Elegantly Wasted is a contemporary action novel written by C. Elizabeth Vescio. Francesca Fairholm is a contract killer. In retrospect, she would have to agree that this was a natural outlet for her sociopathic tendencies. There was always a desire to kill certain members of the rich and controlling matriarchy that held her family in an iron grip. While Aunt Bette droned on about Francesca's anti-social bullying, Aunt Greta was the real thorn in Francesca's side. The woman was vile, self-righteous and condescending, and her own sociopathic tendencies had most likely resulted in Uncle Anthony's highly suspect suicide. Aunt Greta was particularly obnoxious at Francesca's high school graduation party, and her comments made Francesca's grudging agreement to attend Dartmouth, the Ivy League School her mother had selected for her, even more galling. Aunt Greta's aggrieved outcry after their verbal sparring fanned the flames of Francesca's rage beyond her control and storming out of the affair seemed the only option. When she got home, there was an envelope on the kitchen counter with her name written on it. Inside was a plane ticket and a mysterious invitation to a whole different life.

C. Elizabeth Vescio's dark action thriller, Elegantly Wasted, is deliciously decadent and a joy to read. Francesca's coming of age is long overdue. Her repressed rage seems about to bubble over at the lavish and awful graduation party which was quite obviously little more than an excuse for yet another social function hosted by her mother. As I read the mysterious invitation, I cheered as the feisty sociopath throws caution to the wind and listens to her inner killer. Francesca is not your stereotypical heroine; she's short, has frizzy dark hair, and has little experience with the opposite sex. But don't let the diminutive stature fool you; Francesca packs a mean punch. Vescio's story is clever, disarming and smooth as silk. Her writing is inspired yet comfortable, and reading this story enchanted me and whispered to my dark side. I hope to see more of Francesca and her two cousins and partners-in-crime. Elegantly Wasted is most highly recommended.

In Elegantly Wasted by C. Elizabeth Vescio, rich girl Francesca “Frankie” Fairholm celebrates her graduation by joining an elite killing force. Fancy that, becoming a trained killer was a preferred future to dealing with hateful relatives who worshipped money and stabbed each other with words for fun. Through ironic twists and turns, Frankie learns that you can’t out run the past or family connections.

I was excited to have the opportunity to review Elegantly Wasted. Author C. Elizabeth Vescio’s premise of finding the life of a killer preferable to dealing with family resonated with me. Part of me wanted to know where to sign up. When the pace picked up and Vescio introduced action, I quickly fell into the lives of Frankie and her deadly sidekicks. By the end of the book, I understood the need for the backstory and felt the author had successfully tied all the story lines together.

Elegantly Wasted is a showcase for a bad girl who doesn’t make excuses for her behavior. Frankie accepts who she is and makes a conscious decision to use her strengths to her advantage. This characters starts out a bit immature and self-involved, but as she matures, she grows and evolves into a different person. True, she is a killer who actually looks forward to going to work, but even as a killer, she has redeemable characteristics that I learned to embrace.