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Will Robie #3
The Target
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller (2014)The President knows it's a perilous, high-risk assignment. If he gives the order, he has the opportunity to take down a global menace, once and for all. If the mission fails, he would face certain impeachment, and the threats against the nation would multiply. So the president turns to the one team that can pull off the impossible: Will Robie and his partner, Jessica Reel.
Together, Robie and Reel's talents as assassins are unmatched. But there are some in power who don't trust the pair. They doubt their willingness to follow orders. And they will do anything to see that the two assassins succeed, but that they do not survive.
As they prepare for their mission, Reel faces a personal crisis that could well lead old enemies right to her doorstep, resurrecting the ghosts of her earlier life and bringing stark danger to all those close to her. And all the while, Robie and Reel are stalked by a new adversary: an unknown and unlikely assassin, a woman who has trained her entire life to kill, and who has her own list of targets--a list that includes Will Robie and Jessica Reel.
420 pages, Hardcover
First published March 18, 2014
About the author
David Baldacci
368 books120k followersDavid Baldacci has been writing since childhood, when his mother gave him a lined notebook in which to write down his stories. (Much later, when David thanked her for being the spark that ignited his writing career, she revealed that she’d given him the notebook to keep him quiet, "because every mom needs a break now and then.”)
David published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996; the feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 50 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. David has also published seven novels for younger readers.
In addition to being a prolific writer, David is a devoted philanthropist, and his greatest efforts are dedicated to his family’s Wish You Well Foundation®. Established by David and his wife, Michelle, the Wish You Well Foundation supports family and adult literacy programs in the United States.
A lifelong Virginian, David is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia School of Law.
David published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996; the feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 50 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. David has also published seven novels for younger readers.
In addition to being a prolific writer, David is a devoted philanthropist, and his greatest efforts are dedicated to his family’s Wish You Well Foundation®. Established by David and his wife, Michelle, the Wish You Well Foundation supports family and adult literacy programs in the United States.
A lifelong Virginian, David is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia School of Law.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,206 reviews
June 25, 2018
I love David Baldacci's wonderfully captivating books, they are so polished, professionally written, imaginative yet realistic and very easy to follow, so I was looking forward to reading "The Target", the third in the fantastic and exciting Will Robie series.
Blurb - The President knows it's a perilous, high-risk assignment. If he gives the order, he has the opportunity to take down a global menace, once and for all. If the mission fails, he would face certain impeachment, and the threats against the nation would multiply. So the president turns to the one team that can pull off the impossible: Will Robie and his partner, Jessica Reel.
I adore Will Robie and Jessica Reel, they are two of the most professional, disciplined and lethal assassins alive. They are the ones the government calls in when the utmost secrecy is required and are needed to infiltrate the most hostile of countries in the world and take out the most vicious and deadly world tyrants. I haven't read the first in the series but have read the second and loved how that even though this can be read happily as a standalone, this book follows on from the very tense and compelling previous story, allowing you to fully understand and empathise with their professional relationship. I love how they work so well together, literally reading each other's minds as if it was one and constantly looking out for each other's backs, often to their own detriment. If you've read the second book you'll understand why it's so important to follow this progression of friendship as they were both tested to the most ultimate of limits in an unimaginable way.
The book started with a brilliantly intriguing and compelling introduction that had me bewildered as to where the story would lead. Earl Fontaine was a fantastic character and I particularly enjoyed his part in the story immensely. Multi layered and with excellent characters - Chung-Cha was dangerously cold blooded but truly inspirational and for me was the central character to the whole book. This story really is a must read, it was so easy to follow unlike so many political thrillers and from start to finish it read like a blockbuster movie.
The ending was just FANTASTIC!! Emotional, tense, exciting and compelling, I literally couldn't put it down until it was completely finished and even then I continued to give it thought.
I highly recommend this series but if you can't read them all, do read this one - if you enjoy fast paced, action filled thrillers then you will not be disappointed and I've already have "The Guilty" (the fourth one) on order to enjoy reading very soon!
5 stars
Blurb - The President knows it's a perilous, high-risk assignment. If he gives the order, he has the opportunity to take down a global menace, once and for all. If the mission fails, he would face certain impeachment, and the threats against the nation would multiply. So the president turns to the one team that can pull off the impossible: Will Robie and his partner, Jessica Reel.
I adore Will Robie and Jessica Reel, they are two of the most professional, disciplined and lethal assassins alive. They are the ones the government calls in when the utmost secrecy is required and are needed to infiltrate the most hostile of countries in the world and take out the most vicious and deadly world tyrants. I haven't read the first in the series but have read the second and loved how that even though this can be read happily as a standalone, this book follows on from the very tense and compelling previous story, allowing you to fully understand and empathise with their professional relationship. I love how they work so well together, literally reading each other's minds as if it was one and constantly looking out for each other's backs, often to their own detriment. If you've read the second book you'll understand why it's so important to follow this progression of friendship as they were both tested to the most ultimate of limits in an unimaginable way.
