What an absolutely mindblowing read! This is the exact kind of thriller that i love!

An absolutely complex plot that is wonderfully paced and consistent from beginning to end - but keeps you on the edge of your seat!

I could not put this down and read it in a matter of days!

You know what? I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Fast paced, full of action and with a character who probably won't win the Miss Congeniality titles anytime soon but who is none the less compelling and quite a bit of fun to spend time with. If your idea of fun includes being shot at, driven off a bridge and subject to all manner of various assassination attempts that is ...

I was not expecting the opening chapter. It starts with a somewhat gruff and thoroughly rude Elsa Zero receiving an unexpected proposal and ends with an even more unexpected attempt on her life. And why not? Elsa is, unbeknownst to her, public enemy number one - on a very global scale. Within a few hours a romantic evening out has turned into the night from hell and that is only the start of Elsa's worries, and the start of the fun times for us readers. If you like a high tension, spy style thriller, then this could be right up your street because Elsa is a retired deep-cover agent, previously hired by numerous agencies across the globe for top secret incursions, and a woman with a price on her head ... with no idea why. And that's half the fun for us as readers, trying to second guess exactly what is going on.

The story is dual timeline affair. Elsa finally gets to understand that the reason people want to kill her is linked to her last mission, one in which she nearly died. Quite why it has triggered people to act now is unknown, but it leads to high octane scenes and showdowns across the Capital as Elsa, and the company she used to work for, try to understand just what is going on. For all her faults, and there are many, many of those, I kind fo liked Elsa. Yes, she is the stereotypical hard nut of a woman, rude, abrupt, unable to display emotion to anyone other than her children, and even that is somewhat constrained and on her terms. Then again, which parent/aunt/grandparent hasn't gotten fed up of reading the same book to kids over and over? Elsa is just a little less capable of filtering her frustration than most. But she is tough, quick thinking and compassionate - in her own special way. Mark Hill has played a clever game showing her professional clinical side but often balancing it against her weak spot - the love for her children.

There are a number of surprises spring on us throughout this book, although I had guessed one of the antagonists very early on. It was a bit of a no brainer the more we learned of Elsa's past, but still played carefully with the small amount of uncertainty as to which side they were really on. The root cause of Elsa's woes I did not see coming and makes for a very interesting proposition. And whilst some semblance of altruism is professed by the bad guys as to why they are acting now, it's quite clear that it is truthfully about personal gain. One of the surprise star characters, for me, was Saint. A drunk, yes, but still able to pull off the seemingly impossible and the kind of support that Elsa needs by her side. Then again, Elsa's parents, Greta and Howard, have a few aces up their sleeve and their partnership and bickering, as well as their very distant interactions with Elsa, really did make me smile.

The ending of the book saw the pace pick up, with fight scenes and a high stakes showdown which had me, sitting on the edge of my seat, cheering Elsa on and, in the final moments chuckling to myself. If you read the book, you'll understand why. The very end of the book leaves us with so much promise of what could be yet to come, hopefully with Saint, Greta and Howard having Elsa's back. Fun, fast paced and a little unexpected. Can't wait for more.

I think this book has one of the best opening chapters I have ever read. Elsa is out to dinner with her boyfriend. We learn that Elsa can be a bit prickly and hard to please but seems to be leaning towards accepting her boyfriends impromptu proposal. However, we soon learn all is not as it seems and a brilliant opening scene sets the pace of this book and it never lets up.

If you like thrilling, high paced novels which don't let up then this is for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

There’s barely time to pause for breathe in this exciting action packed thriller! Elsa Zero is a personal trainer and single Mum to twins Harley and India who is living a quiet life in London. When out on a date night with her boyfriend, deciding whether to accept his marriage proposal, something completely unexpected happens and Elsa is forced to run for her life relying on skills she thought she would no longer need to use.
Why does everyone want her dead and what can she do to protect both herself and her young children? The action is fast paced and relentless in this quirky thriller. Elsa is an amazing heroine who always seems to work out how to escape her enemies. It becomes apparent early on that her present predicament is based on a failed mission she undertook as some sort of agent 9 years earlier. With the help of a motley band of unusual allies including a couple of ex colleagues and some particularly weird family members, Elsa delves into her past to try and work out what is going on.
The plot itself is a bit far fetched and the bad guys are particularly nasty but isn’t that to be expected in this sort of thriller? I for one really didn’t mind and had a great time racing through the book to its extremely exciting conclusion.
Indeed the last chapter set up a possible sequel and I can’t wait to read more about Elsa and her life.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

"someone tried to kill elsa zero last night. but there's nowhere she can go because every intelligence agency on earth is looking for her. right now, elsa zero is the most dangerous person on the planet."

