From the cover:
"She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn't even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.
Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They've killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.
When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it's her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous.
Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.
In this tautly plotted novel, Meyer creates a fierce and fascinating new heroine with a very specialized skill set. And she shows once again why she's one of the world's bestselling authors."
This started off on a strong enough note...The Chemist has been on the run since her former bosses tried to kill her, but now they've offered to call off their dogs if she comes in for one last job. She takes the bait, only to find herself interrogating an obviously innocent man. Just as she's realizing her former employers have played her somehow, the interrogation is interrupted--by her mark's twin brother, back from the dead.
Gaaaaaasp! Things are about to get interesting!
It turns out she was sent to flush out the ex-CIA twin brother of the guy they sent her after, who had faked his own death to escape being taken out by a corrupt CIA official. Or something. Now the trio (for the adventure would not be complete without the innocent former schoolteacher brother The Chemist tortured for information he didn't have) has joined forces in order to take our their oppressors and free themselves from the terror of living in constant fear for their lives.
It's all so exciting, in theory. But then you get into some pretty hard to believe things shoved into the story for convenience, mainly the schoolteacher brother who is a-ok with being tortured, falls in love with the main character immediately, and is somehow almost completely unfazed by all the insane violence and murder going on around him. Like, sorry, but no matter how attracted I find myself to someone upon seeing them on the DC metro, as soon as they cause me immense physical pain in order to force information out of me, I'm out. I'm for sure not going to be down to travel around with my torturer and a brother I know nothing about while they hatch some crazy plan to flush out the people chasing them and kill them. It was a little much to believe, and it only got worse as he and the Chemist's weird relationship developed. I was alright with the book until they got together, but after that there was a clear shift in the focus of the plot, and the insane romantic storyline became the focus, with the whole "let's get rid of these guys and free ourselves to live our lives" thing taking a backseat. Bleh. No thanks.
Ultimately...it was ok. There are better books out there, but if you're looking for something, say, to get you through a six-hour plane ride, this will do the trick.
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