Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collections
Publication
Bantam (2007), Kindle Edition, 512 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:From the author of the acclaimed Women of the Otherworld series comes an exciting new heroine whose most secret identity is both lucrative�and lethal. Regulars at Nadia�s nature lodge don�t ask what she does in the off-season. And that�s a good thing. If she told them, she�d have to kill them. She�s a hit woman for a Mafia family. Tough and self-sufficient, Nadia doesn�t owe anyone any explanations. But that doesn�t mean she always works alone. One of her contacts has recruited her in the hunt for a ruthlessly efficient serial killer cutting a swath of terror across the country. The assassin is far too skilled to be an amateur�and the precision of the killings is bringing the Feds much too close to the hit man community for comfort. To put an end to the murders, Nadia will have to turn herself from predator to prey as she employs every trick she knows to find the killer. Before the killer finds her�.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member WinterFox
I've been a fan of Kelley Armstrong for a while, so when I heard she was coming out with a book in a new and different series, rather than the Otherworld books I'd read so far, I was pretty excited. If I hadn't known I was getting it for my birthday, I would likely have run out and gotten it the
I was a bit scared, I have to say, since I've noted in the past that the crossover from fantasy, even real-world fantasy, often makes it very difficult to go into a realm where there are no magical powers to save you. Turns out, that fear was uncalled for. This book was very good, and was as good as I'd expected.
Here, instead of werewolves and witches, we have a hitwoman, who also runs a lodge out in rural Ontario, and her gruff partner, trying to hunt down a serial killer that's drawing more attention to the hitman community than they'd like. The book's got some twists, a couple of which I saw coming, many of which I didn't, and that's a good thing for a mystery/thriller type of book.
The characters are sharp, the dialogue and inner monologue is as good as usual, and Nadia, the main character, feels different from the other narrator characters she's had before, mostly. As I was reading, I found a bunch of parallels with Bitten, the first Otherworld book, in terms of structure and character buildup. There's a background that keeps getting referred to, and brought up gradually over the course of the book. Her style, though, is better here, and that makes the book more fun in general, and loses the parts of Bitten that I disliked.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with it, although it could have used some more proofreading before being let out the door. As long as that doesn't distract you too much, then this is one that her fans and thriller fans should give a try.
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day it showed up in bookstores.I was a bit scared, I have to say, since I've noted in the past that the crossover from fantasy, even real-world fantasy, often makes it very difficult to go into a realm where there are no magical powers to save you. Turns out, that fear was uncalled for. This book was very good, and was as good as I'd expected.
Here, instead of werewolves and witches, we have a hitwoman, who also runs a lodge out in rural Ontario, and her gruff partner, trying to hunt down a serial killer that's drawing more attention to the hitman community than they'd like. The book's got some twists, a couple of which I saw coming, many of which I didn't, and that's a good thing for a mystery/thriller type of book.
The characters are sharp, the dialogue and inner monologue is as good as usual, and Nadia, the main character, feels different from the other narrator characters she's had before, mostly. As I was reading, I found a bunch of parallels with Bitten, the first Otherworld book, in terms of structure and character buildup. There's a background that keeps getting referred to, and brought up gradually over the course of the book. Her style, though, is better here, and that makes the book more fun in general, and loses the parts of Bitten that I disliked.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with it, although it could have used some more proofreading before being let out the door. As long as that doesn't distract you too much, then this is one that her fans and thriller fans should give a try.
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LibraryThing member GoldLeaf
Enjoyable, a new direction. I prefer the paranormal series, but as Armstrong's preferred protagonists all seem to be female predators, she still knows how to deliver a good story. Nadia, quiet family mobster hitman, works with her newly acquired mentor and friends to find and stop an old hitman
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gone serial killer. This is a solid murder mystery with all the excitement of drawing out the story mixed in with some character insight into paid killers. Worth reading the sequel. Show Less
LibraryThing member silverdaisy1975
Nadia is a hitwoman, but not your average hitwoman. She is an ex-cop. After a series of events fires up her blood about the injustice of the law, she starts taking hits for criminals. While she claims she isn't a vigilante, she is perhaps only a step below that. With her partner, Jack, teaching her
This book was really good. It wasn't too dark but it had a serious tone to it. The beginning was a little hard to get through but I will definitly be looking for the sequel.