The book started with a brilliantly intriguing and compelling introduction that had me bewildered as to where the story would lead. Earl Fontaine was a fantastic character and I particularly enjoyed his part in the story immensely. Multi layered and with excellent characters - Chung-Cha was dangerously cold blooded but truly inspirational and for me was the central character to the whole book. This story really is a must read, it was so easy to follow unlike so many political thrillers and from start to finish it read like a blockbuster movie.
The ending was just FANTASTIC!! Emotional, tense, exciting and compelling, I literally couldn't put it down until it was completely finished and even then I continued to give it thought.
I highly recommend this series but if you can't read them all, do read this one - if you enjoy fast paced, action filled thrillers then you will not be disappointed and I've already have "The Guilty" (the fourth one) on order to enjoy reading very soon!
5 stars
February 5, 2018
Ok, this one is weird.
What I really like about the series is the personality building of the MCs.
What I strongly dislike is the fact that most of the plotlines are between the POTUS and some villainous person (of either Muslim or Slavic ethnicity). And the actions is basically either POTUS ordering unsanctioned killing of the said villain or the reverse is underway. It makes me think 'euphemistic much'? It makes me wonder, what the hell, is there some shortage in original thriller story ideas?
I think I'll stick with this series for a bit more but of it goes on and on and on rehashing the same idea, I can't vouch for my crankiness.
Q:
“And you’re really the new DD?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know what happened to the last two?” (c)
Q:
“You are the most exasperating person I have ever met in my life.”
“You need to get out more.” (c)
Q:
“She’s the DD, Clandestine.”
“You know what happened to her predecessors?”
“Of course. It’s sort of like the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. Bad things happen to them.” (c) Exactly what I thought.
Q:
“Got any vacation coming up?”
“No, can I have some of yours?” (c)
Q:
“It’s hard to see what’s around you without windows. You tend to get cloistered, detached, and your judgment can be impaired.” (c)
Q:
“I’m not a bit paranoid. I’m a lot paranoid. I have been most of my life. The mind-set serves me well.” (c)
Q:
A roof over her head, a car to drive, a rice cooker; it was like all the wealth in the world was hers. (c)
What I really like about the series is the personality building of the MCs.
What I strongly dislike is the fact that most of the plotlines are between the POTUS and some villainous person (of either Muslim or Slavic ethnicity). And the actions is basically either POTUS ordering unsanctioned killing of the said villain or the reverse is underway. It makes me think 'euphemistic much'? It makes me wonder, what the hell, is there some shortage in original thriller story ideas?
I think I'll stick with this series for a bit more but of it goes on and on and on rehashing the same idea, I can't vouch for my crankiness.
Q:
“And you’re really the new DD?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know what happened to the last two?” (c)
Q:
“You are the most exasperating person I have ever met in my life.”
“You need to get out more.” (c)
Q:
“She’s the DD, Clandestine.”
“You know what happened to her predecessors?”
“Of course. It’s sort of like the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. Bad things happen to them.” (c) Exactly what I thought.
Q:
“Got any vacation coming up?”
“No, can I have some of yours?” (c)
Q:
“It’s hard to see what’s around you without windows. You tend to get cloistered, detached, and your judgment can be impaired.” (c)
Q:
“I’m not a bit paranoid. I’m a lot paranoid. I have been most of my life. The mind-set serves me well.” (c)
Q:
A roof over her head, a car to drive, a rice cooker; it was like all the wealth in the world was hers. (c)
May 4, 2014
The two previous Robie and Reel novels were a step above much of what Baldacci had done in the past, but this one took a step back. My thought is that Baldacci put too much into the book, one separate crisis after another; fighting their superiors, fighting the North Koreans, fighting neo Nazis, back to fighting the North Koreans, and on top of all of that spending a lot of time inside the workings of North Korea. While all of it was interesting it was just too much for one book. We learned so much about Reel's history and delved into the mind and making of a super assassin that coupled with all of the other information; well it was information overload. Throwing in the apology to Reel (read the book to find out what I'm referring to) added a touch of the unbelievable. I hope that Baldacci brings these too back up to where the first two books were.
(Copied in total from my review in Mystery Guild.)
(Copied in total from my review in Mystery Guild.)
November 21, 2015
Will Robie & Jessica Reel, master assassins, are back …..on a super secret mission together!
The Target, the 3rd book in David Baldacci’s Will Robie Series begins with Will Robie, back in Washington DC and receiving a medal for his successful mission in Syria.
Will and Jessica have been given a new and very secret mission but before they receiving the details of it, both are sent to The Burner Box, a CIA training facility in North Carolina to be tested if they are capable of carrying it out. But they believe that there’s something more sinister about the reason given by the present director of the CIA, Evan Tucker for disobeying orders and the killing of two high CIA officials. This is world where nothing is what it seems to be.
We first meet Chung-Cha at Bukchang, the most horrific internment camp in North Korea where we see the horrors and tortured she endured
and how it made her become one of the most cold-blooded and lethal assassin, even more dangerous than Will and Jessica.
