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    Thread of Death
    Thread of Death
    Thread of Death
    Ebook97 pages1 hour

    Thread of Death

    By Jennifer Estep

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Gin Blanco, aka the assassin the Spider, might have finally killed her nemesis, Mab Monroe, but that doesn’t mean that it’s smooth sailing. Gin goes to Mab’s funeral to say her goodbyes and runs into some of Ashland’s most notorious underworld power players, including Jonah McAllister and Phillip Kincaid. McAllister wants her dead, and Kincaid has his own murky motives when it comes to the Spider, and Gin once again finds herself fighting for her life. Only this time, she might wind up in the cemetery right next to Mab….
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPocket Star
    Release dateJan 31, 2012
    ISBN9781451685329
    Thread of Death
    Author

    Jennifer Estep

    Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author who prowls the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea. Jennifer is the author of the Crown of Shards, Elemental Assassin, and other fantasy series. She has written more than 35 books, along with numerous novellas and stories. In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys hanging out with friends and family, doing yoga, and reading fantasy and romance books. She also watches way too much TV and loves all things related to superheroes.

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    Reviews for Thread of Death

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Set at her funeral, we say goodbye to Mab Monroe, Ashland Underworld’s Top Dog and Gin Blanco’s lifelong nemesis.Opening Sentence: I couldn’t believe the bitch was dead.The Review:“Thread of Death” by Jennifer Estep is a novella set in between Spider’s Revenge and By a Thread, and covers the funeral of Mab Monroe, Ashland’s former underworld kingpin and nemesis to Gin Blanco. This is a taste of what life after Mab will be like. While it doesn’t surprise me that Mab’s funeral would bring all the big wigs of Ashland together, including Gin and her cohorts, how it all plays out does. Who knew funerals could be so hazardous to your health?Up until now, the Elemental Assassin books have all been told from Gin’s point of view. This novella gives us not one, but three different and distinct points of view: Gin Blanco, Jonah McAllister, and Phillip Kincaid.Gin Blanco has been conspiring against Mab Monroe for years. She trained to be a silent stalker, patiently waiting for the perfect moment to strike like her rune, the Spider, implies. To be honest, she was never sure if she would survive the encounter: the injuries she did sustain during the final fight almost did do her in. I don’t think that Gin allowed herself to think about a future beyond Mab. In the end, Gin goes to the funeral looking for closure because now she must make a decision with what to do with the rest of her life. Will Gin find the courage and temperament to lead a semi-normal life? I hope not because that would be a boring and unimaginative read for us.Jonah McAllister is having similar issues. His place of power and prestige is being buried right along with his old boss, Mab. Even though his place within the underworld ladder is shaky at best, his arrogance and pride have yet to get the memo. His sense of entitlement hasn’t left him many friends but instead has gained him lots of enemies, including Gin herself. Luckily, Jonah has a black belt in manipulation. Can he maneuver through Ashland’s circling sharks without getting devoured all while still getting what he wants in terms of revenge?Phillip Kincaid was one of the major competitors of Mab and her strangle hold on Ashland’s more “colorful” enterprises. But, unlike the other bosses, he has a little bit more going for him in terms of charisma and knowledge. He recognizes that Gin is most likely the famed assassin, the Spider, and begins to conspire about how this would help him in the future. He also has an ace up his sleeve: He and Gin’s lover, Owen Grayson, have a history together. There are lots of hints about their association but nothing definitive. I see this as foreshadowing for future novels.All in all, a wonderful read. Thread of Death is a lovely interlude between much larger books. I am glad that Estep chose to separate out the funeral from main storyline. It enables the reader to acknowledge the significance of the event, just as Gin is forced to. This novella gives me hope for more exciting and intriguing Gin adventures sans Mab Monroe.Notable Scene:“Wow, Gin,” Finn said in an amused voice. “You’ve really done it this time.”“What do you mean?”He swept his hand out, the gesture meant to encompass the whole cemetery. “I mean, take a look around. Not only did you kill Mab, but you pretty much trashed her funeral, too, ruining her last little hurrah in this world. It’s like the cherry on top of the ultimate revenge sundae. A dish definitely served cold.”FTC Advisory: Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books graciously provided me with a copy of Thread of Death. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. The only payment received came in the form of hugs and kisses from my little boys.
    • 4/5
      This is a novella that takes place after the events of Book 5, Spider's Revenge, and before Book 6, By a Thread. It was a good novella that further ties up events from Spider's Revenge, and starts out a new story thread for book 6, By a Thread.Gin has somewhat recovered from the debilitating battle with Mab in book 5. She has been outed as the assassin the Spider and has decided to attend Mab's funeral to make a point and judge the lay of the land now that Mab is gone. The story is told from multiple viewpoints; Gin's, Mab's lawyer Jonah, and Kincaid's. Things kind of go to hell when the funeral attendees are attacked by an unknown attacker.This was a good transition novella and leads up to Book 6, By a Thread. Gin is trying to get some closure around Mab's death and figure out what is next for her. The city's power structure is struggling with the abscence of Mab and everyone is scrambling to see who fills her spot. Some mysteries around Owen are brought up and these hint at the storyline we might see in Book 6.This was a fun read and it was great to read about Gin, Owen, Finn and other again. Definitely recommended for fans of the Elemental Assassins series; probably not the best place for people new to the series to start. After the novella there was an excerpt from By a Thread (which I didn't read because I want to wait until the book comes out). Overall a fun addition to the series. Recommended for fans of the series; not the best place to start if you are new to this series. Can't wait to see what By a Thread brings!
    • 4/5
      Gin is recovering from her huge showdown in which she finally killed Mab Monroe. She decides that she needs to go to Mab's funeral to say her final goodbye's. As we all know nothing is ever simple in Gin's life so of course the funeral doesn't go as it should and she finds herself revealing more about herself to her enemies then she planned.Even though this is a novella it is still full of all the action and suspense that I have always loved in Jennifer's books. There are a few different POV switches. We get inside both Jonah McAllister and Phillip Kincaid heads. Jonah definitely needs to be taken care of in the very immediate future. I'm kinda shocked that he is still alive at this point. We get a little insight into Philip and a past with Owen that we didn't know existed. Even though this should be read before BY A THREAD I think THREAD OF DEATH gives some great hints to what will happen in book 7 WIDOW'S WEB.

