Perhaps this book would have made more sense to me if I'd read the first one... There are a lot of good ideas, just very poor execution. It was a very quick read. :)

*Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The plot is 'out there' but that shouldn't be a surprise given the title. It may appeal to those seeking a wild romp; action and a very talented main character. Missed the previous book, but may circle back.

I really appreciate the review copy!!

Matti Baker is a contract operator trained in counter terrorism by Freddy, a man she's never met face to face, but who has been in her life since she was a child. Coming off a mission in which she was badly injured and lost an entire year to recovery, all she wants is some time with her husband and three kids. But someone is after some important vials and she's back on the hunt, read to stop a conspiracy that will start a world-wide genocide.

So, that's what I think it's about, but even after reading the whole thing, I'm not entirely sure what the plot was. There was something some vials that she's been protecting since she was a child. There was a conspiracy with a group of identical twins. And, yeah, that's all I got

Needless to say, I did not really like this book. First off, it was almost entirely tell-not-show. I felt like I was being bombarded with information, much of it irrelevant to the actual plot. There were long diversions where Matti recalled previous missions with her friend, Bethany, or retold the entirety of the first book, which, although that was sort of helpful, since I didn't read the first book, also felt a little like the beginning The Baby-Sitter's Club book, where the formation of the club and backstory of each girl is recounted.

Then, there's the dialogue. At no time did I feel like any of it was actual words people would speak. It was so stilted and false and just... ugh. There was also the constant references: movies, TVs, and songs being brought up on every other page. It was incredibly distracting and annoying.

The plot was nonsensical. I literally don't know what I read. I know at some point she went to Antarctica, but I don't know why or what happened there because it was one chapter and no one talked the entire time. She was on some kind of tour, but who the other people were, I have no idea. I know there's some kind of conspiracy, but I don't know what it was about.

Also, I didn't like Matti very much. I was very excited at the beginning, because I thought she was going to be a female Joe Ledger, but she's just a handful of stereotypes slapped on with a veneer of "I'm not like other girls" and "humor" that only see seems to find amusing. Overall, this was a very disappointing and frustrating read.