Killing It by Asia Mackay

          When I started reading this book I wasn't really too sure what to expect from it.  What I got was a totally unexpected spy thriller that romps along at a great pace and keeps you turning pages just to find out exactly how the Rats of Unicorn are going to get their guy.  From the initial set up you can be excused for being lulled into a false sense of security that this is just another new mum struggling in the workplace book.  Trust me it really isn't that.

Lex is a highly trained, government sponsored assassin and she loves her job.  She is also a wife and new mother who loves her family and is struggling to mesh the two sides of her life together.  After all, it's one thing killing for a living but it is quite another getting through teething.

There is a great deal of humour within these pages and I did find myself snorting quite a lot whilst reading it.  Even better is all the machinations and inner workings of Eight as they go about trying to bring Dimitri down and so save the world from Russian technological domination.  The twist, when it comes, is from a really unexpected angle and one I genuinely didn't see coming.  I also thoroughly enjoyed the juxtaposition between mummy Lex and Rat Lex.

The supplementary characters in the book, Will, Jake, Dasha and even the barely touched on ones of the "Yummy Mummies" are all well fleshed and come to life well on the page.  The pacing is just right with the hectic, task oriented segments mellowed by the mundanity of bringing up a child.  To some extent you can even get under Lex's skin as she battles with infant-induced self deprivation.

This book is a lot of fun and I really, really hope there will be a follow up.