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the ropes this time they are hunting together for a pro turned serial killer.This book was really good. It wasn't too dark but it had a serious tone to it. The beginning was a little hard to get through but I will definitly be looking for the sequel.
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LibraryThing member iFool
Smooth writing, straightforward storytelling, lots of interaction between characters. The only other book that I have read by the same author is Bitten. As I read through this book, I can't help but notice a fair number of common elements. The heroin got drawn into a parallel life somewhat
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unwillingly and is mentored by a small group of seasoned practitioners while romantic tension developed among the main characters. The heroines in both books are constantly dealing with emotional baggages and rage. The actual story line of manhunt (or werewolf hunt in the case of Bitten) almost become a subplot amidst all the intertwined relationships among the characters. There were several action scenes that were quite intense. All in all an effortless entertaining read. Show Less
LibraryThing member lewispike
This is quite a change of direction from Kelly Armstrong, author of the 'Women of the Otherworld' series.
Nadia is an ex-cop turned contract killer. She's a kind of vigilante, only targeting mob vendors who go too far (her first job was someone who ignored the warnings and killed a hooker he was
There's an interesting, although to my mind rather implausible, network of other guns for hire and their mentors and the like, discussion of types of contract killers and so much more, dotted around a man hunt. The back cover gives away that they're hunting for a contract killer apparently turned serial killer, and the pace keeps up and keeps you engaged despite the flaws.
Not so good as the best of her other books, and the adrenaline junkie heroine is rather reminiscent of Paige and Elena, but it feels fresher and it's good enough I'll read another one.
Nadia is an ex-cop turned contract killer. She's a kind of vigilante, only targeting mob vendors who go too far (her first job was someone who ignored the warnings and killed a hooker he was
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meant to be protecting).There's an interesting, although to my mind rather implausible, network of other guns for hire and their mentors and the like, discussion of types of contract killers and so much more, dotted around a man hunt. The back cover gives away that they're hunting for a contract killer apparently turned serial killer, and the pace keeps up and keeps you engaged despite the flaws.
Not so good as the best of her other books, and the adrenaline junkie heroine is rather reminiscent of Paige and Elena, but it feels fresher and it's good enough I'll read another one.
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LibraryThing member amf0001
I was suprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Though not especially original (old hitman turns serial killer, other hitmen try to kill him before he gives the profession a bad rep) I liked Nadia's personality and enjoyed spending time with the professionally paranoid and seeing them dance around
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becoming friends. The serial killer was not particularly interesting, as it should be, and our nefarious heroes carried the day (no real suspense there) This is the beginning of a series and I look forward to reading more. Show Less
LibraryThing member bluerose
Completely different to her Otherworld series, this is the story about an ex-cop now making a living as a part time assassin, who gets hooked into a job that turns out to be a much bigger deal than originally anticipated.
More of a mystery/thriller than SF, but as usual, great characters, good
More of a mystery/thriller than SF, but as usual, great characters, good
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pacing, great plot and twists, and well setup for a sequel. Show Less
LibraryThing member storming
Not as good as her witch/werewolf series but still entertaining.
LibraryThing member tamburlaine
Interesting premise, and makes a change from this author's earlier books about werewolves and witches. Hard to recommend wholeheartedly as it goes on a bit. The heroine is likeable, though you want to hit her over the head when she's being so obtuse about her mentor. The main issue is one of
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likelihood - it often feels a mite implausible. Show Less
LibraryThing member BookWhisperer
Tried reading this book, interest did not stick. I love Kelley Armstrong but I was not feeling this book.
LibraryThing member seekingflight
A light and perhaps fluffy read, that hit the right spot at the right time. I enjoyed this and liked the characters. Nadia is an ex-cop with a troubled past, who has turned assassin to pay her bills. She teams up with other assassins when a serial killer starts killing people hitman style, and
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their careers are all put in jeopardy. Show Less
LibraryThing member silentq
I loved this book. Ex cop turned hitwoman goes on the hunt for a hitman turned serial killer, with the help of other hitmen. The pacing was great, the writing spot on, the story was enough of a cat and mouse game to keep me interested but not frustrated. Despite our heroine being a Canuck, most of
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the action takes place in the USA, so I'm looking forward to the next book which seems to take place more in and around the lodge that she owns in Cottage Country. Show Less
LibraryThing member crazybatcow
Ex-cop turned hit-woman - sounds exciting, huh?
