Book Review: ICE COLD KILL by Dana Haynes

This review originally appeared in Shelf Awareness for Readers, and is reprinted here with permission.

Daria Gibron, the formidable ex-agent for Shin Bet (Israeli Secret Service) from Dana Haynes’s Crashers and Breaking Point, gets to be front and center in the author’s Ice Cold Kill. Now working mostly as an interpreter in the US, Daria receives an urgent e-mail from an old acquaintance that lures her to New York City, where she narrowly but cleverly escapes the trap set for her.

Placed on the wanted list by American and international government agencies, she has no choice but to join forces with a well-known terrorist. The two go on the run in different European cities, while trying to shut down a horrific conspiracy. The world may consider her a threat, but she may be the only one who can save it.

Daria is an adrenaline junkie who has incredible physical assets, both in looks and skills. Sometimes protagonists who are good at everything are boring and unbelievable, but Daria is someone to root for, and her hardscrabble background as an orphan justifies her toughness and survival skills. Her relationships with both her temporary ally and the man she’s pursuing are complicated, resulting in surprising revelations.

Haynes sometimes shifts the point of view abruptly and without chapter breaks, which might cause some disorientation, but it’s not difficult to get back on track as the explosive action and cinematic language propel the plot forward. It’s easy to “see” many scenes as if they’re on a screen, like watching a Hollywood summer blockbuster that’s happening all in your mind.

Nerd verdict: Propulsive Kill

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