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meggyroussel's review
5.0
Today is a special day. This Friday, my most anticipated release meets the world, and I couldn’t be happier.
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY TO KILL IT WITH FIRE and its author, Adam Maxwell!
Okay, so what is Kill it with Fire like?
Take one of the best and most original plots and teams you’ve met during your reading life and trap them in a novella! That’s it!
Okay, no. It’s more than this. Let’s go back to the start. Check here to read my review of the first book in the Kilchester series, The Dali Deception.
Stealing things have never been hotter, or more enjoyable. No, I haven’t turned into a criminal. Or maybe I did. In any case, Adam Maxwell made me want to be part of the team he created.
Kill it with Fire takes you after the event of the first book, but you can grab it without having read The Dali Deception to get a taste of the colorful and hilarious writing style the author uses to make you turn your back to the common law and embrace a different one. The rules and guidelines of true criminals. Isn’t it exciting?
I could quote the entire book, but then I wouldn’t be doing you a favor, so here’s one of my favorites:
The north of England needed air conditioning like an alcoholic penguin needed ice for his gin and tonic.
Yes, I am guilty of having spent a few minutes imagining the penguin…
Anyway! Adam Maxwell’s novels (or in this case, novella!) are not about big fat guys and gun, but extremely talented, really hot, and straight good people who happen to live a more dangerous life than most of us. With Violet Winters at their head, they play by their rules and simply want to make a living…
So, what happens when someone tries to outsmart Kilchester’s resourceful criminals? They seek revenge. And not any kind of revenge. The one that settles a reputation for good and sends the right message so that no one else gets the same kind of ideas…
I was very curious about how a novella would fit after The Dali Deception and the masterful plot the main character comes up with. Heists require skills and patience, the right people, and did I say patience? (don’t misunderstand me, the first book is packed with action!)
When I read the word revenge and Violet in the same sentence for Kill it with Fire, I knew that:
- I was in for a movie-award scheme
- I would enjoy every second of it
Was I right? Absolutely!
Now, I was intrigued by the title. Fire is dangerous, but so is messing with Violet! I really need her to be my BFF. I could bring S’mores… You see, it’s always good to have someone such a her on your side. On top of being strong, extremely clever, and having a step ahead at all times, she’s loyal and she managed to bring together the right people to surround herself with. In Kill it with Fire, you also get to see more of what Katie is made of, and wow, just wow. I remember that I was a bit confused by her character when I started reading the series as I was unable to picture her and it left a hole in the experience. But now, I can fully see her, understand her, and I am in love with the two women’s friendship.
The perfect balance and team work don’t stop there. Everyone in Violet’s criminal family has a role to play and they do it so well you’d think they are unstoppable… It felt SO GOOD to see them again, despite the smoke! (read the book to know where it comes from!!!!) that I just ate all the pages in so little time I had to reread the novella as soon as I finished it the first time. And I am not one to reread... I make an exception for my people! My time with those characters is precious, and I will drive to Kilchester again soon. This is how good both characterization and authenticity are when it comes to people in Adam Maxwell’s work. You won’t meet their kind everywhere, but they feel real, they are human, and they fight for their values. What’s not to love???
Revenge… keep telling me it’s better served cold. I can now laugh at your face and say BRING IT ON HOT AND SMOKING! How far would you go to set the record straight? Do you have the balls to do what needs to be done? Violet does. Again, that’s why I love her.
There is a magic combination of humor, expertise, and action in Kill it with Fire. You recognize flaws and qualities in each characters, your eyes sting when things go wrong, you get to know both the inhabitants and the city better. This novella is a bomb filled with sparks of information, surprises, a-100-miles-an-hour pace and enough adrenaline to keep you awake … in only 124 pages.
ps: Look at this cover! BRILLIANT!