Elemental Assassin series

## Genre Information

Urban Fantasy

 (Series Content Ratings Click on Explicit Ratings for details.)

## About the Series

* **Genres:** Adult, Urban Fantasy
* **Theme:**
* **Narrative style**: First person narrative told by Gin Blanco

## Series Description

The Elemental Assassin books are set in the fictional Southern metropolis of Ashland, where Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina meet in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. The books focus on Gin Blanco, an assassin codenamed the Spider who runs a barbecue restaurant called the Pork Pit in her spare time. Gin is also an elemental or person who can control one of the four elements – Air, Fire, Ice, and Stone. Gin has the rare gift of being able to control two elements, Ice and Stone in her case. Besides elementals like Gin, Ashland is also home to giants, dwarves, and vampires.

## Books in Series

1. Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin Book 1) (2010)
	* Web of Death (Elemental Assassin 1.5) (2011)
2. Web of Lies (Elemental Assassin Book 2) (2010)
	* Web of Deceit (Elemental Assassin 2.5) (2011)
	* Poison (Elemental Assassin 2.6) (2011) ~ eBook (Gin is a teenager)
	* Wasted (Elemental Assassin 2.7) (2011) ~ eBook (Finn)
3. Venom (Elemental Assassin Book 3) (2010)
	* Tangled Dreams (Elemental Assassin 3.5)(2011)
	* Tangled Schemes (Elemental Assassin 3.7) (2011)
4. Tangled Threads (Elemental Assassin Book 4) (2011)
5. Spider's Revenge (Elemental Assassin Book 5) (2011)
6. By a Thread (Elemental Assassin Book 6) (2012)
7. Widow's Web (Elemental Assassin Book 7) (2012)
8. Deadly Sting (Elemental Assassin Book 8) (2013)
	* Parlor Tricks (Elemental Assassin 8.25) (2013) - Novella
	* Kiss of Venom (Elemental Assassin 8.5) (2013) - Novella
9. Heart of Venom (Elemental Assassin Book 9) (2013)
10. The Spider (Elemental Assassin Book 10) (2013)
11. Poison Promise (Elemental Assassin Book 11) (2014)
12. Black Widow (Elemental Assassin Book 12) (2014)
13. Spider's Trap (Elemental Assassin Book 13) (2015)
14. Bitter Bite (Elemental Assassin Book 14) (2016)
	* Unwanted (Elemental Assassin 14.5) (2016) - Novella
15. Unraveled (Elemental Assassin Book 15) (2016)
	* Nice Guys Bite (Elemental Assassin 15.5) (2016) - Novella
16. Snared (Elemental Assassin Book 16) (2017)
17. Venom in the Veins (Elemental Assassin Book 17) (2018)
	* Winters Web (Elemental Assassin 17.5) (2019) (Seasons of Sorcery: A Fantasy Anthology)
18. Sharpest Sting (Elemental Assassin Book 18) (2019)
19. Last Strand (Elemental Assassin Book 19) (2021)

### Shorts, Anthologies and Guides

* 0.5. "Spider's Bargain" (2011) ~ eBook (Gin Blanco)
* 1.5. "Web of Death" (2011) ~ eBook (Gin Blanco)
* 2.5. "Web of Deceit" (2011) ~ eBook (Gin)
* 2.6. "Poison" (2011) ~ eBook (Gin is a teenager)
* 2.7. "Wasted" (2011) ~ eBook (Finn)
* 3.5. "Tangled Dreams" (2011)
* 3.7 "Tangled Schemes" (2011)
* 4.5. *Haints and Hobwebs* in *The Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance* (2012) ~ (Gin and Bria)
* 5.5. *Thread of Death* (2012) ~ eNovella
* 8.1. *Parlor Tricks* in Carniepunk (2013) ~ Anthology/eBook ~ **Elemental Assassin series** #8.1
* 8.5. *Kiss of Venom* (2013) ~ eNovella (Owen's PoV)
* 14.5. Unwanted (Novella 14.5) (2016)
* 15.5. Nice Guys Bite (Novella 15.5) (2016)
* 17.5. Winters Web (Novella 17.5) (2019) (Seasons of Sorcery: A Fantasy Anthology)

## World Building

### Setting

**Ashland** — the southern metropolis that bordered Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia. It's surrounded by forests, hills, and rivers and is over the Appalachian Mountains.

