The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi | Horror Fiction Review

This was a fun change of pace.

My 2 Cents for Free!

The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi

Released September 2025

Source: Netgalley

Get it at your local library or see more @ Goodreads

If you like a well plotted mystery/thriller/serial killer story with some moments of dark humor and attention to characterization (no one here is a faceless throwaway character) you might want to add this one to your fall reading list.

Everyone seems to love a slasher but sometimes they get a little cheesy or too formulaic for me and I think I overdosed on them, so now when I see everyone raving about a book because it’s a “slasher” I usually stay away until the honest reader reviews start coming in. I’m super picky about them now and I need characters I can care about as well as an interesting plot or I doze off pretty quickly. This one caught my attention at Netgalley because it takes place in an old folk's retirement village and the characters are in their 70’s and 80’s and fighting evil. No bubbleheaded teens or young adults in sight (not that there’s anything wrong with that, if that’s your thing. I’m just sick of them atm). If you like audio, narrator January LaVoy does an amazing job here with all of the characters. I never felt the urge to quit, nor did I have to rewind because I dozed through a chapter or two.

Rose has lived a life filled with strife and love and pain and she has overcome it. Now she simply wants to live out the rest of her days in peace without any commitments. No pets or boyfriends allowed even though the local men are pesky and persistent. She has her friends, a loving relationship with her daughter and grandchild and she has her books and that is all she needs. Except for the pet thing, Rose is relatable, lol. Rose is content and happy but then a suspicious death occurs, followed by another and another and Rose is certain these weren’t accidents and that something very sinister is going down. She is suspicious from the very start, and I love her for it.

There were surprises and heartbreak and care taken with those experiencing the decline of their minds and bodies. There was even a moment that made me get all bleary eyed as I was cooking dinner. It takes a lot for a book to actually move me to tears, but this damn book got me when I wasn’t expecting it. Five stars just for that moment alone. Anyhow, I don’t want to spoil it. If this sounds like your kind of book, you’ll know and you’ll read it, and I doubt you’ll regret it.

Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher Plot Synopsis 

Brimming with dark humor, violence, and mystery, The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre is a blood-soaked slasher sure to keep readers cringing, laughing, and guessing until the very last page.

Rose DuBois is not your average final girl.

Rose is in her late 70s, living out her golden years at the Autumn Springs Retirement Home.

When one of her friends dies alone in her apartment, Rose isn’t too concerned. Accidents happen, especially at this age!

Then another resident drops dead. And another. With bodies stacking up, Rose can’t help but wonder: are these accidents? Old age? Or something far more sinister?

Together with her best friend Miller, Rose begins to investigate. The further she digs, the more convinced she becomes: there’s a killer on the loose at Autumn Springs, and if she isn’t careful, Rose may be their next victim.