Rach's Reading Club

Title: THE AUTUMN SPRINGS RETIREMENT HOME MASSACRE
Author: Philip Fracassi
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Release: September 30 2025
Characters: 1232
Genre: Horror/Philosophical/Family

Dive in expecting an exciting, adventurous, Slasher novel, with lots of tension, suspense, terror, and locked-room mystery; that you will find, in spades. But thoughtful readers will dive deeper, and discover meditations on the stages of life, aging, the perspectives at different life stages, culture, family, found friendships, and much more (including commitment to magic!) There're also wonderfully satisfying character arcs, in multiple. One of the most satisfying aspects for me is how the Mystery itself is laid out: author Philip Fracassi plays very fair with readers. The suspects are several, possibly even multiple, and there are some subtle red herrings. The actual Killer was one of I think three I suspected, but wasn't sure till the Big Reveal. So the clues are present, and readers can work it out for themselves.
Next, the Final Girl: oh my, what an immensely fleshed-out, fully rounded character is she! What depths! What self-control. Like a Timex watch of the 1950's, she "takes a licking and keeps on ticking!" Absolutely one of the emotionally-strongest Final Girls I have ever encountered. ["Laurie Stride" on steroids!] I truly hope author Fracassi will bring her back on stage for an encore!