### Fantasy Elements

✥ Elementals, vampires, giants, dwarves, supe-assassins, Supe-gansters (supe-mob/mafia) dwarves, com­puter whiz, pyrokinesis, evil corporations.

### World

Elementals, the elementals (manipulators of fire, ice, stone, and metal) are the top dogs, with more power than the other supernaturals: giants, dwarfs, and vampires (no shape-shifters in this world). The supernaturals live openly among the humans.

Gin is a rare stone and ice elemental who lives and works in Ashland, a southern Appalachian city that (at the beginning of the series) is under the Mafia-style control of the villainous Mab Monroe, a fire elemental who may have a link to Gin’s tortured past. Mab controls the town through its human corporate structure and security forces.

The over-arching series plot of the first five books involves Gin’s search for information about the murder of her mother and sisters seventeen years ago. In each book, Gin receives a bit more information about the killer and about the reasons for her family’s murder. Other key characters include Finn Lane (Fletcher’s computer-savvy, womanizing son) and the dwarven Deveraux sisters (Sophia and Jo-Jo) who assist Gin in her adventures.

### Protagonist

Gin is an orphan whose family was murdered by Mab Monroe when she was a child. She was raised by Fletcher Lane (aka the Tin Man), an assassin who trained Gin to be his successor. Fletcher began training Gin in all aspects of murder and mayhem almost as soon as she came to live with him and his son, Finnegan (aka Finn). For Gin, dressing all in black and breaking into homes and buildings in the dead of night is perfectly normal, and she doesn't understand why some people object to her life style.

## Book Descriptions

1. Spider's Bite (2010)
They call me the Spider. I'm the most feared assassin in the South when I'm not busy at the Pork Pit cooking up the best barbecue in Ashland. As a Stone elemental, I can hear everything from the whispers of the gravel beneath my feet to the vibrations of the soaring Appalachian Mountains above me. My Ice magic also comes in handy for making the occasional knife. But I don't use my powers on the job unless I absolutely have to. Call it professional pride. Now that a ruthless Air elemental has double-crossed me and killed my handler, I'm out for revenge. And I'll exterminate anyone who gets in my way  good or bad. I may look hot, but I'm still one of the bad guys. Which is why I'm in trouble, since irresistibly rugged Detective Donovan Caine has agreed to help me. The last thing this coldhearted killer needs when I'm battling a magic more powerful than my own is a sexy distraction...especially when Donovan wants me dead just as much as the enemy.
2. Web of Lies (2010
Curiosity is definitely going to get me dead one of these days. Probably real soon.
I’m Gin Blanco. You might know me as the Spider, the most feared assassin in the South. I’m retired now, but trouble still has a way of finding me. Like the other day when two punks tried to rob my barbecue joint, the Pork Pit. Then there was the barrage of gunfire on the restaurant. Only, for once, those kill shots weren’t aimed at me. They were meant for Violet Fox. Ever since I agreed to help Violet and her grandfather protect their property from an evil coal-mining tycoon, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m really retired. So is Detective Donovan Caine. The only honest cop in ashland is having a real hard time reconciling his attraction to me with his Boy Scount mentality. And I can barely keep my hands off his sexy body. What can I say? I’m a Stone elemental — with a little Ice magic thrown in — but my heart isn’t made of solid rock. Luckily, Gin Blanco always gets her man … dead or alive.

