Armstrong, Kelley: Exit Strategy
Exit Strategy (2007)
Written by: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pages: 480
I've got janicu to thank for bringing this book to my attention with her review. I've read Kelley Armstrong before and I particularly enjoyed Bitten, enough that I bought the sequel that I just haven't read yet. Regardless, I was intrigued that Armstrong, who I associate with urban fantasy/paranormal romance, was writing a book completely outside of the supernatural genres. Exit Strategy is a mystery, a thriller. I had to get it, even though it took me a little while to get around to reading it.
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 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.
Review style: Stream-of-conscious review style, but don't worry, no spoilers for this one.
To be honest, there's not a whole lot I have to say about this book. It reads at a reasonable pace, not breath-taking fast, nor so slow that you find yourself nodding off. It reads at the pace it needs to, with writing crisp and concise and the voice of the heroine distinct. That's saying something, because I've now read three novels by Kelley Armstrong, all of them in first person, and each first person voice is unique to the heroine. That's awesome, whether you like a book or not. Most authors have one first-person voice, and that's their own, so for Armstrong to be able to create a voice that is NADIA'S, a voice that is separate from Elena in Bitten and Chloe in The Summoning, that's just impressively awesome.
Though the whole book isn't entirely in first person. Scattered through-out are interludes of third-person, either the victims of the Helter-Skelter Killer (to be known as the HSK for the rest of this review) or the HSK himself. I didn't mind this as much as I thought I would. In some cases, this trick actually ramped up the tension of the novel, particularly at the opera house. Normally such a device would annoy me, because I'd feel like I was watching a movie where our heroes are working so hard to find the killer, but the audience knows exactly what the killer's up to and where he/she's at. I think it worked here because you spend most of the book trying to guess who the killer really is based on the clues you're given, and in my case, I didn't know who the killer was at all until it was finally revealed, and when that happened, I could take the clues I had and say, "Nicely played."
Also nicely played is the world-building, the world of hitmen and hitwomen and the level of trust and distrust that surrounds them. I adored the characterization of Jack, right down to his dialogue, and the so obvious, yet not-so-obvious-to-Nadia, way he adored Nadia without the book becoming a romance of a man breaking down and ravishing the heroine. Oh, so very well and subtly played, so well that when it becomes clear there might a be a love triangle, I start hoping the other player is, well, the killer, just so the other player is out of the way.
I also really like how Nadia has a conscience, and she doesn't make her decisions lightly. Normally, I scoff at characters who have an issue with vigilantism (sorry, but I do, I grew up on Batman, people!), but in this case, I understood and respected where Nadia was coming from, and I also enjoyed the temptation that's building for Nadia to deliver justice to those who really, really deserve it. I hope I see it happen, but we'll see.
Also excellent in Nadia's characterization is not just her backstory and why she became a cop, but what figured into her early retirement from the Force and how she know owns a nature lodge. That's her life--her job as a hitwoman is just to keep the nature lodge going, and I love how she has something so human to hold on to. You can tell Jack does too, and that's another thing I like about him.
Everything about the book is solid. The tension, the moments of humor, definitely the characterization, and the overall mystery of the HSK. I love how these characters, our heroes, are HITMEN, and technically "bad guys," but they're so sympathetic and human that you can't help but root for them.
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.
Cover Commentary: I'm kind of "meh" on this one. Until I finally saw the book in person, I couldn't figure out what that bright red blotch was in the middle of her silhouetted body. Well, it's her HAND holding a GUN. Okay, fine, and I get that they couldn't silhouette the whole thing and still have the gun distinguishable, but again, I'm just "meh" on the art. I wouldn't have looked at this book twice if I hadn't had a reason for doing so, which is a shame: the cover art would've made me miss the important fact that Kelley Armstrong, an author I enjoy, wrote this.
Next up: Blood Ties: Book One of the Castings Trilogy by Pamela Freeman