In the vein of "Killers of a Certain Age", "Second Shot" features a retired CIA assassin who's just trying to connect with her grown children after spending much of their childhood on assignment. This book is a fast-paced, humorous thrill ride as Helen takes out the killers who are tracking her down while trying to keep her children safe and her history secret. The book ends on a cliffhanger, so I'm looking forward to more adventures of Helen Warwick.

Thanks to Kensington Books for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley. ( )

Second Shot by Cindy Dees
Helen Warwick series #1. Spy thriller, older female protagonist.
Helen recently retired from a government job. She expects to spend her days getting to know her adult children and grand-puppy but someone has other ideas. When a group of mercenaries invade her son’s home, Helen is forced to protect herself, kill three of the shooters and jump back into the espionage game. Someone clearly has it out for the retired government assassin.

Action packed and intricate twists in the assassin’s botched retirement. The question: who was really target that night? An interwoven secondary story includes a vicious serial killer.
DC is filled with government agencies and spies. Who can be trusted? Helen is 55 and not as agile as she used to be. At least that what hearing her say to herself as she dives into another covert situation. She still runs, chases, shoots and uncovers the enemy quite effectively.
Intriguing. She’s impressively protective of her extended family. The 1st in a series and several questions left unanswered.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. ( )

Helen Warwick, 55, recently retired from the CIA and former assassin just wants to reconnect with her family and make up for lost time. Except, one can never really leave the service and when her son’s house is destroyed by assassins while she is puppy sitting, she is determined to find out who is behind it. This one strong, skilled, smart woman which makes a great character in this suspenseful thriller. I couldn’t put the book down and finished within three days. I was afraid since this was the beginning of a new series, that there would be an untidy ending. But no, the conclusion was satisfactory with enough fodder to continue in the next book. I look forward to that next chapter. ( )