Well, it ain't.
The story is very (very very) slow. There is no tension developed (the bad guy does bad things at the same pace throughout). There are too many minor characters (every hit-man in the area must've been dragged into the story, most of them
On to the bad guy - hit-man gone crazy? Why? Well, the reader never finds out because the author never tells us.
The book just wasn't logical. There aren't 6 hit-people who'll all work together to bring down an additional randomly gone crazy hit-man. And if there were, they wouldn't all be buddy-buddy, and they wouldn't all have the same moral high-ground (hey, they are HITMEN for crying out loud, that doesn't put them at the top of the moral list).
Anyway, I won't be reading any more in this series and wish I hadn't wasted my time reading this one.
Well, it ain't.
The story is very (very very) slow. There is no tension developed (the bad guy does bad things at the same pace throughout). There are too many minor characters (every hit-man in the area must've been dragged into the story, most of them
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with no obvious point). There are too many stereotypes (hit-woman is a survivor of sexual assault who "gets even" by being a hit-woman, main hit-man is the strong and silent mentor type, the other main-hit-man is also a cop-hitman and there's a very weak romantic triangle between these three... and I didn't mention the older woman mentor-hit-woman who... oh nevermind, she's just there for the development of some fake tension).On to the bad guy - hit-man gone crazy? Why? Well, the reader never finds out because the author never tells us.
The book just wasn't logical. There aren't 6 hit-people who'll all work together to bring down an additional randomly gone crazy hit-man. And if there were, they wouldn't all be buddy-buddy, and they wouldn't all have the same moral high-ground (hey, they are HITMEN for crying out loud, that doesn't put them at the top of the moral list).
Anyway, I won't be reading any more in this series and wish I hadn't wasted my time reading this one.
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LibraryThing member reading_fox
Interesting premise - a bit difficult for readers to empathise with, which makes a few of the actions of our heroine a little odd, but generally well done and entertaining.
Nadia Stafford is that rarest of beings, a female professional hitman (she never refers to herself as a hitwoman, or hitperson,
TBC
Nadia Stafford is that rarest of beings, a female professional hitman (she never refers to herself as a hitwoman, or hitperson,
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so I won't either). A serial killer hits the media, and the implication quickly becomes that he is a professional hitman too - the increased FBI attention endagering all of that exclusive profession. Spearheaded by the morose Jack, Nadia is invited to join a select few looking to permenantly stop the killer, before they're all rounded up in his wake.TBC
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LibraryThing member MikeFinn
This starts well; fast action, credible and interesting heroine, orginal premise. I felt it lost pace in the middle - too much focus on demonstrating craft and not enough insight into what these kinds of folks are about. The last quarter of the book got things back on track.
I know Armstrong can
I'm going to read the next in the series and see if things take off.
I know Armstrong can
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write. Parts of this book show her talent well. Perhaps what marred my enjoyment was my lack of sympathy for the laconic "Jack" character. Laconic is much hard to do attractively in a book than in a movie. I found his partly completed sentences and general reticence irritating. I enjoyed Nadia and found her compelling.I'm going to read the next in the series and see if things take off.
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LibraryThing member coralsiren
This is a great, fast paced thriller with a fantastic heroine. I love Kelley Armstrong's novels and this is one of my favorites so far.
LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher
Tons of fun. Ex-cop-turned-hitman (er, hitwoman) does detective work to figure out which of her colleagues is breaking the rules. It's more thriller than mystery, but it's paced well and there are tons of delightful secondary characters (the happily-partnered elderly lesbian conwomen in particular
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won me over.) The criminals are always the interesting characters in thrillers, and this book succeeds largely because it focuses on them. And where else can you find a thoughful exploration of the generational differences in the acceptance of female assassins in the Mafia? Show Less
LibraryThing member comixminx
Re-read, enjoyed a lot, went out and grabbed the next in the series now that I knew it's out. It's not rocket science and it doesn't have the extra zing of the supernatural-based Women of the Otherworld series, but it's solid, pacey, readable, fun, and has a great lead character in Nadia Stafford.
