I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Wild Justice
by
Kelley Armstrong
It is part of the Nadia Stafford #3 series and is a thriller in a paperback edition that was published by Sphere on November 26, 2013 and has 400 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon, Audibles.
Other books in this series include [books_series]
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Broken, Personal Demon , Living with the Dead, Men of the Otherworld, Tales of the Otherworld, Frostbitten, Dates from Hell, Exit Strategy, Made to Be Broken, The Reckoning, Spell Bound, The Gathering, The Awakening, "Hidden", The Calling, Aftertaste, Kisses from Hell, The Rising, Omens, Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions, Visions, Deceptions, The Masked Truth, City of the Lost, Empire of Night, Forest of Ruin, Betrayals, A Darkness Absolute, Indigo, Rituals, The Unquiet Past, This Fallen Prey, Stolen, Rough Justice, Dime Store Magic, Industrial Magic, Haunted, Broken, Waking the Witch, Portents, Missing, Alone in the Wild, Watcher in the Woods, Otherworld Secrets, Wherever She Goes, "The Case of the Half-Demon Spy", "Escape", Otherworld Chills, A Stranger in Town, "Bargain", Hex on the Beach, "Recruit", "Checkmate", "Framed", Cursed Luck, High Jinx, Bitten, Driven, "Forsaken", The Deepest of Secrets, "Dead Letter Days", Men of the Otherworld, The Boy Who Cried Bear
Third and final book in the Nadia Stafford thriller series about a female hitwoman.
My Take
No, no, no, no, no, nooooooo. I don’t want this to be the end!! I love this series!! Besides, what about the Contrapasso??? Now that Armstrong has let this particular cat out of the bag, she can’t leave it there… Okay, so I’m whining. I like this series! How often do you get a story, let alone a series, about a contract killer who’s a woman?
Wild Justice is a story you simply can’t stop and put down. It’s like the rest of this series, and not at all what you would expect from Armstrong, although it does bear the hallmark of her excellent writing abilities. Then there are those twists she introduces. God knows I was clueless, refusing to believe for pages until Armstrong led me along her path of clues!
It’s kinda too bad that Nadia has a moral streak, as the trigger event hits really hard and simply gets worse when Jack shows up with an unexpected “gift”. It’ll be a rough trip down memory lane, but worth it for the truth that emerges. It’s that initial truth, about a serial bad guy who could’a, should’a, been taken down at the start that hurts the most.
It’s amazing how very careful Jack is with Nadia — and it makes me want to go back to the beginning with Exit Strategy, 1, and re-explore how we first learn about Jack mentoring Nadia. Was Jack’s telegraph-style of speech there, and I simply missed it? Was the basis for the camaraderie between Nadia and Jack laid there as well? I know I wouldn’t mind a re-read.
It’s a slow dance Armstrong has us waltzing through with its close steps and suggestive moves, its careful building to its unexpectedly expected result. And still Armstrong continues to twist and turn, using Quinn and his regrets, Nadia reacting in the guy role, and Jack the timid one. Armstrong had me wallowing in indecision, but eventually Nadia’s choice, her explanations, rang true, and I had to admire her reasoning. Dang, Armstrong’s good!
Wow, we get Jack’s background, and it’s much rougher than I had expected. Makes me feel bad for the guy.
Okay, hitman humor. The superior, first-rate versus the third-rate, and it’s just sad. There’s something to be said for reading, and these two should have read their Nadia Stafford books *shakes her head with very little regret*. Although, Jack, Nadia, and Quinn had their own snafus…!
That scene after the fancy dinner…smokin’! Even if there was some nasty fall-out. If you’re interested in relationship alternatives, a different way of approaching one, do read Wild Justice.
Oh, it’s a little scary how clueless Nadia is, and yet, why would she think anything else?
It’s a good ending. One that leaves an opening for more, although I’m not sure that’s not just me being hopeful…
The Story
A hit goes bad, and Nadia zones out, the bad result triggering her memories of the murder of her young cousin two decades ago.
Memories that seem so appropriate when Jack hands his “gift” to her. It should be so easy…
The Characters
Nadia Stafford, a.k.a., Dee, is an ex-cop who runs a wilderness lodge northeast of Toronto when she’s not under contract. Emma and Owen Walden are the cook and all-round handyman who handle things when she’s gone. Scout is the dog Jack gave her last spring. Neil is a cousin who was a newbie on the force those 20 years ago along with fellow cops, Myron Young and cousin Pete. Dr. Foster was the good-intentioned family physician.
Jack, in truth John Daly, is Nadia’s mentor; Evelyn is Jack’s mentor and middleman. Felix is a hitman friend who’s into the toys. Quinn, a.k.a., the Boy Scout, is a Virginia-based U.S. marshal who moonlights as a vigilante hitman. He’s also Dee’s ex-boyfriend these days.
Amy is Nadia’s twenty-year-dead, naive cousin; Uncle Eddie was Amy’s father and a cop. Drew Aldrich is the man who killed her, and his premium defense team included Lawrence Webb and Sebastian Koss, who is now a big-time victim’s advocate. Shannon Broadhurst was a victim, one who realizes, now, the truth of the situation.
Paul Tomassini, nephew to a New York mafia don, is Dee’s exclusive middleman. Roland, another middleman, runs third-rate hitmen, like Mark Lewiston. Duncan is another middleman, very professional, and a good friend of Evelyn’s.
Alan Wilde is a hit. Rose Wilde is his timid wife while Hannah is their three-year-old. David Miller, a.k.a., James Emery, is a fake cop in Newport who’s living in Cleveland.
The Contrapasso Fellowship is an urban legend among cops and hitmen, a “club composed of former judges, lawyers, and law-enforcement officers who hire assassins to right judicial wrongs.” Henry Bryant is hiding in the Contrapasso. Diaz is another member.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a soft black background with a partial view of Nadia in a too-big khaki trenchcoat, holding a really big gun. A very determined-looking lady.
The title is a combination of what occurs within the boards and is definitely a Wild Justice.