    Book preview

    Thread of Death - Jennifer Estep

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    As always, to my mom, grandma, and Andre,

    for all their encouragement over the years

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

    Once again, my heartfelt thanks go to all the folks who help turn my words into a story.

    Thanks go to my agent, Annelise Robey, and editor, Lauren McKenna, for all their helpful advice, support, and encouragement.

    Thanks to everyone at Pocket and Simon & Schuster for their work on the Elemental Assassin series.

    And, finally, a big thanks to all the readers. Knowing that folks read and enjoy my writing is truly humbling, and I’m glad that you are all enjoying Gin and her adventures.

    I appreciate you all more than you will ever know.

    Happy reading!

    Gin Blanco

    I couldn’t believe the bitch was dead.

    Mab Monroe, the Fire elemental who’d been head of the Ashland underworld for years, the woman who’d murdered my mother and older sister, was finally, finally dead.

    And I was the one who’d made her that way.

    Me. Gin Blanco. The assassin known as the Spider.

    Now, my killing people as the Spider was nothing new. I’d helped more than a few folks quit breathing over the years, whether for money or to help out my friends or for my continued survival. But Mab had been different—and killing her had been very, very personal.

    The Fire elemental hadn’t gone down without a fight—the toughest fucking fight of both our lives. Not that I’d expected anything less from Mab. Not only had she been rumored to be the strongest elemental born in the last five hundred years, but she had also been as smart, cunning, and as vicious as they come. You didn’t get to be the head of the Ashland underworld and stay there as long as she had without being absolutely ruthless. Oh, no. Taking down Mab had been anything but simple. I still couldn’t quite believe she was dead—and I wasn’t.

    But killing Mab hadn’t been without a price. We’d fought each other in an elemental duel, my Ice and Stone magic against her Fire power. According to some folks who’d been there, you could see the flames of our respective magics from a half mile away. I didn’t know whether I believed that or not, but Mab was seconds from incinerating me before I finally managed to stab the bitch in her black heart with one of my silverstone knives. Even then, Mab’s Fire washed over me, engulfing most of my body and burning me down to the bone, and I was about a breath away from dying right along with her. Now, after weeks of healing Air magic and intensive physical therapy, I was finally back to my old self—more or less.

    I peered into the mirror in my bedroom, critically eyeing my reflection. This would be one of the first times I’d been out in public since killing Mab, and I wanted to be sure I looked one hundred percent, like the Gin of old, even if I knew I wasn’t quite there yet.

    My dark chocolate brown hair was pulled back into a sleek pony-tail, while black shadow, mascara, and liner rimmed my eyes, bringing out their cold gray color. A shiny strawberry-pink gloss covered my lips, softening the heavy eye makeup, while a bronzing powder added some much-needed color to my cheeks. Despite the coppery sheen, a hint of death white still tinged my skin, reminding me how I’d come close to dying right alongside Mab.

    I smoothed down a stray hair and plucked a piece of lint off my right sleeve. I’d traded in my usual jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt for a pantsuit. Stark, black, and simple, given where I was going today. Sturdy black low-heeled boots encased my feet, while my usual five knives were hidden on my body. One up either sleeve, one in the small of my back, and two tucked into the sides of my boots.

    Just because Mab was dead didn’t mean that I could lower my guard and leave my weapons at home. Quite the contrary. There were still lots of other dangerous folks in Ashland, people who would just as soon shoot you as look at you—and those were some of the nicer folks in town. That was one of the reasons I was going out today and had taken such care with my appearance. I wanted to see for myself just how much the underworld landscape had shifted with the Fire elemental’s death and more important what it might mean for me as the Spider and Gin Blanco too.

    Footsteps sounded outside in the hallway, a steady, familiar tread that I knew and welcomed. A moment later, a soft knock sounded on the door.

    Come on in, I called out. I’m ready.

    The door opened, and my lover, Owen Grayson, stepped into the bedroom.

    Owen wore a black suit similar to mine over a smoke gray shirt and matching tie. The fitted fabric outlined his body, stretching over the hard, sculpted muscles of his chest and arms, while the dark colors only made him seem more ruggedly handsome, especially when paired with his blue-black hair and the slightly crooked tilt of his nose.

    Owen looked at me, a troubled light flaring in his violet eyes. Are you sure you want to do this? he asked. You don’t have to, you know. You don’t have anything to prove to anyone. Not to me, not to the others, and especially not to yourself.

    That’s where he was wrong. I had a lot of things to prove to myself—namely, that I could be the same Gin, the same Spider, as before. Physically, I was still weak from my fight with Mab. Still stiff and creaky, still saddled with arms and legs that gave out too soon, still without the quickness, stamina, and strength I’d had before. I knew those things would return eventually, but I was pushing myself hard to get back to where I’d been as soon as possible. I couldn’t afford not to.

    But today wasn’t about my physical limitations. No, today—today was about my state of mind. Today was one of the necessary steps to recapturing that mental toughness that had served me so well over the years. Once I got that back, everything else would follow. That’s why I was so determined to go through with this particular outing. I wanted to be the old me—starting right now.

    I didn’t tell Owen any of my thoughts, though. He’d already spent far too long worrying far too much about me. So had the others. They’d all spent

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