Spider’s Bite by Jennifer Estep – a Review
Spider’s Bite is the first book in Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series. In Spider’s Bite we meet our heroine, Gin Blanco immediately. We learn that Gin is a hired assassin, who is paid big money to kill people. When she isn’t killing, she works at a restaurant named the Pork Pit, run by Fletcher Lane, whom is Gin’s mentor and father figure. When Gin was a child, her family was murdered, leaving her alone. It was Fletcher, who used to be an assassin before he retired to open his restaurant. But Fletcher is the one who takes the calls, and sends Gin out to perform the deadly deed.
Gin is a Stone and Ice Elemental, but though she uses her powers sparingly, she is a wiz with a knife; is very smart, fast, elusive, cold and brutal, as she is considered the best assassin for hire. Only those close to Gin, know that she is the Spider. We see Gin in action in the beginning, taking out her target easily. Fletcher tells her its time for her to consider to retire from this business, but one more job will pay them 5 million dollars.
Of course, since this is the beginning of the book, you know things don’t end the way they planned, and retirement for Gin at this time is not in the cards. When Gin is at the scene and ready to finish off her next target, there is a double cross, a betrayal, and Gin needs to escape quickly, but not before she took out other assassins out to kill her. As she escapes, Gin hurries home worried, since she knows that the double cross came from those who hired her. She finds Fletcher brutally murdered by another Elemental. Gin manages to save Fletchers son, and together they work to find who was behind the double cross, and murder of Fletcher. Both Gin and Finn (the son) want revenge, and will do whatever it takes. The so called good guy in this book, is Donavan Caine, a cop, who hates Gin, because she killed his partner. Caine finds himself having to team up with Gin and Finn, as he himself is being framed. He puts aside his hate and anger of Gin, and what she is, to find the real killers and who in the police department is working with the killers. Gin and Donovan, though not totally romantic, find themselves having the hots for each other, and sex, not romance does happen.
Jennifer Estep has done an excellent job creating this world, which includes, magic, different types of elementals, vampires, dwarfs, & giants. She also brings in some really great secondary characters, which makes this story even better. Gin is a great kick ass heroine, despite her being assassin. She is tough, aggressive, confident, but you can help but root for her. She is that good. Gin does have some ethics, as most of the people she is hired to kill have done bad things (rapists, murderers, etc), and she claims not to kill pets or children.
This is an exciting story from start to finish. Estep adds humor in this story, alleviating the tension, and it works very well. The secondary characters do add so much to the story, such as Finn, a womanizer and techie; her two dwarf sister friends with magic..Sophia, who cleans up the murder scenes and is also the cook at the Pork Pit…Jo Jo, who is a healer. The action is non stop, with twists right to the climatic ending, as Gin must face off against a strong and dangerous Air Elemental. Along the way we find out more how Fletcher saved Gin, and how she became what she is. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and cannot wait to continue with the series. Jennifer Estep has created a fun and exciting new world in he Elemental Assassin series.
Reviewed by Barb