I picked this up through Netgalley, with thanks to M.K Hill, Head of Zeus and Bloomsbury Publishing for gifting me this e-ARC

elsa has long retired from being an intelligence agent. she's got her kids, she's got her boyfriend, even if he is a little bit boring and predictable. she left behind that life a long time ago, so why is everyone now trying to kill her?

rating: ⭐⭐

my thoughts: zero kill felt sort of like a mcu/dceu movie, too much going on at times, with constant running around, chase scenes, evil and bad scientists - all the tropes of what could be a good james bond-esque novel but it felt so chaotic.

the writing of elsa also felt very misogynistic, with a focus on her figure, her private areas being quite unnecessary, "discretely adjusted her twisted leggings because all the exertion had given her a camel toe..." - she's meant to be a high-level, deep cover intelligence agent, not a model focused on her appearance. she's also written to be quite mean and unemotional and empathetic with flashbacks revealing about the past and who is trying to kill else and why.

i also found it confusing trying to keep up with who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, with people pretending to help elsa and then turning on her a while later and then trying to help yet again. as a deep cover intelligence agent, yes elsa is meant to be retired, but leaving her kids with a random neighbour, failing to see who might end up betraying her.

it was also confusing with the flashbacks with the real reason everyone is trying to hunt elsa down and kill her only being revealed later on in the book and also being so convoluted and unbelievable. i have to say the ending did make me want to see what was meant to happen next, as i recognised the character from earlier on in the book and couldn't place the name until i went back to find out where and why! very apocalyptic style, which took me back to the days of the maze runner honestly!

i also cannot place this into a target audience really, as it felt sort of like a middle-grade/ya book, but also the content felt quite dark at times and so new adult maybe? overall, once you get into the book, it is quite fast-paced and continues on in this way.

The story begins with Elsa's boyfriend proposing in a packed restaurant. While he is lovely, he is also dull and uninspiring. Then just as the clock strikes midnight, chaos unfolds and Elsa is running for her life and trying to keep her children safe. As it turns out, every intelligence agency in the world wants her dead and she has no idea why.

This was such a fast paced and wild adventure with action bursting from every scene! The backstory was so intriguing and I did not predict the way this would unfold, almost from the very beginning. The twists and turns were so entertaining. Such an enjoyable novel.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% my own.

This book started off strong with your quintessential fight scenes, attempted kidnappings and chases. Unfortunately this formula kept up throughout the book and got a bit repetitive.

I’m looking forward to reading other books within the ‘Elsa Zero’ series, which I hope the author is planning as by the end of the book, I’d grown really attached to some of the characters, especially Elsa’s parents.

Zero Kill is a wild, action packed thrill ride that begins in chapter one and runs full throttle to the nail biting ending. Elsa Zero is a personal trainer with two children and a rather boring boyfriend. But the night of her engagement, Elsa’s new fiancé tries to murder her in a public restaurant. Elsa’s past has come roaring back, a former intelligence operative, every intelligence order has issued a kill order for Elsa. Grab her kids and stowing them away, Elsa begins a dangerous, heart pounding journey to find out why she is targeted and to stop a global conspiracy that she has been framed for. Zero Kill is a page turning, chaos ridden, hair raising adventure with a strong butt kicking heroine. I get wait for another Elsa Zero thriller. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

Elsa Zero was one of deep cover agents out there. But after a mission gone very wrong, she's retired, a single mom working as a personal trainer and contemplating settling down with her enthusiastic, if boring, boyfriend. Then he tries to kill her, and her whole world turns upside down.

This is a very silly book. It's a classic spy novel, with fight scenes, car chases, evil scientists, bad guys trying to take over the world - all the tropes. I like a good thriller, but here, the writing is formulaic, (and occasionally painful, especially when describing female bodies), the plot is ludicrous, the surprises are non-existent, and the characters are paper cutouts instead of people. It moves along quickly at least?

4-5 stars

Joel tries to impress his female companion on date night with his choice of restaurant but then she’s always been fierce and unpredictable. He proposes, she says yes but it’s hardly an emphatic one. He gets a call, he takes it outside which bothers her, she follows and then to her shock he attacks her relentlessly. She defends herself, a horrendous fight ensues with the restaurant ending up resembling the aftermath of an explosion. She is Elsa Zero and it’s time for her to take her leave of the life she has created and taking her twins Harley and India to safety. Her world has fallen apart Krav Magra Cinderella style on the stroke of midnight, her decision to try to life a normal life with Joel an imploded dream. Elsa is no ordinary woman, you may have guessed by now. She’s a former deep cover agent for a private security firm RedQueen and out of the game for years. Why now, nine years after her last op does every intelligence agency seem to want her dead? Can she stay alive long enough to discover what is going on?

M. K. Hill sure knows how to pull me into the storytelling with 0-100mph pace in a nanosecond! It doesn’t let up for most of the book although thankfully there are some spaces to catch your breath. This is just the kind of thriller I like, it’s exciting, tense, intense, has multiple layers that provoke further tension, oodles of twists, turns and questions, danger around every corner, a lot of havoc, plenty of destruction and rather a lot of carnage - many of whom get exactly what they deserve. The plot is well thought out, keeps me entertained and whilst it might stray into the far fetched it’s by no means implausible. It’s complex, intelligent with conspiracies left, right and centre as a deadly game of BIG cat versus teeny mouse ensues. You have to accept Elsa is made of titanium and would give Ethan Hunt a run for his money any day of the week and you get behind her all the way. The plot thickens, the danger intensifies and trying to stay one step in front and alive requires audacity and she’s got that in spades.

