ASSASSINS

In this series opener, assassination is a family affair.

Sixteen-year-old bisexual Kindra Weston is all too familiar with her family’s line of business. She has a penchant for sharp knives and elaborately costumed undercover stealth work—greatly aided by her family’s convenient “middle of the road skin tone” and ethnically ambiguous features—and she often does cleanup when her parents’ dirty work gets messy. This is all under the supervision of her tight-lipped, authoritarian mom, who’s kept the family business very professional and very close to the chest—unless, of course, that chest gets a bullet hole through it. Things go awry when Kindra’s father, the family’s lead assassin, misses a shot on a hit in New York City. With him temporarily out of the game, Kindra finds herself taking the lead in some of the business’ “wet work,” which leads to her kidnapping and the eventual unfurling of this complicated yet wholly enjoyable mystery. The plot moves quickly for the most part, and Cameron infuses her heroine and other characters with plenty of personality, sass, and coldhearted ruthlessness. There are biblical puzzles to be decrypted, Mafia-like family wars to be unraveled, mistaken personalities to be cleared, and many bodies to be piled up. The only disappointment readers might encounter is a lack of the kind of fantastical elements that the unconventional character names might inspire.

Sexy and edgy, with plenty of surprises and fun.