3. Venom (2010)
It’s hard to be a badass assassin when a giant is beating the crap out of you. Luckily, I never let pride get in the way of my work. My current mission is personal: annihilate Mab Monroe, the Fire elemental who murdered my family. Which means protecting my identity, even if I have to conceal my powerful Stone and Ice magic when I need it most. To the public, I’m Gin Blanco, owner of Ashland’s best barbecue joint. To my friends, I’m the Spider, retired assassin. I still do favors on the side. Like ridding a vampire friend of her oversized stalker — Mab’s right-hand goon who almost got me dead with his massive fists. At least irresistible Owen Grayson is on my side. The man knows too much about me, but I’ll take my chances. Then there’s Detective Bria Coolidge, one of Ashland’s finest. Until recently, I thought my baby sister was dead. She probably thinks the same about me. Little does she know, I’m a cold-blooded killer … who is about to save her life.
4. Tangled Threads (2011)
I’d rather face a dozen lethal assassins any night than deal with something as tricky, convoluted, and fragile as my feelings. But here I am. Gin Blanco, the semi-retired assassin known as the Spider. Hovering outside sexy businessman Owen Grayson’s front door like a nervous teenage girl. One thing I like about Owen: he doesn’t shy away from my past — or my present. And right now I have a bull’s-eye on my forehead. Cold-blooded Fire elemental Mab Monroe has hired one of the smartest assassins in the business to trap me. Elektra LaFleur is skilled and efficient, with deadly electrical elemental magic as potent as my own Ice and Stone powers. Which means there’s a fifty-fifty chance one of us won’t survive this battle. I intend to kill LaFleur — or die trying — because Mab wants the assassin to take out my baby sister, Detective Bria Coolidge, too. The only problem is, Bria has no idea I’m her long-lost sibling … or that I’m the murderer she’s been chasing through Ashland for weeks. And what Bria doesn’t know just might get us both dead …
5. Spider's Revenge (2011)
Old habits die hard. And I plan on murdering someone before the night is through.
Killing used to be my regular gig, after all. Gin Blanco, aka the Spider, assassin-for-hire. And I was very good at it. Now, I’m ready to make the one hit that truly matters: Mab Monroe, the dangerous Fire elemental who murdered my family when I was thirteen. Oh, I don’t think the mission will be easy, but turns out it’s a bit more problematic than expected. The bitch knows I’m coming for her. So now I’m up against the army of lethal bounty hunters she hired to track me down. She also put a price on my baby sister’s head. Keeping Bria safe is my first priority. Taking Mab out is a close second. Good thing I’ve got my powerful Stone and Ice magic — and my irresistible lover Owen Grayson — to watch my back. This battle has been years in the making, and there’s a chance I won’t survive. But if I’m going down, then Mab’s coming with me … no matter what I have to do to make that happen.

6. By a Thread (2012)
When killing people is your job, there’s no such thing as a vacation.
Then again, how often does an assassin live long enough to enjoy her retirement? In this line of work, you either get lucky or you get dead. And since I destroyed my nemesis Mab Monroe a few weeks ago, all of Ashland’s lowlifes are gunning to make a name for themselves by taking out the lethal Spider—me, Gin Blanco. So I’m leaving behind my beloved barbecue joint and heading south with my baby sister, Bria, to cool my heels in a swanky beach town. Call it a weekend of fun in the sun. But when a powerful vampire with deadly elemental magic threatens an old friend of Bria’s, it looks like I’ll have to dig my silver stone knives out of my suitcase after all. Complicating matters further is the reappearance of Detective Donovan Caine, my old lover. But Donovan is the least of my problems. Because this time, the danger is hot on my trail, and not even my elemental Ice and Stone magic may be enough to save me from getting buried in the sand—permanently.

7. Widow's Web (2012)
I used to murder people for money, but these days it’s more of a survival technique.
Once an assassin, always an assassin. So much for being plain old Gin Blanco. With every lowlife in Ashland gunning for me, I don’t need another problem, but a new one has come to town. Salina might seem like a sweet Southern belle, but she’s really a dangerous enemy whose water elemental magic can go head-to-head with my own Ice and Stone power. Salina also has an intimate history with my lover, Owen Grayson, and now that she’s back in town, she thinks he’s hers for the taking. Salina’s playing a mysterious game that involves a shady local casino owner with a surprising connection to Owen. But they call me the Spider for a reason. I’m going to untangle her deadly scheme, even if it leaves my love affair hanging by a thread.

8. Deadly Sting (2013)
Red is definitely my color. Good thing, because in my line of work, I end up wearing it a lot.
Most people shy away from blood, but for an assassin like me — Gin Blanco, aka the Spider — it’s just part of the job. Still, it would be nice to get a night off, especially when I’m attending the biggest gala event of the summer at Briartop, Ashland’s fanciest art museum. But it’s just not meant to be. For this exhibition of my late nemesis’ priceless possessions is not only the place to be seen, but the place to be robbed and taken hostage at gunpoint as well. No sooner did I get my champagne than a bunch of the unluckiest thieves ever burst into the museum and started looting the place.
Unlucky why? Because I brought along a couple of knives in addition to my killer dress. Add these to my Ice and Stone magic, and nothing makes me happier than showing the bad guys why red really is my color.

