Kris Longknife: Audacious

The titular heroine of Mike Shepherd's Kris Longknife series returns in Kris Longknife: Audacious.

As the story opens, Kris has arrived on the planet of New Eden, ostensibly for some long-overdue rest after a tour of duty in the Rim Territories. Unfortunately, her hopes for peace and quiet are brought to a halt by a series of assassination attempts. Kris is quickly drawn into not only a struggle to stay alive, but also to discover who wants her dead and why she was sent to New Eden in the first place.

"Audacious" stands alone fairly well, despite being the 5th in a series. I hadn't read any of the previous books, so that was a plus for me. As a whole, "Audacious" is a pretty decent read - Shepherd's naval background shows itself in the verisimilitude given to the military aspects of the book. Kris herself is a strong female character, although there isn't much character development throughout - the book focuses on action, with some interesting sci-fi twists thrown in.

The central storyline could have used some work, however. It seems rushed and some of the plot threads aren't developed clearly (the kidnapping, etc.). Perhaps more explanation of the antagonist's motives would have helped. I'd also have to say the prose and dialogue are readable but were rough at times. That said, it excels as a page-turner with some good action scenes.