LibraryThing member mlsimmons
I'm not sure what took me so long to read this book. I love Kelley Armstrong. I've read everything except this series. It is wonderful. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book. Curious how many of the characters will be in the next book. I hope we'll see more Jack (I think we will). I also
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think we'll see Evelyn. I really didn't care for Quinn. Didn't see enough of Felix to comment. I'm sure the story will be great no matter who we see. Show Less
LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
Former cop, Nadia Stafford, runs a guest lodge in Canada but in the off-season she supplements her income by working as a hitman for a Mafia family. She gets a call from her mentor, Jack, who wants to recruit her help in hunting for a serial killer who is zigzagging the country and leaving behind
Nadia is a fascinating character and the author has given her a lot more depth than I expected when I first started the book. Nadia is a former cop who lost her job when she went vigilante and took justice into her own hands. She is conflicted and has plenty of flaws. She kills people for money but tries to maintain some sort of honor. Her mentor, Jack, is an enigmatic man of few words but he's obviously attracted to Nadia.
I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline but I felt like it took too long to set up the plot. The last half is fast moving though and made up for the slow start. I thought it was an enjoyable story and would definitely check out the next book in the series, Made to be Broken.
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dead bodies. The killer seems extremely efficient and there's a rumor he may be a member of the hitman community.Nadia is a fascinating character and the author has given her a lot more depth than I expected when I first started the book. Nadia is a former cop who lost her job when she went vigilante and took justice into her own hands. She is conflicted and has plenty of flaws. She kills people for money but tries to maintain some sort of honor. Her mentor, Jack, is an enigmatic man of few words but he's obviously attracted to Nadia.
I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline but I felt like it took too long to set up the plot. The last half is fast moving though and made up for the slow start. I thought it was an enjoyable story and would definitely check out the next book in the series, Made to be Broken.
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LibraryThing member TracyCampbell
I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but I was pleasantly surprised. Completely different from The Otherworld series, the Nadia Stafford series strays out with a great plot, interesting characters and good action. Looking forward to reading the rest of the books.
LibraryThing member ChelleBearss
I've been a big fan of Kelley Armstrong since her early years of writing the Otherworld series. I love that she has branched out from the paranormal to other genres and this series about a female hitman (hit-woman?) from Canada did not disappoint. I'm not sure why I put off starting this series for
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so long but I plan to read the other two sometime this year. Show Less
LibraryThing member krau0098
This is the first book in the only Armstrong series I haven’t read, the Nadia Stafford series. There are three books in this series. I really enjoyed this book a lot. It provided an excellent mystery and intriguing characters. Previous to reading this series I have read all of Armstrong’s other
Nadia is an ex-cop turned hitwoman who also owns a nature lodge in Canada. She basically takes on the hit jobs to pay for upkeep on her lodge when things are tight. However, when a serial killer starts rampaging around the country her mentor, Jack, calls to see if she would be willing to join a team of assassins set on finding out who the killer is and taking him out.
While there are some well done action scenes in this novel the focus is more on the strategy of planning a hit and the interesting people that are drawn to this sort of profession. Nadia and Jack are both fairly mysterious characters and it was fun to learn about them and what makes them tick.
Nadia is an amazing protagonist; she’s gone through a lot in her life but has worked through a lot of the issues she’s faced pretty well. She incredibly smart, savvy, and makes good logical decisions throughout the book...while still having some weak spots to work through. I really liked her a lot. Jack is a mystery throughout, but we start to slowly learn about him as the book progresses. There really isn’t a lot of romance in here; this book is more about the mystery of the serial killer and about assassins trying to build trusting relationships with each other.
Those who have read Armstrong’s other series may notice some parallels between these characters and other characters in her series. I realize this series came before the others. However, some aspects of Jack reminded me a lot of Gabriel from the Cainsville series. I also noticed that Nadia shared a lot of traits with Casey Duncan from the Rockton series. That being said that characters are very unique in their own ways. Armstrong does an excellent job of writing an intelligent thriller that has excellent pacing and action but also tackles a lot of psychological issues.
