Web of Lies

Elemental Assassin, Book 2

By: Jennifer Estep

Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang

Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

"Curiosity is definitely going to get me dead one of these days. Probably real soon. I'm Gin Blanco. You might know me as the Spider, the most feared assassin in the South. I'm retired now, but trouble still has a way of finding me. Like the other day, when two punks tried to rob my popular barbecue joint, the Pork Pit. Then there was the barrage of gunfire on the restaurant. Only, for once, those kill shots weren't aimed at me. They were meant for Violet Fox.

"Ever since I agreed to help Violet and her grandfather protect their property from an evil coalmining tycoon, Im beginning to wonder if Im really retired. So is Detective Donovan Caine. The only honest cop in Ashland is having a real hard time reconciling his attraction to me with his Boy Scout mentality. And I can barely keep my hands off his sexy body. What can I say? I'm a Stone elemental with a little Ice magic thrown in, but my heart isn't made of solid rock. Luckily, Gin Blanco always gets her man...dead or alive."

©2010 Jennifer Estep (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“The second chapter of the first-person ‘Elemental Assassin’ series is just as hard-edged and compelling as the first. Gin Blanco is a fascinatingly pragmatic character, whose intricate layers are just beginning to unravel. Estep has truly hit the jackpot with this outstanding series!” ( Romantic Times)

Must read

Estep’s strong plot & character development paired with Fortgang’s brilliant narration, Web of Lie’s is what audiobooks should be!

Smart and interesting characters

It's a good story with characters that have depth and are interesting. I could use a little more romance but we can hope that's on the horizon. I'll be sure and get the rest of the books in this series. As for the narrator I enjoyed her low key approach very much. It seemed to fit the main character very well and he did fairly good job of the voices of the men.

A great continuation of Gin's story

Gin Blanco has retired but when two punks try to rob The Pork Pit it sets off a chain of events that leads to Gin taking another case. This was another action packed mission filled with suspense, snark, and a bit of mystery.

In this one Gin is uncovering new information about Fletcher, herself, her family’s deaths and dealing with her feelings for Donovon Caine. I adore Gin! She is a dangerous woman. I love how confident she is with herself and her sexuality. Also I love that while she is a deadly assassin, she doesn’t have easy missions. She has to work to kill these scumbags and I am all there for the adventure.

So in the first book we meet Detective Donovan Caine who is extremely attracted to Gin, and she to him, but he can’t get past her profession. Well it continues in this one till he finally breaks it off. I felt bad for Gin about it because she really liked him but at the same time she was never her true self with him. I am glad he is gone because he wasn’t right for her. Also, with the introduction of Owen Greyson, we might be seeing someone better take his place.

This was just a great continuation of Gin’s story and an exciting and action packed adventure for her. Every time I pick up one of these books I get sucked into the story and I don’t want to put them down.

Brilliant, Unique, Interesting with just 1 oddety

To be up-front on the matter, I have read all 5 of the books, this and the following 4 as they are very easy to listen to, follow the story line and interesting enough from Story line and Characters to be very enjoyable.

A minor flaw in reasoning by the author is the heroin who is a professional assasin but during the run of the 5 books never completes a fully successful hit. All here Enemy's eventually get done in but as a professional top rated Assasin.....ugh.

Yet, this is just a minor issue, even though it may seem no so. The flow of the story is clear, the characters goo and consitent, the evil dudes a bit predicatble but still good. The Narrator is also brilliant, no ams & ahs or other suprflous noises, just the story!

If you want a good read without too many complexeties, this is it! And so are the following 5 Books! Hope there is more!

Takes escaping reality to a whole new level!

Thanks to Lauren Fortgang's mesmerizing voice, Jennifer Estep's poignant first person POV writing style and Gin Blanco's stellar personality; the Elemental Assassin books are rapidly turning into one of the best Urban Fantasy series that I have ever read. So much so, that I find myself forsaking all of the other lovely novels on my shelves because I can't seem to get enough of this amazing story. I rarely step into a heroine's shoes while reading but with this series it's hard not to. Now, whether adopting an assassin's mindset in my daily life is a good thing or a bad thing still remains to be seen but regardless, Web of Lies takes escaping reality to a whole new level.

