Exit Strategy (Nadia Stafford Series, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Armstrong deviates from her popular Women of the Otherworld series to introduce a new protagonist, Nadia Stafford, a cop-turned-hit-woman, saddled in her first adventure with a killer vs. killer mission. After being retired from a Canadian police force for shooting a suspect dead, Nadia becomes a hit woman—temporarily, that is, while she waits for her lakeside lodge to take off—targeting smalltime career criminals for clients who are often their direct competitors. Now, she's teaming up with her mentor, Jack, to apprehend a hit man–turned–serial killer known as the Helter Skelter killer. As Nadia pursues the case deeper into the dangerous world of assassins and spies, she finds reason to suspect just about everybody in Armstrong's fine cast of shifty, complex characters. The sexual tension between Jack and Nadia is entirely believable, adding a compelling, organic layer to the suspense. Armstrong's expert plotting never falters, and she's able to keep ramping up the intensity throughout more than 500 pages—no easy feat—making this a top-notch entertainment sure to seduce fans of tough heroines. (July)
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Product Description

From the author of the acclaimed Women of the Otherworld series comes an exciting new heroine whose most secret identity is both lucrative…and lethal.

Regulars at Nadia’s nature lodge don’t ask what she does in the off-season. And that’s a good thing. If she told them, she’d have to kill them. She’s a hit woman for a Mafia family. Tough and self-sufficient, Nadia doesn’t owe anyone any explanations. But that doesn’t mean she always works alone. One of her contacts has recruited her in the hunt for a ruthlessly efficient serial killer cutting a swath of terror across the country. The assassin is far too skilled to be an amateur—and the precision of the killings is bringing the Feds much too close to the hit man community for comfort.

To put an end to the murders, Nadia will have to turn herself from predator to prey as she employs every trick she knows to find the killer. Before the killer finds her…

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (June 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553588192
• ISBN-13: 978-0553588194
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #71,173 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Nadia Stafford Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new series from Kelley Armstrong, July 12, 2007

By	Jennifer Ortiz "jenortiz" (Morristown, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Exit Strategy" is a new series from author Kelley Armstrong featuring a hitwoman named Nadia Stafford. She is an ex-cop who was retired after shooting a suspect dead. I like Nadia's character. She is a strong and likable heroine. After leaving the Canadian Police force, Nadia buys a small lodge where she tries to start a new life with the shadow of her past hanging over her. When the lodge threatens to go under from lack of funds, she gets an offer that would help supplement her income and keep the lodge. So, she finds herself working for the Tomassinis doing hits for them on small time criminals. She not only finds herself a new career as a hitwoman, she finds that she is quite good at it. When Jack, her mysterious hitman mentor, comes with an offer to track down and kill a hitman turned serial killer she joins the hunt. She meets some rather complex and cagey characters in the hitman community and has to turn from hunter to hunted to catch the serial killer.

I enjoyed this story very much. I liked the relation between Nadia and Jack. Like Nadia, Jack's character is deeply complex. I can't wait to see how that relationship plays out. It is quite different from Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld stories. There is nothing supernatural about this series. It is fast paced and the action doesn't waver. With 500 plus pages, she did a great job keeping my interest going. I can't wait for the series to continue.

I suggest more of Kelley Armstrong's work. My favorites include: Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, Book 1), Stolen (Women of the Otherworld, Book 2), and Broken (Women of the Otherworld, Book 6).

Jennifer

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars silliness overcomes plot, August 19, 2007

By	Constant Reader (Gloucester MA) - See all my reviews

Fans of Kelley Armstrong's Otherrworld series know that she usually delivers strong plotting, tough female characters (usually with a hunky male counterpart for some sizzle), and an overall fun read. In this book, however, the transition to the real world from the Otherworld strains the reader's credulity to the utmost. The plot is straightforward enough: a hitman has turned serial killer, and a group of other hitmen get together to take him down before he draws too much attention to their profession. OK as far as it goes... but it's one thing to have hitmen as heroes, another to have them as uncomplicated heroes. The hitmen Nadia meets (all of whom kill people for a living, some without caring why or who the hit is on) turn out to be hunky, well-educated, charming, and altruistic, far more concerned with 'doing the right thing' than the general public. By t he end I found that it required less suspension of disbelief to read Industrial Magic or No Humans Involved; once you accept witches and demons, the story flows. Asking the reader to buy this image of hitmen... no one, or two, but three mega-attractive remarkably altruistic hitmen... made this a very silly and ultimately unsatisfying read for its genre; fans of realistic mysteries or suspense novels will be very disappointed.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Four and a Half Stars, January 5, 2008

By	Lesley70 - See all my reviews

After Nadia Stafford took justice into her own hands, she had to leave the police force. She finally ends up becoming a hitwoman for a small mafia family, whilst at the same time trying to keep her tourist lodge solvent. However, when one of her hits is mistaken for the work of a serial killer, she joins forces with five other assassins to stop the killings before they are all exposed.

Nadia as a heroine is a bit of an enigma. Even though we're in her head, there are still parts of her that remain a mystery. And I liked this. I liked having to think about her motivations. As a hitwoman she's decisive and professional, but there's something inside her that's not functioning quite properly. I'm hoping we gradually find out more about her in upcoming books. I wonder, if she'll ever have to confront all the things she's denied.

Of the other hitmen - Jack, Evelyn, Quinn and Felix - we spend most time with Jack, who is Nadia's mentor, and Evelyn who was Jack's mentor.

...Jack said, "You saw my note, right? It said 'wait'."
"That was a note? I thought it was a haiku."

Jack brings new meaning to the word taciturn. Whilst he uses the minimum number of words to get his point across, and none if he can say what he wants to non-verbally, his presence looms large on the page. He remains a complete professional, focused on the job at hand, and yet there is a chemistry between him and Nadia that is almost tangible - probably moreso because the two of the them don't acknowledge it. Yep, I think I'm gonna be a Jack/Nadia shipper.

Kelley Armstrong writes characters who feel like real people, whether they're an ex-cop hitwoman, or the world's only female werewolf. In Exit Strategy this is emphasized in the 'victim vignettes'. Two or three pages we spend with the victims of the serial killer before they're murdered, as they just go about their daily lives. In just a few pages they become real people, not just red shirts. By the time you read about Gracie and Cliff you'll be biting your fingernails.

One of the most memorable scenes for me in Bitten (Otherworld Bk1) has nothing to do with werewolves. It's the scene where Elena is pursued by a killer through an airport parking lot. You were there with her, and Exit Strategy has a similar feel. Would I recommend this book to everyone - no. If the reason you read Kelley Armstrong's books is for the urban fantasy element, then this one might not be for you. If on the other hand it's for her dialogue, and the way she makes characters come alive on the page, then give it a try.