Overall I thought this book was just perfect. It was incredibly hard for me to put down and I raced right through it. I loved the complex plot, the characters, the action scenes, the psychological aspects, and the pacing. I thought the whole thing was wonderfully done and have already went out and purchased the second book in the series. I would recommend to those who enjoy psychological thrillers with assassins and characters that are easy to engage with and interesting.
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series; my least favorite of her series were the Women of the Otherworld series (only read the first three books) and her Blackwell Pages series (only read the first book). I have pretty much adored everything else.Nadia is an ex-cop turned hitwoman who also owns a nature lodge in Canada. She basically takes on the hit jobs to pay for upkeep on her lodge when things are tight. However, when a serial killer starts rampaging around the country her mentor, Jack, calls to see if she would be willing to join a team of assassins set on finding out who the killer is and taking him out.
While there are some well done action scenes in this novel the focus is more on the strategy of planning a hit and the interesting people that are drawn to this sort of profession. Nadia and Jack are both fairly mysterious characters and it was fun to learn about them and what makes them tick.
Nadia is an amazing protagonist; she’s gone through a lot in her life but has worked through a lot of the issues she’s faced pretty well. She incredibly smart, savvy, and makes good logical decisions throughout the book...while still having some weak spots to work through. I really liked her a lot. Jack is a mystery throughout, but we start to slowly learn about him as the book progresses. There really isn’t a lot of romance in here; this book is more about the mystery of the serial killer and about assassins trying to build trusting relationships with each other.
Those who have read Armstrong’s other series may notice some parallels between these characters and other characters in her series. I realize this series came before the others. However, some aspects of Jack reminded me a lot of Gabriel from the Cainsville series. I also noticed that Nadia shared a lot of traits with Casey Duncan from the Rockton series. That being said that characters are very unique in their own ways. Armstrong does an excellent job of writing an intelligent thriller that has excellent pacing and action but also tackles a lot of psychological issues.
Overall I thought this book was just perfect. It was incredibly hard for me to put down and I raced right through it. I loved the complex plot, the characters, the action scenes, the psychological aspects, and the pacing. I thought the whole thing was wonderfully done and have already went out and purchased the second book in the series. I would recommend to those who enjoy psychological thrillers with assassins and characters that are easy to engage with and interesting.
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LibraryThing member devilwrites
The premise: Nadia Stafford is a former cop who was shamed out of the force, and now has to deliver justice through unconventional means: she's a hitwoman, but a hitwoman with a conscience. Normally a solo-act, but when a serial killer starts a killing spree across the U.S. and the clues point to a
My Rating
Must Have: now, I can't say whether it's a must-have for a mystery guru, as I'm no regular reader of the mystery genre. But I get ENOUGH mystery in the genres of urban fantasy and even science fiction that I recognize something good when I see it, and when I consider that growing up, my favorite television shows were MacGyver, Profiler, Batman: The Animated Series, and Alias (well, I was an "adult" by time Alias came out, but bear with me), I feel like I know enough to enjoy a good book in the genre when I read it. For Kelley Armstrong fans, this book is DEFINITELY a must, though you won't find it in SF/F/H. I've found this series in both the mystery/thriller shelves and just in regular fiction, so when you're looking in the store, make sure you exhaust all possibilities. ANYWAY: anyone who's a fan of, say, Alias, is going to really enjoy this: Nadia is a fantastic heroine, and the world of hitmen/hitwomen is definitely fascinating. I loved the cast, the level of tension that keeps pages turning at a deliberate pace, and the mystery holding the whole story together of the Helter Skelter Killer was just a lovely excuse (and a well-played plot) that gave me a chance to get to know these people. I promptly bought book two, Made To Be Broken as soon as I finished this one, because while this book is certainly a stand-alone, the writing and characters are too good not to continue as soon as possible. I really, really enjoyed this, and it's definitely worth the time and money. Check it out.
Review style: Stream-of-conscious review style, but don't worry, no spoilers for this one. If you're interested, the full review is in my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.