9. Heart of Venom (2013)
When I say you’re a dead man, take that literally.
To me, killing people is like a day at the salon: cut and dry. Well, more like rinse and repeat when you moonlight as the assassin the Spider. But my last spa day ended redder than my freshly painted nails after a twisted Fire elemental and his goons kidnapped my close friend Sophia Deveraux and nearly killed her sister Jo-Jo in the process.
Up Ashland’s most dangerous mountains, and deep into the heart of its blackest woods — I’ll track these thugs no matter where they take Sophia. It doesn’t matter what kind of elemental magic they try to throw at me, my Ice and Stone powers can take the heat and then some. I will get Sophia back, over their dead bodies.
Because anybody that hurts Gin Blanco’s family becomes a body

10. The Spider (2013)
How did I end up in a career where I always have blood on my hands?
Well, let me tell you a story about an assassin who thought she could do no wrong …
Ten years ago. A blistering hot August night. I remember like it was yesterday. The night I, Gin Blanco, truly became the Spider. Killing people is what I do best, especially now that I’ve honed my Ice and Stone magic. But back then, I had yet to learn one very important rule: arrogance will get you, every single time.
This particular job seemed simple: murder a crooked building contractor with ties to ruthless Fire elemental Mab Monroe. My mentor, Fletcher Lane, had some misgivings, but I was certain that I had the situation under control … right up until I exposed my weaknesses to a merciless opponent who exploited every single one of them. There’s a reason assassins aren’t supposed to feel anything. Luckily, a knife to the heart can fix that problem, especially when I’m the one wielding it …

11. Poison Promise (2014)
I specialize in making death wishes come true.
Pop quiz. Which do you think is deadlier: Burn, the nastiest drug ever to hit the mean streets of Ashland, or me, Gin Blanco, the assassin known as the Spider? Answer: Me—because I don’t kill you slowly.
Normally, drug dealers aren’t my department. But I’m turning up the heat on some relentless Burn-pushing thugs who won’t leave my friends alone. Pushers who have my cop sister beside herself with rage, so I’m stepping up to keep her from doing something stupid and getting herself killed. Once I’m in, I’m in, and these folks have picked their poison: the Spider’s venom. But even bad guys have their good days, and sometimes even my Ice and Stone magic isn’t enough. For behind the drug is a vicious vampire with a scientific eye for results. And behind him… trouble like I haven’t seen since I took down my legendary nemesis, Mab Monroe.

12. Black Widow (2014)
There’s nothing worse than a cruel, cunning enemy with time to kill—and my murder to plan. With wicked Fire elemental Mab Monroe long gone, you’d think I could finally catch a break. But someone’s always trying to take me down, either as Gin Blanco or my assassin alter-ago. Now along comes the Spider’s new arch-nemesis, the mysteriously named M. M. Monroe, who is gleefully working overtime to trap me in a sticky web of deceit.
The thing is, I’m not the only target. I can see through the tangled threads enough to know that every bit of bad luck my friends have been having lately is no accident—and that each unfortunate “coincidence” is just one more arrow drawing ever closer to hitting the real bulls-eye. Though new to Ashland, this M. M. Monroe is no stranger to irony, trying to get me, an assassin, framed for murder. Yet, as my enemy’s master plan is slowly revealed, I have a sinking feeling that it will take more than my powerful Ice and Stone magic to stop my whole life from going up in flames.

