Really good fun. Its had great reveiws but i wasn't sure i would like it (funny/ sassy chick lit is not my thing) but in fact it was really readable and engaging, and a clever spin on the idea of working mothers - even when the work is government assassin

Chick-lit meets spy-thriller in Killing It, a fun and humorous take on the traditional spy novel.

Returning to work after maternity leave can be a daunting prospect for any new mother but for Alexis (Lex) Tyler, rejoining the old boys' network of government espionage brings with it a unique set of challenges most women won't have to face. Still, having already proven herself once as a 'Rat', an elite covert agent and trained assassin employed by Her Majesty's Secret Service, Lex is determined to have it all - and woe betide anyone who tells her she can't!

Many of Lex's colleagues in Platform Eight fear she's no longer capable of doing her job: that having given birth she is not fit enough, not committed enough and that motherhood will have somehow changed her. Which, of course, it has. But when for reasons of national - indeed, even international - security her branch is tasked with assassinating a Russian by the name of Dimitri Tupolev, Lex's new status as a mother proves to be an operational bonus.

Using her daughter, Gigi, as part of her cover to infiltrate a group of over-privileged, pretentious and competitive West-London 'yummy-mummies', Lex is able to get close to Dimitri's wife, Dasha, who is more than happy to supply Lex with intelligence on her husband. But old instincts remain and something doesn't feel right about this mission. Could there be a mole in Platform Eight? And when it comes down to it, does Lex still have what it takes to pull the trigger? You'll have to read the book to find out!

As a character, Lex makes for a strong heroine. Living in a nice three-storey terraced house in Chiswick with her husband, Will, who has no idea what her job truly entails and believes his wife is an employed as a data analyst by GDSB (the Government Communication and Data Specialist Branch), Lex juggles both world brilliantly - and with a great deal of humour. Parts of this novel literally had me laughing out loud! But it's Lex's vulnerabilities and insecurities as a new mum that make her so likeable and easy to relate to.

There's also an interesting cast of supporting characters in Dasha and the 'yummy mummy' set, and in Lex's colleagues, but one stands out in particular: Jake. Compassionate, supportive and ready to put his life on the line, he's a brilliant partner and 'work husband' and I loved the relationship and rapport between Jake and Lex. If the author decides to write a sequel, I can't wait to see what adventures she next has in store for our spy-duo.

I also really enjoyed Mackay's inventiveness when it comes to the spy-kit Lex uses in her quest. Nobody looks twice at a woman carrying tampons and lipsticks, or wearing earrings and high-heeled shoes, but little would they know, Lex's have been converted into 007-worthy gadgets. What new mum wouldn't want a bullet-proof pram cover to keep their daughter safe?

At times laugh-out-loud funny, yet with a well thought-out and intriguing story, Killing It is a great debut from Asia Mackay. It's not very often I read 'chick-lit' but this title's cover caught my eye and I'm glad I bucked my usual trend because I was thoroughly entertained.

Lex is returning to work from her maternity leave. Except her work is not what you or I would call 'normal'. She is a secret agent in Her Majesty’s service. She is a trained assassin and she loves her job. But being a mum suddenly throws a spanner into the works. Can she still be as efficient and ruthless as she used to be now that she has a baby at home to think about?

This was a very enjoyable escapist read, particularly for me as a new mum. I would chuckle to myself at all the baby related moments, full of understanding.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an e-copy in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

This is an utterly brilliant book. It is unique, witty, well-written and thoroughly engrossing. The blurb makes the book sound a little bit flippant, but it is anything but. Well worth the read, and an author to follow. I can't wait to see what Asia Mackay writes next.

I'll be honest I clicked on the link for this book in an email just wanting to find out more information of the book and didn't realise it would add the book to my shelf. Last week I noticed some of my newer books werent sending to my kindle like they should've but I managed to rectify that, however this one had already been archived so it was lost during that down time.

I've looked into the book and will consider purchasing it in the future! Thank you, and apologies for missing out.

Rated three stars to reflect that it sounds good as I didn't want to just rate it low because I didn't manage to read it.

found the story line amusing, the characters are described in such a way you feel you know them, loved the plot it really gathers pace towards the end, puts a different twist on assassins in a good way definitely enjoyed my time with this book

A woman struggles to combine her day job as an assassin with her new role as a mum. Light, easy read that's fast-paced and fun.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Bonnier Zaffre for an advance copy of Killing It, the debut novel by Asia Mackay.
Meet Lex Tyler, licensed to kill and the new James Bond. But this special agent is different in that she's also a new mother returning to work for the first time.
I loved this first novel from Asia Mackay. I found it refreshingly different and couldn't put it down - until the last chapter, which dragged on a bit and, in my opinion, could have finished several pages earlier. BUT ... the rest of it was fantastic and more than made up for the slow ending. I loved the setting. I loved the characters. And I loved the great writing.
What I particularly liked was the way Mackay described a procedure, giving it its own terminology, and then later in the book, she used that terminology without repeating the explanation - I already knew what it was. I thought that was very good writing.
Aside from a few typographical errors (mostly lower case letters for proper names), and the unnecessary detail at the end, there was nothing I didn't like.
If you like your special agents and enjoy a little OTT entertainment, then read this book. I'm already looking forward to the next one in the series.