REVIEW: Kelley Armstrong's EXIT STRATEGY
Happy Reading! :)
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former hitman, Nadia hooks up with others in her profession to find the killer and take him down, before he brings down all of them. To do this, Nadia must use everything experience has taught her, and to transform herself from predator to prey. She's got to catch him, before he catches her. My Rating
Must Have: now, I can't say whether it's a must-have for a mystery guru, as I'm no regular reader of the mystery genre. But I get ENOUGH mystery in the genres of urban fantasy and even science fiction that I recognize something good when I see it, and when I consider that growing up, my favorite television shows were MacGyver, Profiler, Batman: The Animated Series, and Alias (well, I was an "adult" by time Alias came out, but bear with me), I feel like I know enough to enjoy a good book in the genre when I read it. For Kelley Armstrong fans, this book is DEFINITELY a must, though you won't find it in SF/F/H. I've found this series in both the mystery/thriller shelves and just in regular fiction, so when you're looking in the store, make sure you exhaust all possibilities. ANYWAY: anyone who's a fan of, say, Alias, is going to really enjoy this: Nadia is a fantastic heroine, and the world of hitmen/hitwomen is definitely fascinating. I loved the cast, the level of tension that keeps pages turning at a deliberate pace, and the mystery holding the whole story together of the Helter Skelter Killer was just a lovely excuse (and a well-played plot) that gave me a chance to get to know these people. I promptly bought book two, Made To Be Broken as soon as I finished this one, because while this book is certainly a stand-alone, the writing and characters are too good not to continue as soon as possible. I really, really enjoyed this, and it's definitely worth the time and money. Check it out.
Review style: Stream-of-conscious review style, but don't worry, no spoilers for this one. If you're interested, the full review is in my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.
REVIEW: Kelley Armstrong's EXIT STRATEGY
Happy Reading! :)
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Canadian author Kelley Armstrong is best known for her supernatural fantasy stories, but her thriller Exit Strategy is about ex-cop, now professional hit-woman, Nadia Stafford. She owns and runs a lakeside lodge in Ontario, Canada but to keep it afloat she does contract hits on career criminals for
There is plenty of excitement and tension during the course of the story, including the sexual tension between Nadia and Jack. As the hunt continues, the serial killing escalates and the murderer starts to make demands that are impossible to meet. Nadia is a true kick-ass heroine certainly holding her own with Jack and his cronies. She is meticulous about all details involving her hit jobs, and this attention to detail seems to also affect the author as the story at times appears to be overly detailed and very carefully crafted.
Although being 50 or so pages too long, Exit Strategy was a fun read and with interesting characters like Nadia and Jack, I can see why the author wrote a sequel. I enjoyed my time spend with these anti-heroes who kill for a living but never-the-less have a code of honor amongst themselves.
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a New York Mafia family. But when another hit-man turns into a serial killer, she teams up with her mentor, Jack and a number of other professionals to shut this serial killer down before he draws too much attention to their profession or their identities.There is plenty of excitement and tension during the course of the story, including the sexual tension between Nadia and Jack. As the hunt continues, the serial killing escalates and the murderer starts to make demands that are impossible to meet. Nadia is a true kick-ass heroine certainly holding her own with Jack and his cronies. She is meticulous about all details involving her hit jobs, and this attention to detail seems to also affect the author as the story at times appears to be overly detailed and very carefully crafted.
Although being 50 or so pages too long, Exit Strategy was a fun read and with interesting characters like Nadia and Jack, I can see why the author wrote a sequel. I enjoyed my time spend with these anti-heroes who kill for a living but never-the-less have a code of honor amongst themselves.
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Awards
Shamus Award (Shortlist — 2008)
Language
Original publication date
2007-06-26
Physical description
496 p.; 6.93 inches
ISBN
0751538124 / 9780751538120
Local notes
After being retired from a Canadian police force for shooting a suspect dead, Nadia becomes a hit woman—temporarily, that is, while she waits for her lakeside lodge to take off—targeting smalltime career criminals for clients who are often their direct competitors. Now, she's teaming up with her mentor, Jack, to apprehend a hit man–turned–serial killer known as the Helter Skelter killer. As Nadia pursues the case deeper into the dangerous world of assassins and spies, she finds reason to suspect just about everybody in Armstrong's fine cast of shifty, complex characters.