dinsdag 30 november 2010

Jennifer Estep – Venom

The third book in the Elemental Assassin series, published in 2010.


Venom

What kind of assassin works pro bono?

It's hard to be a badass assassin when a giant is beating the crap out of you. Luckily, I never let pride get in the way of my work. My current mission is personal: annihilate Mab Monroe, the Fire elemental who murdered my family. Which means protecting my identity, even if I have to conceal my powerful Stone and Ice magic when I need it most. To the public, I'm Gin Blanco, owner of Ashland's best barbecue joint. To my friends, I'm the Spider, retired assassin. I still do favors on the side. Like ridding a vampire friend of her oversized stalker--Mab's right-hand goon who almost got me dead with his massive fists. At least irresistible Owen Grayson is on my side. The man knows too much about me, but I'll take my chances. Then there's Detective Bria Coolidge, one of Ashland's finest. Until recently, I thought my baby sister was dead. She probably thinks the same about me. Little does she know, I'm a cold-blooded killer . . . who is about to save her life.


One night having a nasty cold, coming back from college, Gin is waited for by Jonah McAlister, who is trying to find out who murdered his son, even though in the papers it is written to be a heart condition that turned fatal. So now he is talking to everyone who had a bone to pick with Jake, and Gin is right on top of that list. When she denies to know anything (of course she won’t confess to that!) he has Elliot Slater, Mab Monroe’s enforcer, to beat her up. To keep her disguise, she can’t use her Stone or Ice magic, which is a good thing, since Mab is waiting in the shadows for just such a thing. But they leave her mostly dead. The rent-a-cop employed by the college really thinks her death, and calls in the police. And so Gin finally lays eyes on her long lost sister: Bria. Of course Bria doesn’t recognize her, but Gin does, and so does Finn when het gets on scene.

When Gin finds out Roslyn is being stalked by Elliot Slater, and it is kind of her fault for getting the giant to meet the vampire, Gin is determined to help her. But every time she tries to kill Elliot, something or someone gets in the way.
Like her sister, who seems determined to get something on Mab Monroe and her cronies, to arrest them for. But of course, with the police and judges being as corrupt as they are, that will never happen or stick. The only way is Gin’s way: to kill them, so they can’t hurt other people anymore, and get their revenge for the murder of their family.
Of course Gin cannot yet reveal her identity to her sister, but she will do what she can to keep Bria safe, even though she seems capable and strong enough to do that herself.

Some one else Gin keeps stumbling over is Owen Grayson. He really is serious about getting to know her better, and even the ugly truth about herself is not enough to chase him off. Can they really have a future together, when Gin is determined to bring down Mab Monroe and everyone of her cronies and goons?



I really liked this book, and am looking forward to the fourth in the series. But I do get tired of all the repeats. You don’t have to read the previous ones to read this one, everything is explained, and again. It does take me away from the storyline, and costs too many pages.

7 stars.

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