Natalie Schuyler: The Artist Assassin's Creative Chaos

Overview

Natalie Schuyler is one of the four former assassins at the heart of Deanna Raybourn’s Killers of a Certain Age. She is the team’s eccentric artist, a woman whose creative flair extends from her wardrobe to her homicidal craft. Natalie’s personality—vivid, impulsive, and fiercely loyal—makes her the group’s wild card, but her survival instincts and artistic eye have saved her teammates as often as her unconventional methods have raised eyebrows. Through flashbacks and the present-day plot, Natalie emerges as a character defined by her refusal to be tamed, her devotion to found family, and her ability to turn even a fatal fall into a triumph.

Plot Role

Natalie serves as the team’s creative problem-solver and emotional lightning rod. In the 1982 mission as a Pemberton nanny, she chafes against the rigid uniform but executes her role with precision. During the 1994 briefing on Fermín Bosque, it is Natalie who reacts viscerally to the Holocaust origins of the stolen art, grounding the team’s moral compass. In the present-day train operation against Galina Lazarov, Natalie is thrown from the speeding train while trying to hold on—a moment that seems to seal her fate. Yet she survives, later revealing herself as the pillion passenger on a motorcycle, bruised but alive. Survival is her signature; she falls hard but always gets back up.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Creativity as a weapon. Natalie’s artistry is not mere decoration. She crochets “dick warmers” for an Etsy shop, a detail that shocks even Mary Alice, but the same ingenuity allows her to devise clever disguises and improvise tactics. She ages up with wigs and theatrical makeup, vanishing into a character as naturally as she paints a canvas.

Loyalty over protocol. When Billie botches a Chicago mission and is put on probation, Natalie is the first to offer quiet consolation, saying, “Anybody could have made that mistake.” She does not judge; she supports. This loyalty extends to risking her life in Venice, where she emerges from an alley to provide cover fire while Billie drags the wounded Wolfgang across rooftops.

Appetite for the kill. Natalie admits she is “fizzing with anticipation” before a assassination. This is not bloodlust but a professional’s relish for the job she was trained to do. Her joy is contextualized by her moral line: she reacts strongly to the Nazi-looted art of Bosque, indicating that her enthusiasm is reserved for targets she deems deserving.

Resilience under pressure. When Tamara kicks Natalie’s hands off the train window ledge, she holds on until she cannot. The fall would kill most people, but Natalie reappears, bruised and determined, asking no help—only offering a ride. Her survival argues that she refuses to be defined by others’ attempts to destroy her.

Chronological Arc

Relationships

Billie Webster. Natalie shares an irreverent bond with Billie, often engaging in back-seat banter. She understands Billie’s moments of insecurity and offers comfort without condescension. Their partnership is built on mutual trust and a shared dark humor.

Mary Alice. They bicker like sisters. Mary Alice mocks Natalie’s “refugee from Cher’s Dark Lady era” look; Natalie retorts with a dig about “Chico’s permanent press collection.” Yet beneath the squabbling lies profound respect. Mary Alice calls Natalie’s crochet work “the most disturbing thing I have ever seen,” but Natalie shoots back with a reminder of a past ice-pick kill. They spar because they belong together.

Helen. Helen often acts as a referee, using her “Girl Scout troop leader” voice to defuse tension. Natalie respects Helen’s authority and appreciates her kindness (e.g., Helen’s comment on the dick warmer: “Ingenious”). Their relationship is that of a cooler head and a hot spirit.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Decision to console Billie (1982). While Billie is sulking after the Chicago fiasco, Natalie reaches out, risking Billie’s sharp reply. The consequence is that the team remains cohesive; Billie does not spiral alone.

Decision to shoot in Venice (2019). Natalie chooses to provide cover fire rather than flee. This allows Billie and Wolfgang to reach the boat. It also marks her as a target, but she accepts the risk.

Decision to hold on to the train window (2019). Facing Tamara, Natalie kicks out but ultimately falls. The fall could have killed her, but she survives. This decision—to fight rather than give up—leads to her dramatic rescue of the team on the motorcycle. It reinforces the novel’s theme that these women are not easy to eliminate.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Aging and competence. Natalie’s survival of the train fall is a direct rejection of the idea that older women are frail. She is bruised but operational, still making dick warmers and riding motorcycles. Read more about how the team defies ageist expectations.

Loyalty and chosen family. Natalie’s loyalty to Billie, Helen, and Mary Alice is absolute. She fights, falls, and reunites because their bond is stronger than any enemy. Explore the theme of chosen family and loyalty.

Deception and disguise. Natalie’s artistic talents fuel her disguises. She becomes a nanny, an aging woman, or a motorcycle rider as needed. The novel emphasizes that identity is performable.

Revenge and justice. Natalie’s moral reaction to the Holocaust loot shows that her kills are not random; they serve a justice framework. The team’s final confrontation with Galina is about retribution for past wrongs.

Art and legacy. Natalie is an artist who creates both functional and bizarre objects. Her appreciation for the Raphael Leda and the Swan is genuine, and she helps reclaim it. This ties to the novel’s interest in what we leave behind.

Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. Why does Natalie make “dick warmers”?
   The crocheted pouches are a character signature—she plans to sell them on Etsy for start-up capital after retiring. Mary Alice finds them “disturbing,” but Helen calls them “ingenious.” They showcase Natalie’s ability to blend craft with absurdity.

2. How does Natalie react to the Nazi-looted art story during the Bosque briefing?
   In 1994, Marilyn Carstairs details how Fermín Bosque’s grandfather was a Nazi industrialist who smuggled art. Natalie is “deeply affected by the Holocaust connection” (as the outline notes). She stares at the Raphael and seems to anchor her moral outrage; this motivates her to participate in the assassination.

3. What happens when Natalie is thrown from the train?
   During the fight with Galina, Tamara kicks Natalie’s hands off the window ledge as the train enters a viaduct. Natalie falls. Billie sees her vanish and assumes the worst. Yet Natalie survives, bruised, and later appears on a motorcycle to offer the team a ride.

4. Does Natalie ever fear being replaced or irrelevant?
   The text does not explicitly show her fearing irrelevance, but her insistence on creativity—crocheting, proposing a helicopter painting—suggests she wants to remain distinct. Her survival of the fall implicitly argues that she is still as capable as ever.

5. What is the significance of Natalie bringing a chicken onto the train?
   The chicken appears in Chapter 30, where the team jumps off the train and later reunites with a chicken Natalie had brought aboard. The chicken is a comedic touch—a living artifact of her eccentricity. It symbolizes the unexpectedness she brings to every mission.

For a complete understanding of the plot and themes, see the ending explained and questions and answers pages. The novel’s meditation on aging and competence finds its most vivid proof in Natalie’s tenacity.