Review of "Valentine - Prelude To A Kill" by Daniel Cooney with Introduction by Noel Hynd

(note: May contain one or two spoilers, depending on how you look at it)


I purchased this book at New York ComicCon 2013. And boy am I glad I did.

This a story about Dana "Valentine" Vasquez who just got out of prison and is not sure who pulled the strings to let her out. She was in on a triple homicide. Then when she got out she realized that a friend of hers had been murdered and she knew who did it. So she committed another murder. She believed certain people deserved it. Now what does she do? People will be looking for her and this time she will not get out of jail so easily. She soon is about to meet someone who will change her life.

She soon runs into an old friend from prison, Ursula, who had actually been tracking Dana since she herself got out of prison. Tracking her for the job she did - assassin for hire. Valentine was not sure at first but hearing about the money, and having the skills, she accepts the long hard training she is about to get.

She goes to a massive ship that has just about everything and that is where she meets Malone - the head guy in charge. Well actually Mr. Blanc is. But Malone does the training and he is impressed with Valentine. Soon she goes as back up on her first job. But she is just backup and not happy about it. She remembers the rush she got from her other kills. The man she goes with is Nikki. Things get a little hot and heavy between them and she did not even like them when they first met.

So you know I do not do spoilers. The rest of this story is about the gang of people on the ship that are also in the same business. They get recruited and trained. Everything is done for them including the training, and for the kill the fake passports, spending money, rendevous points you name it, Malone does it for his crew. All Dana wants is the good life, a lot of money, to have her prison record wiped clean, and to see her mother again. Malone can do all of that for her and more.

Dana is a strong female character and not just because she kicks ass and take names. You feel what she is feeling and you know she is really keeping it together more than a normal person would. The other characters are very complimentary.

The book is an action packed thriller that keeps you turning the pages.