This is the book I didn’t know I needed! So entertaining, fun, compelling and thrilling with a good ending and an intriguing cliff hanger. Sign me up for the next one!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Aria and Aries for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Certainly starts with a bang, the momentum continues all the way through.
A satisfying thriller, utterly unbelievable but somehow it doesn't matter.

I enjoy the DI Sasha Dawson series by this author so was looking forward to reading this standalone novel. ‘Zero Kill’ starts very strongly and I was instantly pulled into the story, unfortunately I didn’t find the second half of the book quite as thrilling. The novel follows Elsa Zero, a former secret agent who finds herself in the middle of a dangerous situation when every intelligence agency in the world wants her dead.

The story begins with Elsa at a restaurant with her boyfriend, where he proposes to her. However, things quickly take a turn for the worse as Elsa realizes she’s being hunted and must protect herself and her children at all costs. What follows is a heart-pumping and action-packed journey as Elsa fights to uncover the deadly secret she possesses and stay alive in the process.

I enjoyed the strong and complex character of Elsa Zero, she’s not your typical protagonist but a single mother, and an ex-deep cover agent, making her a force to be reckoned with. The plot is well crafted and full of twists and turns but failed to hold my attention throughout.

I did enjoy the novel but the strong start made me expect a lot more.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Aria and Aries for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This starts with a bang and never stops with the action, the twists and suspense. A great start to what I assume will be the Elsa Zero series. This was really fast paced with a great storyline and reveals, I also always love a strong female lead, although some descriptions of her were slightly misogynistic and/or unnecessary such as a referral to her "camel toe" it put me off a bit as it wasn't needed. However the plot itself was great and I enjoyed learning about her past and seeing her escape danger time and time again. I could also see a lot of research was put into this, as I don't want to spoil I won't say too much, but the reveal was really descriptive and interesting.

Elsa Zero doesn’t do domesticity. A quiet life just isn’t for her. And that’s as well, when it appears that she’s at the top of the shoot on sight list. From the opening chapter, Zero Kill explodes from the traps and from that point on, even pausing to make a cuppa is out of the question. Elsa is just the sort of character I hanker after in crime fiction. Hard as nails, cynical, self deprecating and acid tongued. The story itself builds slowly as we meet killers, saviours and any number of grey operatives. Throughout, the dialogue is razor sharp and Elsa has no time to sit herself down and ask a leading question such as “Why does everyone I meet want to kill me?”.

A belting read that simply does not stop for breath with a rock solid story backing it up all the way.

This book hits the ground running and does not let up. Absolutely compelling thriller with a good dose of security services procedural. A must read.

3.5/5⭐

This book had a lot of ups and downs, but overall I enjoyed it and it kept me interested most of the time. I definitely would enjoy it as a Netflix movie. It kind of reminded me of Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

So, the beginning was the worst part and it lowered my expectations a lot. Let me explain: it's not bad per se, because it's interesting and it works, but you cannot try to advertise a book "for fans of Killing Eve" when it's so painfully obvious that it has been written by a man. Some of the descriptions of Elsa (the main character) made me feel really uncomfortable and I thought they were unnecessary (for example, a mention of her "camel toe" after a fight ????). Fortunately, this mostly happens at the beginning of the books. But it this hadn't been an ARC I would have probably DNF it because of that beginning.

What worked best for me was the whole plot/conspiration/reason behind the attacks on Elsa. It isn't anything really original compared to action movies (you see some of the plotwist coming), but it's developed in a way that definitely keeps you hooked. Between 10% and 70%, this book is a page-turner, perfect for a flight or for getting outside of your head for a couple days. The ending, however, is too long, it could work with less pages.

What I didn't like as much was the personality and psychological development of the characters. It was hard for me to feel empathy towards Elsa and I didn't really understand her relationship/feelings towards her children. Her relationships with other characters were weird and inconsistent. Honestly I would have preferred less details about her feelings and thoughts because they didn't bring much value and in fact made me feel confused.

So, in summary: it's not Killing Eve, it's Mr. and Mrs. Smith. If you go into this book with those expectations, you'll definitely enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Talk about action packed! Great book! This book was awesome! It had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, serial killers, some crazy FBI/CIA people and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I highly recommend reading this book! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I enjoyed this book a lot. Elsa finally decides to open up and share her life with someone only to have that life shattered at the stroke of midnight. Everything changes for her. The book started with a bang and I liked that.
Not a lot of books I read do that. To me, that helps keeps a readers interest. Instead of slowly leading up to what the problem is, you're hit in the face with it. I loved it.

I absolutely loved the start of the book! It sucked me in right away. It was fast paced and had many twists and turns. I didn’t love the ending, it left me with a lot of questions but over a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.