[Reread 09/05/16: Still excellent.]

This is a story of a hitwoman who is hired by a hitman to join a group of hitmen to track down and eliminate a serial killer who is also a hitman-gone-mad. Got it? Great.

Knowing what I do of Armstrong's other series (romance-heavy), I was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. Nadia is my favorite type of heroine - she's smart and tough and has her own moral code based on personal experience, rather than a naive understanding of the world. She's a former cop who comes from a family of cops with a tragic backstory that only underscores her interest in the pursuit of justice. During one of her cases, it becomes clear to Nadia that the suspect will literally get away with murder. She makes a career-ending decision to play God. Her colleagues and superiors believe her actions to be a result of PTSD and gently drum her out of the service. She attempts to another lifestyle (lodge owner! guide for extreme sports!), but it leaves her in dire financial straits. Would she do it again? Probably.

Coincidentally, a mobster's son comes to stay at her lodge with friends and her connection to the seedy underground is born. She has specifics on what kind of hits she will take, but does not have any qualms about the killing once it's been decided.

I like that about a girl.