Killing It is both a new to me genre and not quite that new, at the same time. Weird? Yes, but let me explain. The spy novel bit? Completely new to me. I've never read stuff like that! But the thing is, Killing It doesn't concentrate solely on the spy bit. It's also about being a woman, being a mother and how it all works out in society and your workplace. Which is something of a comfortable topic for me in books. Killing It was an interesting take on this problem, an unorthodox one for sure!

It's about...

Lex has a pretty unusual job – although it's a dangerous one. She works in her Majesty's Secret Service. And no, it's not a desk job. Despite all you might imagine about secret agents though... Lex just got married and had a baby. Which sets her apart from the stereotype for sure. Now she's at the end maternity leave and about to let the entire department find out whether motherhood is reconcillable with kicking butt. Hint? Of course it is. But it's also not going to be easy to prove it. Because suddenly everyone thinks that having a baby means your brains have been removed and replaced with jello... or something of the like. And it's up to Lex to prove to them that she's still just as capable. Even though she really shouldn't have to.

There's The Mystery Aspect And The Super Mommy
I suppose this is probably part of any spy novel – it wouldn't be one if there wasn't something backwards going on, and the main character needed to get to the bottom of it. In Lex's case, not all of her workmates are happy to have her back, particularly because she works in almost a purely male environment. Despite being fresh off her maternity leave, she is instantly put on a huge and important mission, which is fishy on its own. Things don't really add up between the intel and what she's picking up herself, but Lex tries her best – all the while balancing being a mother and being an employee.

There's More Than Just That Though
Secondary characters play a big role in the story. Since you've got to unravel the mystery along with Lex, you will have to see her meet a lot of quite characteristic people. In the current political climate, I guess the adversaries had to be Russian (although I did roll my eyes at that. They're always Russian, aren't they?), so it's mainly Russian millionaire wives in London. Which prove to be an interesting crowd to read about, and they're more than just their appearances. Despite working with just guys, Lex deals mostly with other women in the book – she even has to take her baby along with her for cover. So she's both infiltrating their circles for the mission, and also navigating the new world of having 'super mummy buddies'. It's an interesting mesh.

What Should You Expect From Killing It?
When I went into this book, I expected plain old good fun. Chances are, I wouldn't have gone for a spy novel at all, otherwise! But I actually got more than I expected – Killing It does dig deep at the end, even though it starts out lighthearted. Yes, it will be funny in places, and the main character will end up in silly situations, but that's not the point. Neither is the mystery that you'll end up trying to figure out. The point is to shine a light on the situation of many women in the workforce – on how they're scrutinized when they come back to work after having a baby, on how they're suddenly treated as if they're fundamentally different than they were, and how all of that somehow doesn't apply to men. This phenomenon is dissected in great detail in the book, and is looked at from many angles. I liked the views that were presented – on one hand, it's undoubtedly infuriating that a woman would have to prove herself anymore than a man, after a change in her family. On the other hand, while women can still perform just as well, if not better, in stressful situations after they've had a baby, they are usually the parent that has a closer tie to the child, and spends more time with them (which means, loses more time resting or sleeping), and in the end, might be willing to risk more of their health or wellbeing to protect the child – which has to be true about a lot of women and the way motherfood is more physical than fatherhood purely for biological reasons. I liked the ideas discussed in this book in regards to this, and while it's not part of my personal experience, so my understanding is limited, I'm sure it has a lot of bearing.

But Beware Of The Triggers
Well, this is a spy book – graphic violence, strangely, doesn't happen all that much, but it is talked about quite a lot. The main character enjoys the thrill of killing, provided it's a bad person. I think that's about it!

I thank Bonnier Zaffre for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange to my honest opinion. Receiving the book for free does not affect my opinion.

Loved this book. Fast paced with twists and turns with a dollop of comedy. Would happily read a sequel our anything else by this author.

I have loved this book! Funny, witty and relatable, I didn't want to put it off.
Juggling being a mother and a job can be challenging, imagine how can it be when your day-job is being a killer! I just hope that this becomes a series and I can enjoy more missions with Lex.

