Jennifer Estep – Thread of Death

Elemental Assassin 5,5, published January 31, 2012.



Gin Blanco, aka the assassin the Spider, might have finally killed her nemesis, Mab Monroe, but that doesn’t mean that it’s smooth sailing. Gin goes to Mab’s funeral to say her goodbyes and runs into some of Ashland’s most notorious underworld power players, including Jonah McAllister and Phillip Kincaid. McAllister wants her dead, and Kincaid has his own murky motives when it comes to the Spider, and Gin once again finds herself fighting for her life. Only this time, she might wind up in the cemetery right next to Mab….


It is a really short story, takes place a few weeks after Gin finally killed Mab Munroe. It took her weeks of healing, and she still feels a bit weak, but Gin is determined to go to the funeral and say her goodbyes. As it happened, all of Ashland’s underworld has come, trying to establish their might, and fill in the gap that Mab has left.
Mab’s favourite lawyer Jonah McAllister has been trying to find a new boss, but the other crime bosses are not all that interested in him. Jonah hates Gin for killing his son, and his boss. Even though he no longer has a need to be afraid of Mab, and walking on his toes around her, he misses the power being her right hand man gave him.

Then while the priest is doing the funeral ceremony, a sniper is taking shots at Gin and some of the mobsters. Of course she has to do something about that, which might not have been a smart thing to do, as it only confirms the rumors she is indeed the Spider, the assassin who killed Mab Munroe.

Hero: not really
Heroine: Gin Bianco, the Spider, an assassin for hire and owner of the famous BBQ restaurant called the Pork Pit
Secondary characters: the usual, JoJo and Sophia, Bria and Fin, Roslyn and of course Owen! The bad guys.
Romance: a little bit
Plot: good, nice setup for the next book
Heat-level: not really
Writingstyle: fluent and fast paced
Summary: Okay, very short story, but it got me in the reading mood at once. I am looking forward eagerly to the next book. And a little thing is revealed about Owen, yes! He has a past Gin knows nothing about…

I just love this series. What are you waiting for, go read it!

8 stars