Poison Promise

Estep’s solid 11th Elemental Assassin urban fantasy (after The Spider) boasts a quick-moving plot and characters that jump off the page. After assassin Gin Blanco, aka “the Spider,” takes down legendary crime boss Mab Monroe, murder attempts become a daily occurrence, a definite nuisance given her daytime life as a BBQ restaurant owner. When one of Gin’s waitresses witnesses a killing by Beauregard Benson, “the drug-dealing vampire king of Southtown,” he also targets Gin and her detective sister. Gin is reluctant to take on Benson alone, but when he captures Gin and forces her to take an experimental drug, Gin realizes she will have to rely on herself, leading to a showdown that will determine the new balance of power on the streets of the fictional southern U.S. city of Ashland. Estep finely balances a confident tough-edged personality with an inner life filled with doubts and emotions, making Gin a surprisingly down-to-earth heroine whom readers will root for. [em](July) [/em]