‘Exit Strategy’ by Kelley Armstrong

Published by Sphere. July 2007

Kelley Armstrong is better known for her ‘Women of the Otherworld’ novels but she has started a new series featuring Nadia Stafford an  ex-cop.  In Exit Strategy ex-cop Nadia is now an assassin for a small  Mafia family.  She becomes an assassin after she leaves the force for  taking justice into her own hands and kills a child-rapist.  When a serial  killer starts using the same sort of style that she would normally use  herself,  Nadia finds herself joining forces with a number of other  assassins to hunt the killer down.  At the same time she is also trying to  keep her tourist lodge from going under.

One would have thought that it might be difficult to warm to or like an  assassin whether they be male 
or female.  However,  Armstrong has  created a character that keeps us on our toes.  She is a hard person
 get  to know and there are undoubtedly parts of her that we are still yet  to understand.   She comes 
across rather decisive and professional and a  cold individual on the surface.  Along with Jack who is her
 mentor we have a number of characters that certainly make this story one that  will provoke and give a lot
of  thought.
 Exit Strategy is an excellent faced paced novel. The interaction  between the various characters pull the 
story along at a nice pace and  Armstrong makes you feel for the characters.  It will be interesting to see how she deals with the relationship between Jack and Nadia.  This series  is shaping up to be one that will no doubt garner a number of fans.  I shall certainly be amongst them.

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Ayo Onatade