the charming structure of a cozy mystery.

Fans of The Thursday Murder Club will be delighted by this ensemble cast of amateur sleuths—all residents of the Autumn Springs Retirement Home.

At the heart of the story is Rose DuBois, a complex, intelligent woman in her late 70s. A retired schoolteacher with a warm relationship with her daughter and grandson, Rose also bears emotional scars from an abusive marriage, leaving her hesitant to pursue romance. Her closest companion is Miller, a kind, thoughtful, and bookish man who quietly wishes for more but respects her boundaries. Their tender friendship—sharing tea, conversation, and crime thrillers—anchors the novel and provides its emotional core.

Autumn Springs is a vibrant place, full of diverse personalities and a steady rhythm of book clubs, bingo, and community events—until an “accidental” death interrupts the calm. When a friend of Rose dies from an unwitnessed fall in her bathroom, no one is alarmed at first. But as more suspicious deaths follow, Rose’s instincts tell her something is terribly wrong. With the police and home staff dismissing her concerns, she rallies her four closest friends to investigate.

What follows is a clever, darkly funny, and surprisingly touching whodunit. Fracassi populates the retirement home with unforgettable characters: Tatum Bird, who spends his days feeding the fish and asking everyone if they’ve seen his long-dead dog, and the eccentric Baxter sisters, rumored witches who attempt to summon spirits to protect themselves—only to meet a suitably grim fate.

Fracassi’s mastery is on full display as he weaves multiple plotlines into an escalating web of tension, gallows humor, and cinematic violence. The result is a compulsively readable mystery-slash-horror hybrid that builds to a thrilling, blood-soaked finale.

This is my first venture into the world of Philip Fracassi, but it won’t be my last. Cozy Mystery Slasher is a standout and should be a strong contender for the Bram Stoker Award.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review.