Requiem Series by Lee Winter

Professional cellist Natalya Tsvetnenko moves seamlessly among the elite where she fills the souls of symphony patrons with beauty even as she takes the lives of the corrupt of Australia’s ruthless underworld. The cold, exacting assassin is hired to kill a woman who seems so innocent that Natalya can’t understand why anyone would want her dead. As she gets to know her target, she can’t work out why she even cares... moreProfessional cellist Natalya Tsvetnenko moves seamlessly among the elite where she fills the souls of symphony patrons with beauty even as she takes the lives of the corrupt of Australia’s ruthless underworld. The cold, exacting assassin is hired to kill a woman who seems so innocent that Natalya can’t understand why anyone would want her dead. As she gets to know her target, she can’t work out why she even cares.Winner of the Golden Crown Literary Award (2017) for Mystery/Thriller and Lambda finalist.Length: 80,000 wordsThemes: assassin · Australia · awakening · cellist · crime · homicide · lesbian · lesbian thriller · Melbourne · murder · music · police less

Requiem hadn’t meant to care. Hadn’t wanted to fall in love. She didn’t do love. But life without Alison had seemed so insubstantial. Bleak. Empty. So she went back for her. It’s now been two years since Australia’s top cellist and secret underworld assassin Natalya “Requiem” Tsvetnenko stood in the rain, faced her biggest terror, and asked her “little mouse”, Alison Ryan, to move to Europe with her... moreRequiem hadn’t meant to care. Hadn’t wanted to fall in love. She didn’t do love. But life without Alison had seemed so insubstantial. Bleak. Empty. So she went back for her. It’s now been two years since Australia’s top cellist and secret underworld assassin Natalya “Requiem” Tsvetnenko stood in the rain, faced her biggest terror, and asked her “little mouse”, Alison Ryan, to move to Europe with her. What has happened since? Does Requiem still burn to hunt? Has she been tamed by love? Was her prediction right that they could never work out; that they would implode before too long? How could two such different people ever last? In a single, powerful day in Vienna, all their doubts are faced and the truth seeps into the light. A short story sequel to lesbian crime noir Requiem for Immortals. less