Usually I only read a handful of audio books a year but after having had Estep's first two stories read to me I can't imagine experiencing the Elemental Assassin world any other way. Nailing the first person POV is not an easy task to begin with but Jennifer makes it look easy. Her incredible writing style paired with Fortgang's superb narration helps to tip the realism factor of these novels over the edge. Taking a break from reading a good book is never easy but Estep makes it damned near impossible with this series. They say that the first step to dealing with an addiction is admitting that you have one well, I full-heartily acknowledge that I have a problem and that I have absolutely no intention of fixing it. The story itself is exceptional, the characters are outstanding and the writing is to die for.

Oddly enough, I found that the earlier parts of Web of Lies were a little dull; I just couldn't get into the McAllister side plot. However, once Jake was "dealt with", the story really picked up from there. I guess that I've come to expect non-stop action from Jennifer Estep and when she actually took the time to focus on some the other important aspects of a good book I got a little impatient. Regardless, once Tobias Dawson showed his ugly mug it was go-go-go until the end. Speaking of the ending, talk about one hell of an "oh shit" moment! It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that I'll be reading Venom next.

Donovan Caine is a douchebag. Other than the scorching sexual chemistry between him and Gin, I had a hard time seeing any long term potential for them. Even though I felt sad for Blanco about the way she was treated and how everything kind of blew up in her face; I think that everyone's better off in the long run. Plus, I barely even know Owen Grayson and I'm already infatuated with him! There's just something about him that makes me go rawr, hubba-hubba! Yes, I realize that those are sound effects and not actual words but you get the idea.

After two stunning installments and more awesomeness on the way; I think it's safe to say that the Elemental Assassin series is a must read. Web of Lies is bursting at the seams with snark, badass-edness and unforgettable characters. The main plot that connects all of these books together promises to be a doozie and I for one can't wait to uncover Jennifer Estep's end game.

One of the best series......

This series is one of the best I have ever read. I love the story lines...each character draws me in...and while I love Gin...Finegan is hilarious. I hope audible gets other books by Jennifer Esteep, because I am sure I will finish this series in no time. :) Keep up the good work.

Nice Continuation

Any additional comments?

Like the last book, the story and characters were addictive. I ended up starting and finishing it within a day. I prefer waiting to begin a series once it is already established so that I can "binge" it. I can say that this one was so awesome that I ended up purchasing all of the books and reading them all within a 2-3 week window. Both the author and the narrator did an awesome job.

Another great book

Would you listen to Web of Lies again? Why?

Yes.. this is a series I will listen to in the future... again

Have you listened to any of Lauren Fortgang’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

really enjoyed the voice of this reader

Any additional comments?

This sequel was very enjoyable. but down.

Good story

Any additional comments?

It took me a bit to get into this installment, but it got better as the story progressed. The main character is likeable and relatable despite her being an assasin. She's surprisingly down to earth and she's got her weaknesses just like everyone else. I also like the secondary characters except the detective, who I was happy to see leave by the end.

My one complaint is the author's need to repeat details and backstory over and over. That gets old. I do like the unique style of the narrative and dialog, though, and the narrator does a great job of bringing the story to life with the various voices of the characters. I'm definitely going to listen to the next book.

LilyElement Book Reviews - Web of Lies

Any additional comments?

Gin Blanco returns in book two of the Elemental Assassin series, Web of Lies. Retired, she no longer is killing people for money, and is instead running the Pork Pit, a BBQ restaurant that her former handler owned. I wasn't sure what to expect this time around since book one left off where she went on vacation and was giving up her life of being an assassin. Though I should have known not to worry since trouble seems to follow Gin.

Two would be robbers attempt to steal the cash from her register one night and foolishly take one of her customers hostage. After that matter is resolved Gin is approached by a college girl that has someone attempting to kill her. Toss in some prostitutes, a new sexy love interest, and some crazy people with strong powers and you have a story that kept me wondering what the heck would happen next. I highly recommend this series if you're a fan of Urban Fantasy with a strong female main character.