A fairly entertaining novel, although it didn’t keep me enthralled.

I couldn’t decide if ultimately, the whole spy organisation was believable or not; some aspects felt far-fetched, where I had expected something more on the… ‘realistic’ side? Not that I know much about actual MI6 operations are conducted, that is: it was more a feeling than anything truly objective. Some parts I found amusing and inventive, in a sort of parodic way that I could only envision in a novel or a game (such as conducting interrogations in disused Tube parts, so that nobody would hear the cries over the din of trains or wonder about ‘that drunk, stumbling friend I’m dragging with me at 1 am is absolutely not a suspect I’ve just finished torturing’). I’d say this works if you’re looking for the kind of caricatural spy network, and works probably less well otherwise. As far as I’m concerned, I’m on the fence with it.

As a result, the plot was a little unconvincing, and I couldn’t really connect with Lex as a character: I liked her snarky comments in general, but found it difficult to reconcile her callous take on offing and torturing people with the double standard of ‘I do it on a regular basis to other people, but no one dare touch my daughter’. While wanting to protect one’s family is totally normal, there’s an underlying hypocrisy here that doesn’t sit too well with me, probably because I usually have a strong reaction to ‘do what I say, not as I do’ people.

On the other hand, the novel raises interesting, if not unexpected points about age-old attitudes in the workplace regarding women, and especially mothers. In that, ‘Killing It’ is close to a lot of things we can still see nowadays, where in spit of feminist progress and workplaces generally opening up, a woman’s position is still subjected to ‘having to prove herself twice as much as the men’. (There’s been a lot of progress IRL, and I sure won’t deny this, but I’ve been in enough interviews with barely concealed sexist questions to know that the way to full equality is still long.) Basically, Lex’s struggle with coming back to work after her maternity leave felt real and relevant: some of her colleagues, and especially her boss, kept on questioning her ability to do her job and not ‘giving in to hormones’ and all manners of crap arguments. Here, too, some things were caricatural and laid out too heavily (like Bennie’s attempts at putting Lex down)—and, of course, Lex’s job is not just any office job, and is much more dangerous—but it doesn’t change the fact that many people (other women included) still assume too often that as soon as one becomes a mother, one becomes ‘weaker/less smart/less able/whatever’ and have to prove herself all over again… while nobody bats an eyelid at a man becoming a father.

Conclusion: The humour didn’t always work for me, and some things were definitely hammered in too much. Still, as a light novel that doesn’t demand too much focus, it worked.

Mum is an assassin for the Secret Service. She has to come up with cover stories galore. Done before in comics and films so nothing new. A few humorous parts. Too much information, not enough action.

I love getting NetGalley marketing emails and seeing what new books are available but I’m very rarely tempted to click through and hit that request button. However, as soon as I saw the cover and premise of Killing It I knew that it would make it straight to the top of my TBR!

Going back to work is a challenge for any new mum, but it’s a whole lot tougher if you happen to be a Government Secret Service Assassin. The misogyny was hard enough for Lex Tyler to deal with before she got pregnant but now she’s a mother it’s gone to a whole new level. Despite being an expert with years of experience she’s forced to prove her worth all over again, taking the lead on a mission against powerful enemies with the whole world’s privacy on the line. As if that wasn’t enough she must deal with mum guilt, rice cake on her gun barrel and first and foremost keeping her daughter safe. She’s determined to be the mum who has it all, but can she pull it off, and if so at what cost?

The first thing to say is that I expected this book to be a whole lot of fun and it absolutely was! Any mums of little ones should read it just to indulge in imagining themselves as a spy super mum! No other book combines dangerous secret agent work with the reality of mum guilt, making it unique, interesting and much more down to earth than your average spy novel. However, the insertion so many mundane parenting worries means that the pace is slow. Asia tries to counteract this by regaling the reader with pre-baby spy missions but they don’t produce the desired thrill because we know that Lex is no longer in danger. There’s not enough action and jeopardy for me until the end, when the pace picks up and it gets much better.

I could tell that the author’s focus was more on making it fun rather than super realistic. Maybe I’ve read too many Alex Rider novels, but I was surprised that there’s a whole scene based on the fact that none of Lex’s team know how to write in Russian. They’re spies and not one of them knows Russian? Really?! I also thought that the portrayal of the posh mums Lex has to work with and the sexism she endures was a bit over the top. That’s not to say that I don’t think it’s a genuine reflection of what she would experience, just that it got frustrating and less enjoyable to read at times.

Having said that, Lex is an absolutely brilliant character. She’s exactly what you’d expect from a young woman assassin: sassy, sharp, funny and just a bit messed up. I loved spending time with her.

