Gin Blanco is a Stone Elemental, and as an assassin known as "The Spider," she makes no apologies for her profession. She likes taking out the bad guys and she's good at her job. She has her standards, carefully selecting and studying the targets brought to her by handler, Fletcher. Fresh off her latest job, she's surprised when Fletcher has a new assignment for her, with a short turn-around. The money makes the job very appealing, and the target, an Air Elemental working for Mab Monroe, is a ruthless Fire Elemental living beneath a thin cloak of respectability.

The job is badly botched and Gin suffers not only the loss of her pride, but the loss of her handler. Going after the one responsible is no longer a job, but a mission, and Gin is forced to work with the only by-the-book, straight arrow cop in Ashland. Even that isn't as simple as it sounds, for Gin killed Donovan Caine's partner, making their partnership difficult. Add to that an underlying awareness of one another, and sparks promise to fly.

Jennifer Estep's SPIDER'S BITE is a gritty look into the underworld of Ashland. Gin is tough and gutsy, a thoroughly kick-ass heroine who has risen above a terrifying past to be more than a gutter- dwelling Elemental. Donovan is a perfect foil for the less-than- perfect Gin. The attraction between the two isn't the focus, but hinted at just enough, simmering just below the surface, whetting the reader's appetite for more. Make no mistake, though, this isn't a romance; the focus is on the action, and there's plenty of it! Though darker than the Bigtime series, SPIDER'S BITE is no less entertaining. The Elemental Assassin series will have a spot reserved on my bookshelf!