Killing Sarai by J. A. Redmerski

Author : J. A. Redmerski
Title : Killing Sarai
Published : 19/06/2013
Pages : 326
Genre : New Adult
Publisher : CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

     Sarai was only fourteen when her mother uprooted her to live in Mexico with a notorious drug lord.  Victor is a cold-blooded assassin who, like Sarai, has known only death and violence since he was a young boy. When Victor arrives at the compound to collect details and payment for a hit, Sarai sees him as her only opportunity for escape. But things don't go as planned and instead of finding transport back to Tucson, she finds herself free from one dangerous man and caught in the clutches of another. While on the run, Victor strays from his primal nature as he succumbs to his conscience and resolves to help Sarai. As they grow closer, he finds himself willing to risk everything to keep her alive. But Victor's brutal skills and experience may not be enough, in the end, to save her, as the power she unknowingly holds over him may ultimately be what gets her killed.

     I'm a big lover of young adult and new adult fiction, I think in a lot of ways it frees its self from the constraints of what has come before. There is a style that comes from these books that have made them a joy to read. I always find it funny when up to the counter in a new bookstore with a bundle under my arm. I'm not sure they quite know what to say when they see me looking like some hulking beard outdoorsman. The more than not assume I'm buying them for someone else. And I think it's a shame that too often we stick to genres and don't spread our wings a bit more. When I picked this up and read the blurb for me it seemed to tick all the boxes I was looking for at the time. A mixture of action and mystery what more could you ask for on a winters night.

     The story is told from two points of view Sarai's and Victor's. Both having been push into circumstances beyond there control, and both are fighting to stay alive in there own way. I like that fact that the author gave them a distinct voice within the book. While we learn about Sarai's life as she lives it Victor's is given to us in little peace as we get introduced to people from his past. They both felt to me like strong well thought out characters bring different kinds of peril to the story and between them and the chemistry they have give you people to connect with. As I came to learn of the evil that inhabits there world and the forces they where up against I couldn't help rooting for them in there fight. The villain of the book Javier drips off the page with the dark and twisted lengths he is prepared to go to, to get Sarai back. When it comes to this book and the people the inhabit I could not ask for more blending sassy broken strength with the ills of the world.

     The author has crafted a great plot, and with it comes the thrills and spills you would hope for. As you would imagine from the description this is a dark and brooding book about people trying to fight not only for there own place in the world but also along the way to make it a little better. At no point did I feel myself ripped from the story and once I got going I become completely intertwined with these people and their plight. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way that kept me entertained. This is one of those books that is fun to read and left me feeling happy for having spent some time with it. It delivered the right amounts of action, thrills, and mystery to keep any fan of the new adult genre happy. Romance in books is never really something I go looking for, but here it is done well and to me at least makes sense for the characters. And I realize for a lot of fans of this kind of book is a mainstay of the genre. 

     Overall I don't think you can go far wrong with this book. It lived up to what I had hoped it would be and what more could I  really ask for. If you are looking for a new series to jump into of the next few winter months when the nights are drawing in I suggest you grab your self a copy and get to know Sarai and Victor.