I feel like this review has been more negative than positive, but I really did enjoy the book, and I will definitely be reading the sequel! If you want something easy, fun and different for the end of the summer then give Killing It a try.

7/10

Killing It was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. Will definitely read more from this author.

I’ve had this book for ages and had no fancy for it as it’s not my usual read but I’m so pleased I took the plunge as I really enjoyed it. Loved Lex and it made me laugh several times as she tried to juggle motherhood and being an assassin. Loved the chemistry between her and Jake and I know this is so bad but I want them to get together! Can’t wait for the sequel which I am assuming we will get given the ending of this novel. Thanks to Zaffre, Netgalley and the author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It was totally different from my usual reading materials. The storyline was amusing and the book kept me hooked to the last page. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Asia Mackay for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

A fast-moving thriller with a difference.

Lex Tyler has just become a mother - but she is a new mother with a definite difference. She is also a killer, a dedicated assassin in her Majesty’s secret service. Her return to work, with all the usual worries of abandoning your baby for the first time, is not a normal one. She is tasked with a new mission, the target inevitably to take out a Russian. To do this Lex has to get close to the target’s wife, Dasha, a London ‘yummy mother’ with ambitions to be the yummiest of them all amidst London’s elite mother set.

The essence of the story is how Lex manages to pursue her dangerous task, while still juggling the endless worries of new motherhood. There are many twists and turns as the question is soon being asked, has she been betrayed by a colleague in Platform 8? Or is someone trying to show her that a mother with a small baby is no longer suitable to be an assassin?

This is a fun and exciting book to read with many amusing moments, such as her daughter Gigi being provided with a bulletproof pram cover. It all sounds authentic, and there is certainly a great deal of background knowledge of the assassin’s complex job. However, I did find certain drawbacks as I read. There was just a bit too much for me of Lex’s endless anxiety of risking her daughter being a motherless child. It must have been obvious from the moment she returned to work that this was a definite probability. I also found the husband almost boringly perfect and surely a trifle stupid? How could his wife, working in ‘Data’, get so many injuries and work such peculiarly long and erratic hours? He never seemed the slightest bit suspicious. Her side-kick Jake was far more exciting and romantic, but her solution to their relationship was not really believable.

Despite this Lex Tyler’s character shows great potential and could easily develop to rival James Bond.

Jane

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

This is a spy story with a difference, and a lot of humour as well. The premise of it shouldn’t work, but it does.

The storyline kept my attention throughout, whether it was to do with the spy part of the story, or the motherhood part.

This was an easy read and ideal for sitting down with on a summers day.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy.

Sometimes, you just want a book that you can kick back with and relax. A no-strings-attached, uncomplicated good time.

Killing It was all of that and more. It’s funny, it’s bizarre and it’s quite often rather bloody. But it’s also a hilarious look into the often alienating and scary new world of motherhood- and juxtaposing it with an even more alienating and scary world: that of the secret service.

After her maternity leave finishes, Alexis Tyler is returning to work. But her work is with MI9- the secret secret service, which specialises in training and using assassins to carry out Her Majesty’s Work. And when the mission that she’s put on starts to compromise her safety- and that of her family’s- then she starts to suspect that, beyond sexism, all is not right with the organisation she’s returned back to…

That’s by the by, though. The main pleasure in reading this was from the entirely new spin on the spy genre. No more scowling men or Daniel Craig dangling from cranes; no, this time there’s a woman in charge. Alexis is a gloriously badass breath of fresh air, who considers herself just as good as the men and is refreshingly frank about how little she enjoys life as a stay-at-home mum in favour of the thrills and kills that she’s involved with as part of her job. This time, it’s her hapless husband who is in the dark- instead, she’s working with her old fling, the sassy and excellent Jake, to get the job done.

Bringing a woman to the fore is great- and not just because of how fierce and wily Alexis is. She’s also fighting to prove herself one of the boys, as many think that she can’t do her job after motherhood. It’s changed her, yes, but it might just have given her the edge in the mission that she’s taken on: infiltrating a group of yummy mummies, which of course leads to some pretty hilarious, farcical scenes as she attempts to do dead drops in a children’s nursery, hide gadgets in stuffed toys and pass herself off as an ultra-rich stay-at-home parent.

This book probably shouldn’t work, but it does- on every level. Walking a fine line between humour and a nail-biting plot worthy of a James Bond film (in the best way possible!), with twists, turns and heists galore, it quickly pulled me in. Though I would have liked to read more about Will, Lex’s husband, the book itself is a sharply written, crispy-executed premise that definitely impresses for a debut! More please.

Three word review: funny. Sharp. Deadly.