The Housewife Assassin's Guide to Gracious Killing

The Housewife Assassin's Guide to Gracious Killing

By Josie Brown

5 out of 5

Synopsis:

*Mature content*
In Book 2 of THE HOUSEWIFE ASSASSIN series,a nuclear arms summit hosted by a politically-connected American billionaire industrialist provides the perfect opportunity for a rogue operative to assassinate of the newly-elected Russian president on US soil. Acme operative Donna Stone's mission: seek and exterminate, before all hell--and World War III--break loose. But first things first: file for divorce!

Read an excerpt at HousewifeAssassinsHandbook.com

Review

This is the second book in the series about professional assassin Donna Stone.

When the morally questionable Russian president includes a visit to Hilldale in his US tour, Donna is employed to use her position as a yummy mummy in said town to get close to the hosts, to provide an undercover protection for the president.  It is her job to hunt down possible assassins and eliminate them.

Back in family life, it seems like she is finally getting balance and control, especially now she isn't a single parent.  No, now she has Jack (who everyone, including Donna's children, believe is her husband Carl).  Confused much?

Donna decides now is the time to divorce actual-Carl, finally able to put him behind her (the fact that he betrayed and tried to kill her in the first book might have put a strain on the marriage), and also use the divorce as a way to prove that she loves Jack now.

The book starts with a very interesting and unexpected mission.  Read it.  That's all I can say.  I'm not sure what to say about it, but I'd like to think that the person involved would find it very entertaining.

It goes onto the main mission.  Unlike the first book, where it was a (relatively) simple case of finding the bad guys and saving the world - well, maybe not the world, but a lot of people from a terrorist attack - the second book has Donna and her team protecting the corrupt dictator from the rebels that would see a better Russia.

This, and the other threat that is uncovered, make this book much darker.  Donna makes it obvious that she dislikes the people she has to save, but hides it all and acts perfectly professional.  I don't know how she managed to keep calm and not kill, or at least dismember, several of the people she had to deal with for so long.

And somehow, Ms Brown has given us a book that is still injected with the same warmth and humour as the last.  The Desperate Housewives of Hilldale still provide entertainment and embarrassment.  It wouldn't be the same without them.

Jack is taking on a steady role as the replacement-Carl.  I didn't feel that he was as captivating as he was in the last book, and there was a repeating theme of Jack and Donna having couple-esque squabbles, followed by make-up sex.  But I have to admit that I never would have guessed the reason for his reluctance to be happily married - I am looking forward to seeing how that little issue develops.

As much as I love Donna, my favourite character this time around was her daughter, Mary.  She deserves a standing ovation, or trophy.

Goodreads link
Amazon.co.uk