FIRST RUNNER-UP OF THE INAUGURAL 2019 CWIP PRIZE

'Original' Clare Mackintosh

'James Bond should retire now . . . puts the sass in assassin as it's never been done before' L. S. Hilton

***

Killing Eve meets Stephanie Meyer's The Chemist in this 'unique' (Heat magazine) debut thriller.

Meet Lex Tyler.

She's a covert operative for Platform Eight, the assassination department of Her Majesty's Secret Service, and one of the very few women to successfully negotiate the old boy's network of the espionage world.

She's smart, resourceful and very deadly - and she's not your average back-to-work mum.

Her new assignment is a high-stakes hit. Her target: Russian oligarch Dmitri Tupolev. But the more she digs into his life, the more Lex wonders if there isn't a different game going on - one in which she might be an unsuspecting casualty.

With her own family now to worry about, Lex needs to work out who is really pulling the strings, before she too becomes a loose end.

In her world, failure is not an option.

'This unique novel is a thrilling ride' Heat magazine

FIRST RUNNER-UP OF THE INAUGURAL 2019 CWIP PRIZE

About the Author
A half-Chinese, half-Scottish Londoner, Asia studied Anthropology at Durham University, after which she started a career in television. She presented and produced lifestyle programmes in Shanghai before moving back to London, where she worked for Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman as Project Manager on their round the world motorbike documentaries. She started writing Killing It, her debut novel, on maternity leave and undertook a Faber Academy course to help her finish it. Asia lives in London with her husband, four young children and two dogs. Killing It was described as 'brilliant' by Hugh Grant, 'different and refreshing' by Marian Keyes and 'witty and original' by Clare Mackintosh. It was the first runner-up in the inaugural 2019 CWIP Prize. The Nursery has been called 'lethally addictive' by A. L. Gaylin, with 'shades of Killing Eve' (Claire Allan); and was one of the Daily Telegraph's Best 28 Thrillers of 2019.

Reviews
Witty and original . . . one for your suitcase this summer * Clare Mackintosh, author of I Let You Go *
A riotously fun read . . . James Bond should retire now: Lex Tyler shows him up for the tired old has-been he is. With prose as sharp as her heroine's (actual) killer heels, Asia Mackay puts the sass in assassin as it's never been done before * L. S. Hilton *
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!! It's so new and different and refreshing and I found it such fun (also loved the feminist message) * Marian Keyes *
With a slick plot, pin-sharp prose and an authentic feel, this fiercely feminist and witty thriller will keep you gripped . . . and rooting for a rather wonderful heroine * Sunday Mirror *
An annoyingly brilliant and funny first novel * Hugh Grant *
Mackay's debut is fresh and fun, and adroitly combines social and parenting comedy with detail-rich derring-do -- John Dugdale * The Sunday Times *
With dark humour, a twisty plot and a healthy dose of genuine emotion, this unique novel is a thrilling ride * Heat magazine *
Bold and ballsy with style to burn, Killing It takes a sledgehammer to the spy genre and the result is pure brilliance * Chris Whitaker, winner of the CWA John Creasey Dagger *
I loved it. Really entertaining, good fun and captures the mum juggle/guilt perfectly. Would love to go out for a drink with Lex. PS You had me at Monkey Music #TeamLex * The Unmumsy Mum *
Witty . . . fun . . . clever. BRILLIANT! * Sophie Ellis-Bextor *
Killing It will bring to the screen an urgently contemporary, kick-ass action heroine for our times. Lex Tyler is the ultimate female trail-blazer: as dextrous with a breast pump as she is with a gun. We're so excited to be going on a thrilling action adventure with Lex, to cinematise her battle with returning to work, trying to take care of a young baby and, of course, trying to save the country . . . * Rory Aitken, Producer, 42 Media & Production *
This might be the best fun I've ever had reading a book. Funny, observant and proper adrenaline inducing thrills, I now solely aspire to be even half the woman Lex Tyler is. A bad ass with a baby: every mother's dream * Georgia Tennant *
What new mother can't relate to murder? This is the funny and thrilling story of how one woman does what all women do all the time - manage every single thing - and throws in a bit of efficient killing. Brilliant, wish I'd done more of that . . . * Arabella Weir *
I really think it deserves to be read as a feminist rallying cry to all of those mothers doing such a lot of emotional, as well as physical, work to keep their families happy * Stephanie Butland, author of Lost for Words *
This fiercely feminist and witty thriller will keep you gripped - and rooting for the really rather wonderful heroine * Sunday People *
Forget James Bond and meet this summer's most fearless, most resourceful and most entertaining superhero-spy . . . In her hilarious, clever and refreshingly original debut, Asia Mackay shows us just what fun can be extracted from the creation of a breast-feeding but strong-willed woman who can successfully combine espionage with motherhood . . . As fast with her mother-of-the-baby quips as she is with a loaded .38 pistol, Lex Tyler is a brilliant new feminist hero . . . Mackay's twist on the traditional male spy genre - starring an agent who uses her equivalent of Bond's Q to rig up surveillance gadgets for 'hands-free parenting' - is entertainment at its most imaginative and enjoyable. With put-downs aplenty, breathtaking action sequences, and fascinating emotional insights into every working mother's innermost guilt complex, this is a hit-woman thriller that certainly hits the spot! * Lancashire Evening Post *
Exciting and very funny * http://bookoxygen.com *
Killing It is lighthearted, funny and very easy to read . . . I couldn't put this one down * The L Space *
Smart, funny and pacy, Killing It is SUCH fun . . . (think James Bond meets Villanelle/Killing Eve) and a total feminist badass protagonist with sharp wit. An immensely satisfying read for fans of Lisa Lutz and Janet Evanovich, or for those who love their crime fiction but would like to find something in the genre that's refreshing and fun * Better Read Than Dead *



Book Information
ISBN 9781785764530
Author Asia Mackay
Format Paperback
Page Count 400
Imprint Zaffre
Publisher Zaffre
Weight(grams) 292g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 23mm