I'm a HUGE fan of Armstrong's Otherworld series, and of Kelley Armstrong herself, as I find she is an amazing, top notch, extraordinary author. Her descriptive, detailed and very evocative writing style is a joy to read, the readers feel as if they were in the middle of the story, seeing everything unfold in front of their eyes as in a movie. So the question wasn't whether I would read her not paranormal novels but when I would get around to read them. I gobbled up the first in the series (Exit Strategy) in a mere 3 weekdays and started the second right away, my only complaint is that there are no more books in the series at this moment.. :-(Why is this book such a great read? Let me tell you:If I had to sum up Kelley Armstrong's forte in a few words I'd say this novel is a great read: 1. because Armstrong picks exciting plots2. because of her characterization 3. because of her in-depth knowledge of the subject she's writing about4. because of her humourous writing.And in a bit more detail:1. The plot is interesting, with constant twists and turns, leaving you thinking and still putting the puzzle together after the end.2. Characterization: Kelley Armstrong's characters are 3D flesh and blood people who leap off the page. They are unique, they are complex, they have depth. I love how Armstrong gives each one of them a solid background history, the personal details of which the reader uncovers all along the story.In the Nadia Stafford series Armstrong introduces a new set of characters, equally believable and real as the Otherworld characters. The protagonist is Nadia, the ex-cop turned hitwoman (but of course she hasn't compromised her moral integrity, she only liquidates mob thugs), whose struggles and emotional hardships are not simply mentioned in the novel but are detailed repeatedly, outlining how much it is not easy for Nadia to live in this new (and underworld) world.Jack is the mysterious hitman about whom we discover very little: he is older than Nadia, around 50, has been in the business for quite some time. He is Nadia's mentor/friend and there is definite Scully/Mulder tension here. If I say Jack is a man of few words, I'm understating it! He speaks in monosyllabic words, in one word sentences, dropping everything unnecessary (pronouns for example) out. I usually don't like when an author writes in segments or uses too much sentence fractions as I feel it breaks up the pace of the story and after a while it irritates me that this kind of writing is constantly forcing me out of the story to the mere role of reader and not participant. However, this was not the case with Jack's segmented speech. It was necessary to his character portrayal, so to give us a better understanding of how he is. And he sure is one of a kind. He is very secretive and doesn't pry, prefers blending in the background and giving Nadia silent comfort by his presence. His protectiveness and thoughfulness towards Nadia suggests he is interested in her more than a simple mentor is, but he represses any such feelings and thoughts.Quinn is the 3 participant to this triangle. An active federal agent who's moonlighting as a vigilante, taking care of justice himself. He is described as the perfect romantic candidate for Nadia and a typical all-American boy: tall, broad shouldered, handsome, kind, funny and easygoing. He is a warm, friendly presence in the book, a character you have to like.3. Armstrong always does her homework and it shows in her novels. I was amazed at her knowledge of guns, explosives and other hitman/police related tidbits and infos.4. Humour is like Armstrong's special trademark. Her writing is peppered with sarcastic comments and the dry wit of her characters make the reader chuckle even in the midst of a nail-biting-exciting passage.Favourite quotes:"You fucked up. Having a mark make you before you even get within firing distance? Unbelievable." Evely stepped forward, eyes trained on his. "But you didn't have all the facts, did you? You didn't know she was a pro.""Pro?" Bert squinted at me. "She's a hitwoman?""No," Evelyn said. "You just got your ass kicked by the Avon lady."What did I tell you, isn't Armstrong hilarious?"Tomorrow?" he said. "You want to jog? I'll follow.""You run?""Only if someone's chasing. I'll drive."Don't be mistaken after such a lengthy presentation of the characters: this novel is not centered around any love triangle, you have to search very hard to find the romantic angle. Instead it is a fast paced, gripping suspense novel.Plot: 9/10Characters: 10/10Ending: 8/10Writing: 9/10Cover: 10/10
Kelly Armstrong minus the supernatural aspects.This is my first foray into Kelley Armstrong's writing, and overall it was an enjoyable one. I had assumed when buying it that it was another supernatural focused series but once I had started, it actually turned out to be a tale of hitmen and women going after one of their own who had gone 'rogue', and was becoming more and more similar to a serial killer. The story was interesting, and the dynamics between characters enjoyable, if a little under-developed, and the situation and plot of the novel interesting and mysterious enough. I liked the lead character, although her story (ex-cop turned semi vigilante killer) isn't original, the character was likeable enough that it didn't bother me too much. I enjoyed the concept of retired hitmen like Evelyn wanting to get back into the business, and the idea of a gun-toting granny definitely gave me a few chuckles. The thing that lowered the score for me on this was the romance, which isn't featured too much in this one, but you can see it coming. There's the slightest inkling of a love triangle happening here involving Jack and Quinn. Now, Quinn is introduced late and is just what our heroine needs, which probably means he will be disappointed. The problem is that there is almost no suspense to the romance as so much effort and time is spent concerning Jack and Nadia that it's clear who the author favours in the end….and I just don't get Jack. He's supposed to be this older, brooding, practically mute, sexy hitman but in all honesty he just comes across as bland…Edward from Anita Blake he is not. So that's what let this down for me, the inevitability of a boring final love interest. Maybe I'm wrong, and I'd like to be, but it's clear from the way both love interests are developed who is going to win that particular battle. I will be reading the next in the series though, so I guess I shall see where it goes from there.