13. Spider's Trap (2015)
Keep your friends close but your enemies within stabbing distance. One important lesson I’ve learned in the assassination business is that to be the best you have to roll with the punches. Now that I’m queen of Ashland’s underworld—by default, not by choice—a lot more punches are being thrown my way. But I suppose that’s the price of victory for taking down some of the underworld’s top dogs. Good thing I have my Ice and Stone magic to help me survive my volatile new position. Just when I think things are finally settling down, someone tries to murder me during a hush-hush underworld meeting. But the real surprise is how strangely familiar my shadowy assailant seems to be. My job is to maintain order among killers, crooks, and thieves, and soon I’m embroiled in a bloody game where the ability to keep secrets could be the greatest superpower of all. My enemies have all sharpened their knives and laid their traps, waiting for me to fall. But this Spider weaves her own webs of death …
14. Bitter Bite (2016)
Which is stronger: blood ties or a battle-tested friendship? It’s not easy being queen bee of an underworld abuzz with crooks and killers. Wielding my potent Ice and Stone elemental magic will only get me so far—my real secret is my tight-knit makeshift family, a motley crew of cops and criminals, dwarves and playboys. My foster brother Finnegan Lane is my right-hand man, but when his suddenly not-dead relative comes back into the picture, I’m the one on the outside looking in. It’s funny how life works: one minute your best friend is rock-steady, and the next he’s doe-eyed and buying into this whole loving-relative routine to the point of ignoring you. I’d like to be happy for Finn, I really would. But all of my instincts are telling me that beneath the syrupy sweet demeanor and old-fashioned charm, this sudden interloper is planning something. The whole shtick leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. This person might have avoided the grave once, but I’ll put anyone who hurts Finn in the ground—for good.
15. Unraveled (2016)
***What could go wrong when you’re trying to unravel a decades-old conspiracy?***
As the current queen of the Ashland underworld, you would think that I, Gin Blanco, would know all about some secret society controlling things from behind the scenes. I might be the Spider, the city’s most fearsome assassin, but all my Ice and Stone elemental magic hasn’t done me a lick of good in learning more about “the Circle”. Despite my continued investigations, the trail’s gone as cold as the coming winter.
So when Finnegan Lane, my foster brother, gets word of a surprising inheritance, we figure why not skip town for someplace less dangerous for a few days? That place: Bullet Pointe, a fancy hotel resort complex plus Old West theme park that Finn now owns lock, stock, and barrel. At first, all the struttin’ cowboys and sassy saloon girls are just hokey fun. But add in some shady coincidences and Circle assassins lurking all around, and vacationing becomes wilder—and deadlier—than any of us expected.
Good thing this assassin brought plenty of knives to the gunfight ...
16. Snared (2017)
Another week, another few clues trickling in about the Circle, the mysterious group that supposedly runs the city’s underworld. Gathering intel on my hidden enemies is a painstaking process, but a more immediate mystery has popped up on my radar: a missing girl.
My search for the girl begins on the mean streets of Ashland, but with all the killers and crooks in this city, I’m not holding out much hope that she’s still alive.
A series of clues leads me down an increasingly dark, dangerous path, and I realize that the missing girl is really just the first thread in this web of evil. As an assassin, I’m used to facing down the worst of the worst, but nothing prepares me for this new, terrifying enemy—one who strikes from the shadows and is determined to make me the next victim. ~
17. Venom in the Veins (2018)
**Blood might be thicker than water, but venom is stronger than just about anything ...**
It was supposed to be a nice, quiet, simple dinner with friends—but nothing is ever nice, quiet, or simple when you’re Gin Blanco, the Spider, notorious assassin and current queen of the Ashland underworld.
This time around, someone seems to be targeting Stuart Mosley, the president of First Trust bank. Lots of people have grudges against Mosley, but the more I investigate, the more Mosley’s problems seem to be connected to some of my own, especially when it comes to the Circle, the evil, shadowy group that is secretly responsible for much of the crime and corruption in Ashland.
18. Sharpest Sting (2019)
**The truth won’t set me free—but it will probably get me killed ...**
As Gin Blanco, aka the assassin the Spider, I’m used to having a target on my back. But ever since I started investigating the secret society known as the Circle, that target seems bigger than ever.
Still, I’m trying to relax and enjoy the events leading up to my friends’ wedding when I learn that an old enemy has returned to Ashland. And that’s the just beginning of my latest nightmare. Soon, I have Circle goons watching my every move, but I have no choice but to continue searching for a key piece of evidence against the evil group.
19. Last Strand (2021)
I’ve battled a lot of bad guys in my time, both as Gin Blanco and as the notorious assassin the Spider. But I’ve never faced off against anyone quite as powerful and deadly as the dastardly leader of the Circle secret society.
Just when I finally have a lead on how I can defeat the evil group once and for all, new information comes to light that throws me for a loop. Suddenly, everyone and everything I love is in imminent peril of being destroyed, and I’m racing against the clock to figure out a way to save my friends.
## References

1. ↑ Jennifer Estep | Elemental Assassin Series
2. ↑ Fang-tastic Fiction: Jennifer Estep: ELEMENTAL ASSASSIN SERIES