Kelley Armstrong is going to be attending a conference this summer that I am registered for and it is my practice to read something by the featured guests before the event. I have previously read two books from Armstrong's urban fantasy Otherworld series and, despite being a UF enthusiast, they didn't inspire me. Since then, the author has branched out into other genres and I decided to give this series a try. I'm glad I did, as I quite prefer it.
Contract killers seem to be having a moment. I guess they are exotic and intriguing to us ‘normal’ folk and their inner lives are fun to speculate about. Most of us will never meet such a person, so a novel chock full of them, like this one, multiplies the allure. Maybe it's like the current fascination with true crime—our society trying to figure out its dark side.
At any rate, I rather liked Nadia, the former police officer, who now owns a vacation lodge in the Ontario wilderness and takes hit jobs to pad her budget. Kind of like the farmer who has a job in town so he can keep on farming. Her mentor, Jack, is more enigmatic, taciturn to the point of ridiculousness. It becomes obvious that he would like to be more meaningful in Nadia's life, but has no idea how to accomplish that. He can easily plan someone's death, but can't plan how to advance a relationship. Armstrong introduces the rogue FBI agent Quinn in part to inspire Jack to quit dillydallying. Quinn has no problem relating to Nadia and she is attracted to him in return. Although I'm not usually into love triangles, I find this one interesting and I found myself placing a hold on book two immediately after finishing this one.
I guess I have found a way into Armstrong’s work. I'll be interested to hear her speak in August.
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