Back in Russia, with side trips to Switzerland, England and other European locales in Miranda Darling's first book The Troika Dolls. And this is a most unexpected pleasure. Exactly what you'd not expect from a book that does concentrate quite a bit on the female central characters physical appearance. But it concentrates a lot more on her abilities and her doubts and her all-round reality. A strong female lead in a new book by a strong new female writer. In Australia. Happy reader here.
From the Blurb:
Meet Stevie Duveen: striking, brilliant, gifted in seven languages and all kinds of combat - and strategic analyst for Hazard Limited, an international trouble-shooting outfit specialising in discreet and very dangerous missions.
Opening Lines:
Chapter 1 (not the prologue). The wheels slapped the tarmac and skidded. There was ice on the runway and the nose of the plane danced as the pilot fought for control. Stevie fixed her eyes on the terminal building. Welcome to Heathrow.
Meet Stevie Duveen: striking, brilliant, gifted in seven languages and all kinds of combat - and strategic analsyt for Hazard Limited, an international trouble-shooting outfit specialising in discreet and very dangerous missions. 'All bones, ribcage and long throat', gorgeous, glamorous, diminutive Stevie is the last person people expect to find in such a job, but they quickly discover - often to their considerable cost - that she is as formidable as she is unlikely. Surprise is her most effective weapon, apart from her fierce intellect, unflagging determination and razor-sharp intuition. And something even the most battle-scared operative lacks: she cares, sometimes too much. Which is why she is nursing a broken heart and telling herself she will never fall in love again.