Janice Y. (jai) reviewed on 3/13/2010 + 310 more book reviews

This is an urban fantasy about a hitwoman, Gin Blanco (aka "The Spider") who gets double-crossed during a job to kill a so-called embezzler. Now shes being hunted by the corrupt police of Ashland and she makes a startling move to work with Donovan Caine, one of the few honest cops in the city. This is a lot darker than Estep's Bigtime series, but I enjoyed this one a lot. Gin is a tough, capable heroine who has emotions that she suppresses to get the job done, and the moral dilemma detective Caine faces in being attracted to someone he thinks should be arrested makes for an interesting romantic subplot. I enjoyed the romance, and think that romance readers would be unfazed by a small explicit scene and Gin's unashamed appraisal of the detective, but the focus is definitely more on the action and world than romance. There's some similarity to Kelley Armstrong's Nadia Stafford series, which also focuses on a female hitwoman, but this series has paranormal elements. Elementals (who control Fire, Ice, Stone and Air), vampires, giants and dwarves are a normal part of everyday society.

The more I think about it the more I like this book. I recommend this urban fantasy for people who like a smart, practical kind of heroine with a hard edge. I plan to buy the rest of these books.

My full review: http://janicu.livejournal.com/98899.html

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