The newest addition to the Linda Howard backlist was a bit of a disappointment. Nothing really jumped at me to tell me why I was not thrilled by it but I wasn't.
Drea Russo is the fluff piece for a drug lord called Salinas. She has her dimwit act down to the tee and she is making sure that when he dumps her she walks away with a comfortable retirement. She makes sure she minds her own business and takes everything that Salina throws her way. Her mouth shut and her head empty assures that she will have a life when Salina tires of her. What her plan did not include was Salinas using her as payment for a hit job.
Simon Goodnight, the assassin Salinas is contracting has asked for an unusual payment for his services. He wants a one time run with the boss's woman. He wanted it but didn't expect to get it. He was willing to walk away from the job and Salinas knew it and that was what turned the table in his favor. The little lady was not thrilled but when everything was said and done, both he and Drea walked away changed by the 4 hours they spent together.
Drea was not sure what she was going to do but she knew she could not stay by Salina's side after he gave her away. She was so moved by the few hours with the assassin, she knew she could no longer pretend. What she did to get away just leads her to a "near death" experience that further changed who she was and what she valued in her life. This transformation also takes place in the assassin.
Simon watched Drea die and the fact that she is still walking and breathing proved to him that there was more out there than just the here and now. He re-evaluates his life and decides that he wants something different. Not necessarily more, but different.
This is not a suspenseful book and that is what was missing. Now that I am writing this I can put my finger on that being my major disappointment. There was no real edge of the seat chases or great elaborate deceptions or anything that I have associated with a Howard book (at least her more recent ones). This was more story telling and it really was a bit out there even under that classification. If you are a Howard fan you will read it regardless, if you are not looking for much, it’s better than most, but if you are looking for great, skip this one.
Grade: C
Format: Audiobook
Drea Russo is the fluff piece for a drug lord called Salinas. She has her dimwit act down to the tee and she is making sure that when he dumps her she walks away with a comfortable retirement. She makes sure she minds her own business and takes everything that Salina throws her way. Her mouth shut and her head empty assures that she will have a life when Salina tires of her. What her plan did not include was Salinas using her as payment for a hit job.
Simon Goodnight, the assassin Salinas is contracting has asked for an unusual payment for his services. He wants a one time run with the boss's woman. He wanted it but didn't expect to get it. He was willing to walk away from the job and Salinas knew it and that was what turned the table in his favor. The little lady was not thrilled but when everything was said and done, both he and Drea walked away changed by the 4 hours they spent together.
Drea was not sure what she was going to do but she knew she could not stay by Salina's side after he gave her away. She was so moved by the few hours with the assassin, she knew she could no longer pretend. What she did to get away just leads her to a "near death" experience that further changed who she was and what she valued in her life. This transformation also takes place in the assassin.
Simon watched Drea die and the fact that she is still walking and breathing proved to him that there was more out there than just the here and now. He re-evaluates his life and decides that he wants something different. Not necessarily more, but different.
This is not a suspenseful book and that is what was missing. Now that I am writing this I can put my finger on that being my major disappointment. There was no real edge of the seat chases or great elaborate deceptions or anything that I have associated with a Howard book (at least her more recent ones). This was more story telling and it really was a bit out there even under that classification. If you are a Howard fan you will read it regardless, if you are not looking for much, it’s better than most, but if you are looking for great, skip this one.
Grade: C
Format: Audiobook
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