Histrionic. Overly emotive. Repetitive. Show offy - look how much research I did! For a novella it's remarkably torpid. I zoned out several times while the author was showing how perfectly awful Americans are and how sinister, worldly, deadly and completely perfect the protagonist is. And smug with it into the bargain. Bleah. ( )

If you're a fan of Taylor Stevens' Vanessa Michael Munroe series, you'll enjoy this short novella. If you're not familiar with the character, start at the beginning in the set because you don't get much depth here.

I view VMM is a sort of an poly-lingual (not a word?), androgynous, chameleon-like, technically proficient version of Jason Bourne whose only allegiance is to her own personal moral code. She certainly faces lots of dangerous situations, but it helps when you can fluidly change genders and languages, you can code, and you're lethal with knives, guns, and your own body.

'The Vessel' is essentially a quest for revenge on a guy from VMM's past. He's a high level participant in the human trafficking of young girls, so not only does VMM have past history with her specific target, but the entire concept of what he's involved in gets VMM quite incensed. Her quest to find him is a long one calendar-wise, but a short one in the book since there's not a lot of detail provided. If you know the character, you know what's going on and how she operates.

Steven's writing is decent and she has a knack for writing short, propulsive sentences that push the story forward. I usually find her dialogue to be mediocre and a little overwrought and there tends to be an overly dramatic tone in the novels in this series. However, it works since the VMM character is such a strong one. If you're a Stevens fan, The Vessel is a good short read that will fill in a few blanks for you. ( )

This is a short story featuring Vanessa Munroe from the author's best selling series. It cleans up a few loose ends left after "The Doll", in preparation for the release of "The Catch".
This time, it's all about Munroe. She's on a very personal mission to track down a twisted rapist/murderer. In a previous story line he forced her to help him kidnap pretty young things for his pleasure. Due to her background, she can more than relate to the fate of these girls. Unable to save them, she vowed to make him pay & that day has arrived.
Using her physical & technical skills she follows his trail across several countries, showing no mercy to those who get in her way.
There is little dialogue & no other characters of note except for her quarry. Instead, the reader hangs out in her head which can be a scary place to be. We are privy to her thoughts, feelings & regrets as she reflects on her life. Because I've read the other books, I knew I liked the character but I missed the interaction between her & the few people she trusts.
The author alludes to some of her background but I wouldn't recommend starting here if you are new to this character. Instead, pick up "The Informationist". It's a great book & you'll learn about her family, childhood & the events that shaped her into the cool, efficient killer she is today. ( )