What do You think about Exit Strategy (2007)?
I was excited to hear that Kelley Armstrong had finally finished the last Nadia Stafford books (although there are only three) so I picked up Exit Strategy, the first book in the series, again. Nadia used to be a cop, all her life all she wanted to do was be a cop, she came from a family of cops and as a child she lived, breathed and dreamed it. But when she comes face to face with a man who is arrested for abusing a young girl, the horrors of a childhood trauma come to the forefront and in the aftermath she loses her badge, her fiance and her family. Rebuilding her life is hard but she does it by buying a lodge north of Ontario. But the money to keep the lodge running is hard and she supplements this by being a "hitman" (or hitwoman to be technically correct). One would think hitmen work alone, and they do, that is unless one of their own has turned into a serial murderer. When the book starts Nadia (or "Dee") is completing a job for the crime family she works for but as she hears news snippets of another killing by the serial murderer they have taken to calling the "Helter Skelter Killer" (HSK) and we read about this murder from the victims point of view. She wants to go after the killer but realizes she can not...until her mentor Jack shows up and offers her in on it, that he is trying to get several hitmen together to stop the HSK because it is bringing too much attention onto their profession.The books is full of nuances and secrets...Jack is a man of little words but lots of actions, many of which Nadia misreads or doesn't see. Nadia herself is conflicted on many levels. Evelyn is the ultimate spy-mistress/assassin pulling strings and finding secrets. There can be no trust between hitmen for that leads to complications and truths and the book builds on this lack of communication and cooperation but yet doesn't fracture apart on their differences. Instead it barrels along as you want to know who these people really are and what motivates them as well as who the HSK is and how are they going to stop them. Well worth the time to re-read it. Looking forward to the next two books.
—Hali Sowle
Ahhh, finally plunging into my last Kelley Armstrong series (well, not counting unpublished books!). This is set in the real world and just that was enough to make it feel like a very different kind of book for Armstrong. (Or maybe that was just me being overly conscious of that.)(Hey, my boss just called me a winner. Writing reviews, working, I CAN DO IT ALL.)This also has me thinking a lot about first books in a series and, specifically, Armstrong's in progress Cainville series, where Jess, Beth and I all didn't REALLY fall for the series until the second book. I think I liked this a little less than the first Cainsville book (Omens), but it gave me a similar feeling of, okay, these are great characters and you're going to REALLY love them in the next book. But I'm not all the way there yet. (This was a more complete story than Omens, though.)(Also, unlike Cainsville, I can read the rest of the series RIGHT NOW. YESSSS.)
—Katie
Kelley Armstrong wrote one of my favorite books, Bitten. She’s fantastic writer and this is a sleeper series that definitely deserves more attention. I love the world of Nadia Stafford, and the interesting and meaty moral situations presented here. While Exit Strategy is a definite deviation for her – no magic, very vague-to-no romance, it has all the Armstrong hallmarks--tight plotting, great details and well-drawn characters, right down to their speech patterns.And it was deliciously psychological! I loved this heroine, too. Nadia has a code of honor about the (very few) jobs she takes, and here, she's trying to find a killer. I thought this hitwoman bit made Nadia really interesting--and the world was hugely compelling, full of all kinds of cool hitwoman details.
—Carolyn Crane
