Just a Girl With a Gun

Killing Eve meets Mr and Mrs Smith

In the neon-lit world of seduction and secrets, Cornelia, a mesmerizing stripper, finds herself pulled into a sinister web spun by the enigmatic organization known only as ‘The Bureau’. Recruited for her hidden talents, she becomes an unlikely assassin, caught between the dance floor and a life of deadly precision.

But Cornelia harbours a secret passion that sets her apart from the other killers – she has a penchant for rare books. With each mission she completes, Cornelia indulges her obsession, using her ill-gotten gains to amass a collection that becomes both her refuge and her escape.

Amidst the chaos and danger, Cornelia’s path intertwines with Hopley, a fellow assassin haunted by his past. Unwittingly drawn together by their shared world of shadows, they navigate a treacherous landscape where trust is scarce, and survival is paramount.

As their forbidden romance blooms amidst the darkness, Cornelia and Hopley find solace in each other’s arms, their connection a fragile thread of love against a backdrop of deceit and danger. Yet, as they delve deeper into the heart of The Bureau, they discover a haunting truth that threatens to tear them apart.

In this exotic and gripping thriller, where death is a dance partner and love flickers in the shadows, Cornelia must confront her own loneliness and unravel the mysteries that surround her. Will she find redemption and a chance at a life beyond the deadly stage? Or will the sinister forces at play consume her, leaving only echoes of a lost love in their wake?

‘A great bit of storytelling. Jakubowski’s love of play shines. The end is poetic … a meditation on the weight and absurdity of life. It’s devastating.’ Paul Burke, Crime Time FM

246pp approx. B format. Paperback Original.
ISBN: 978-1-84583-228-5
Cover by Martin Baines
Published 1 November 2023

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maxim Jakubowski worked for several decades in publishing and later owned the Murder One bookshop. He has written 20 novels (including 10 under a collaborative pen name, several of which made the Sunday Times top 10) and 5 collections of short stories. He is recognized as a major expert on popular fiction and reviewed crime for 12 years each for Time Out London and The Guardian, and won several awards in the mystery and SF & fantasy field. He is also a major editor of bestselling anthologies, and has been translated widely. He lives in London.