At the beginning of Dana Haynes's Gun Metal Heart, Daria Gibron--former agent for Israel's Shin Bet (secret service) and now freelance operative--is recovering from injuries incurred during her previous escapade, Ice Cold Kill. She's in rural Italy when her old colleague Diego tracks her down. Diego and his friend Vince were hired as bodyguards for a female engineer and her mysterious invention, but Vince has disappeared and Diego fears the worst. When he's in trouble, he seeks out Daria.
After warning Diego that she's not yet operating at 100%, Daria dives into an international situation that even someone in top shape might not survive. Among its other uses, the engineer's invention is turned into a deadly weapon against Daria. To add to her troubles, several former CIA agents she disgraced in the last book are out to murder her. What's a girl to do?
If she's Daria, she kicks butt. Daria is an arresting character, like a female, petite Jack Reacher; at one point, a villain advises that five men must be sent to take down Daria if they're to have any chance of success. She's not only good in a fight but finds extremely clever ways to outwit her pursuers. Here, she finds a worthy adversary in a woman whose reputation is about as lethal as her own.
Haynes has the odd habit of repeating information that has just been established, but the cinematic action is fun, and a crash course in the history of the former Yugoslavia helps make this a smart summer thriller. --Elyse Dinh-McCrillis, blogger at Pop Culture Nerd