A Spy to Die For

DeLake (one of many pseudonyms for multigenre author Kristine Kathryn Rusch) follows Assassins in Love with another science fiction romance in which rival spies can only survive by believing in each other. Skylight “Sky” Jones is the abandoned daughter of two assassins. She’s paying off her debt to the Assassins Guild by spying, but can’t bring herself to actually kill anyone. Jack Hunter is an investigator for the Rovers, a loosely knit group of assassins who refuse to join the sanctioned Guild. Sky and Jack have immediate chemistry when they meet on the hellhole planet Krell—but someone seems awfully anxious to kill them. The two work together to stay alive long enough to find out who’s trying to do them in. DeLake takes readers on a hair-raising and enjoyable journey with engaging characters (other than the one-dimensional villain) and tight, smart plotting. (July)