Silhouette by Robin Hale: Book Review

Silhouette by Robin Hale is a tale about what happens when a notorious jewel thief accidently comes face to face with the handler/voice-in-the-ear-for the local city superhero. Dr. Molly Fawn is a woman of much skill. By day she works at the Opal City Research Lab with her colleague/secret crush Kevin Platt. But she’s not doing Kevin’s scutwork, she is helping his alter ego, Captain Colossal, fight crime around the city. She knows all the tech and designed most of it, she keeps him informed, creates his special healing serum, AND does the paperwork when the crooks are caught. But Kevin/Captain Colossal doesn’t even know what kind of coffee she drinks after years of working together.

Enter Lana Blake, aka The Silhouette. She’s dark, mysterious, and has never been brought to justice. And a chance meeting in a university office puts each woman on the other’s radar. Lana is immediately taken with Molly, despite discovering that the doctor is working with Captain Colossal. And as an integral part of Captain Colossal’s team, Molly shouldn’t be attracted by one of the most famous criminals in Opal City. Yet she is despite her better judgement.

The Characters

I have to say that I liked Molly a lot better than I liked Lana. She has a lot of spunk and isn’t afraid to put her brain to work for whatever task. Be it fight crime, or assist a criminal. I didn’t care for Lana nearly as much. Yes, she’s a baddass criminal in her Silhouette get up. All leather and smooth moves, but she seemed a bit over the top. Though to be fair, I suspect that is part of the “criminal persona” she adopts. As for Captain Colossal, I enjoyed the way Hale wrote him to be a typical arrogant superhero who doesn’t seem to realize the repercussions of his action. What I liked more was his character development near the end. It was go to see him grow, even if it took a criminal to be his role model.

The Writing Style

This book was interesting in that each chapter alternated back and forth between Dr. Molly Fawn, and Lana Blake. It was told in first person and the style really allowed us to get in the head of each woman. The pacing was good and entertaining for the genre. I didn’t particularly find any parts to flounder, just a solid walk from beginning to end.

The Pros

I always love competent heroes and anti-heroes. But what fascinates me more are those people behind the scenes, the facilitators. Not only the people, but the gadgets. Silhouette was loaded with such tech and tech knowledge and I think that’s a great thing to have in any superhero story. Even if it’s NOT QUITE a superhero story like you expect.

The Cons

I did think that Lana Blake was a little over the top and stereotyped with her speech mannerisms and the things that she enjoyed doing. I didn’t connect with her because of it, but in all honestly I usually only connect with one character or the other of a pairing. Molly was certainly the one for me. Brains, brains, and brains! Smart girls are great.

The Conclusion

Silhouette by Robin Hale isn’t a typical superhero book. Rather than follow the hero it follows the sidekick of sorts and one of the city’s evil villains. (Or is she more of an anti-hero). If you like something a little different from the new crop of super books coming out, if you enjoy sexy, leather-wearing ladies with questionable law abiding skills, then you should definitely check out this novel. It’s about more than two people from opposite sides of the law falling in love, it’s about character growth and redemption for all the main characters. I found it to be an enjoyable read and it was the perfect little glimpse into Opal City and our couple’s lives.

Excerpt from Silhouette by Robin Hale

“I hope you never do, darling. It’s gorgeous. Have you ever seen a padparadscha sapphire? They’re the most delicate pink and peach and gold…just exactly the way you look right now.” After a long, hungry stare that seemed like it would mark my skin, the Silhouette mercifully dropped her eyes away and turned back toward the lock.

I swallowed hard, trying to clear the haze that had suddenly descended over every functioning part of my mind. I desperately pushed away thoughts of Jenna’s laughter when she made me blush, not fond and affectionate, but cold and almost…sneering. It had become painfully obvious in retrospect, but never quite made it through in the moment. It was ridiculous. Idiotic. And not a useful line of thought.

How was it that the Silhouette knew just how to make me turn bright red? Did she often go around tormenting lab scientists?

No. She didn’t. The thought slammed into me like a freight train. The Silhouette didn’t often go around tormenting anyone at all. At least, not while she was in the middle of committing a crime. She worked alone. She worked at strange hours, in empty halls. She didn’t leave any evidence that she didn’t mean to leave and she certainly never paraded herself in front of a lobby full of banking customers like it didn’t matter who saw her.

“Why are you here?” I asked as the inconsistencies piled up beyond my ability to ignore them.

There was a low, breathy chuckle in response. “Theft, doctor. I’d have thought that much was obvious.”

“No,” I shook my head. “I mean, why are you here right now? Why am I with you? This isn’t anywhere in your MO.”

“Been studying me, darling?” The Silhouette asked lazily, a drawl that brought to mind late morning sunlight among bedsheets. The lockbox in front of her clicked with a soft release and the door popped open. “But you’re right, of course. I’d imagine you’re used to that. Being right, I mean.” Her grin was wicked but not unkind, and she dipped her gloved hands into the lockbox. A black, velvet-covered box was out of the compartment and into one of the many pockets on her belt almost before I could see what had happened.

Silhouette rose in a graceful wave and prowled toward me. “This job is slightly different, darling. There are about three minutes left on the intercepted CCTV footage, the ping-backs to the police department will go live again in about five minutes, and the folks we’ve left in the lobby will find their spines any moment now.” Her hands came down on the arms of the chair and her proximity pressed me back against it. “It’s time for us to get out of here. You’re my ticket home, doc.”

Get This Book On Amazon

(this link works for Amazon UK, US and Canada)

Bits and Bobs

Robin Hale Online

Facebook

If you enjoyed this book then you should also look at

Note: I received a free review copy of Silhouette by Robin Hale. No money was exchanged for this review. When you use our links to buy we get a small commission which supports the running of this site