Read Fragment

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.

Five minutes prior to the start of WEB OF LIES, Gin Blanco is enjoying a good book, blackberry ice tea, and retirement from her profession as a high-end assassin. The story opens with armed robbery and Gin’s snarky inner monologue, and though she subdues the intruders without causalities (there are witnesses around, after all), Gin’s idyllic time reading at the Pork Pit counter-top and taking classes at the community college is over. As much as I loved seeing Gin enjoy a good book, I didn’t mind the change of pace.

I though WEB OF LIES was at its strongest when Gin is doing what she does best: going on reconnaissance, assailing magically and physically fortified buildings, and killing bad guys so egregiously evil you cheer when they hit the floor (or get run over by a car. Twice.). Estep did a wonderful job of making me feel like I was at Gin’s side, listening to her threat assessments and problem solving. (Though there were times when Gin would finish tallying up the attributes of a giant and move onto how she was going to kill him when I was still back on, “Wait, he’s 7 feet tall, can survive a direct shotgun blast to the chest, and could break your neck with one punch? And you’re going to attack?! Shouldn’t we talk about this?”) In Gin’s world, local politics is a near-constant stream of graft, murder, and exploitation, allowing me to support her murderous justice wholeheartedly and enjoy the mayhem that ensues.

As with SPIDER'S BITE, however, Gin and I part ways once she turns her attention from killing to dating. I agree with Abigail’s assessment of the relationship between Gin and Donovan Caine in her review of SPIDER'S BITE:

The way she objectified him, the way he fought his lust for her because of moral reasons…we’ve seen it before in a hundred other books (and movies) with the roles reversed. It sounds like it would be a fun switch, but I found it off-putting.

I, too, found it off-putting. In particular, I never felt that the author made a distinction between Donovan not liking Gin’s profession and him not liking her. Gin is sympathetic enough that she deserves better than a man that avoids her, is disgusted by her choices, and, oh, by the way, can’t resist her body. Donovan’s shortcomings are highlighted by the introduction of Owen Grayson. He’s powerful, handsome, and a good big brother. He also hits on Gin, no matter how many knives she’s wearing on her body. This, in my mind, more than makes up for the whiff of organized crime that trails him. I don’t want to spoil the Donovan/Owen competition by saying much more, but both readers who enjoy the physical chemistry between Gin and Donovan, and those of us who dislike their relationship dynamic, will find something to love in WEB OF LIES.

While WEB OF LIES did contain hints of my least favorite parts of SPIDER'S BITE (Anita/Richard-esque discussions about murder being one of them), it also contained great action and a main character whom I enjoy. WEB OF LIES has made me anxious to pick up VENOM, in the hopes that the best parts of the series have yet to come.


Sexual Content: An explicit sex scene. References to rape. References to prostitution. Description of oral sex.