As the Spider, Gin Blanco is used to people trying to kill her. She is, after all, an assassin. When thugs break into her friends Sophia and Jo-Jo Deveraux's home, Gin figures they're there for her and is ready to teach them some manners. Turns out their target is actually Sophia, Gin's personal body-disposer. Harley Grimes, the sadistic bastard who kidnapped and tortured Sophia in the past has returned for her and is eager to kill anyone who gets in his way.

Gin knows she's completely out numbered by the goons Harley keeps himself surrounded with. If that wasn't bad enough, Harley and his sister Hazel are powerful fire elementals who come close to rivaling the strongest fire elemental Gin has ever gone up against, Mab Monroe. With Sophia's life on the line, Gin will do anything to get her back, even go up against such impossible odds. This may be the one battle though the Spider doesn't come back from.

The ninth book in Jennifer Estep's unstoppable Elemental Assassin series, HEART OF VENOM continues assassin Gin Blanco's bloody rampage through the streets of Ashland. Gin is the type of female character that makes a series like this unforgettable. She's strong when she needs to be but she has vulnerabilities and issues that makes her very real.

Surrounded by a motley crew of secondary characters you wish you could claim as your own, this is a series that has captivated me from the first kill. Sophia is an integral character that has fascinated me since she was first introduced. The reason for her being the very efficient body disposer she is has always been shrouded in mystery so it's great to finally find out about her past and the things that have shaped her into the dwarf she is now. I won't say anything about Gin's resolution with Owen Grayson, whom I adore, because I don't want to deprive you of finding out how things end up with them, but look forward to them figuring things out, for better or for worse.

For anyone who hasn't discovered Gin Blanco's love of family, knives and blood, this is a must read series. With lots of thrilling action and a large body count, HEART OF VENOM is a high-octane urban fantasy that will leave you wanting to hone up your assassin skills.