The story is told through multiple POVs which allows the readers to see into each character’s minds that gives us more information about each one’s thoughts and feelings.
The author has created two characters, Will and Jessica, that you cannot help but like and admire, even knowing that these are two of the most dangerous and lethal killers. There’s something deep inside them that makes you feel that there is goodness in them. Something that humanizes them. We also see that humanity in Chung-Cha at the end….This was such a sad part in the story……makes you want to believe that there’s some good inside each one of us.
At times, the plot seemed so far-fetched and in some weird way it’s still kind of believable. Gripping tension, action-packed with twists and turns that popped up at the most unexpectedly times.
A great continuation to this series.
The Target, the 3rd book in David Baldacci’s Will Robie Series begins with Will Robie, back in Washington DC and receiving a medal for his successful mission in Syria.
Will and Jessica have been given a new and very secret mission but before they receiving the details of it, both are sent to The Burner Box, a CIA training facility in North Carolina to be tested if they are capable of carrying it out. But they believe that there’s something more sinister about the reason given by the present director of the CIA, Evan Tucker for disobeying orders and the killing of two high CIA officials. This is world where nothing is what it seems to be.
” It was live ammo. In Reel’s and Robie’s world there always came a time when there was no other kind.”” Surviving the grueling experience, Will and Jessica are sent to France – their secret assignment? Kill the North Korean leader, General Pak. Things go horribly wrong with the general committing suicide. In retaliation, the North Korean government sends one of their top agents, Chung-Cha to assassinate the US president and his family.
We first meet Chung-Cha at Bukchang, the most horrific internment camp in North Korea where we see the horrors and tortured she endured
and how it made her become one of the most cold-blooded and lethal assassin, even more dangerous than Will and Jessica.
“She did not believe in a benign higher being. She could not. She had suffered too much to think of a heavenly force in the sky that would let such evil walk the earth without lifting a hand to stop it.”
The story is told through multiple POVs which allows the readers to see into each character’s minds that gives us more information about each one’s thoughts and feelings.
The author has created two characters, Will and Jessica, that you cannot help but like and admire, even knowing that these are two of the most dangerous and lethal killers. There’s something deep inside them that makes you feel that there is goodness in them. Something that humanizes them. We also see that humanity in Chung-Cha at the end….This was such a sad part in the story……makes you want to believe that there’s some good inside each one of us.
At times, the plot seemed so far-fetched and in some weird way it’s still kind of believable. Gripping tension, action-packed with twists and turns that popped up at the most unexpectedly times.
A great continuation to this series.
March 20, 2022
“Politics is a dirty, ruthless business [that] makes the intelligence sector look relatively honorable by comparison.”
Ordering the assassination of a foreign head of state is an impeachable offense for the president of the USA. And, when he reaches the decision to give that order, he has absolutely no doubt that the Senate would convict him if his orders came to light, all intentions directed to good will, good government and world peace having become irrelevant. Graduate readers of THE HIT, the previous novel in the Will Robie series, will understand that the director of the CIA is happy to send the USA’s finest undercover assassins to do the job if for no other reason than he believes the job to be a one-way suicide mission. Will Robie and Jessica Creel are on their way to North Korea but their paths will cross with an equally skilled assassin who has been sent by Kim Jong Un to the USA to avenge what their eastern minds have perceived as an unforgivable insult to their sovereignty and place in the history of the world.
I’ve yet to encounter the David Baldacci novel that wasn’t a successful, gripping page-turner and THE TARGET is no exception to that rule. Subject only to a desire to read his various series in order to get the most benefit from his character development and their back stories (and there is certainly plenty of that), I am still willing to pick up any Baldacci novel without bothering to refer to any back cover marketing blurbs. That said, THE TARGET is also particularly evocative in its rather gruesome depiction of daily life in the prison camp of totalitarian North Korea. If only half of what Baldacci writes is accurate (making allowances for the fact that there is clearly no love lost between the USA and North Korea), then life north of Pyongyang and the demilitarized zone on the Korean peninsula must be a Spartan and brutal affair indeed. The only word I can think of is “shocking”!
Well done and well worth the read. Thank you for another winner, Mr Baldacci. Definitely recommended.
Paul Weiss
Ordering the assassination of a foreign head of state is an impeachable offense for the president of the USA. And, when he reaches the decision to give that order, he has absolutely no doubt that the Senate would convict him if his orders came to light, all intentions directed to good will, good government and world peace having become irrelevant. Graduate readers of THE HIT, the previous novel in the Will Robie series, will understand that the director of the CIA is happy to send the USA’s finest undercover assassins to do the job if for no other reason than he believes the job to be a one-way suicide mission. Will Robie and Jessica Creel are on their way to North Korea but their paths will cross with an equally skilled assassin who has been sent by Kim Jong Un to the USA to avenge what their eastern minds have perceived as an unforgivable insult to their sovereignty and place in the history of the world.
I’ve yet to encounter the David Baldacci novel that wasn’t a successful, gripping page-turner and THE TARGET is no exception to that rule. Subject only to a desire to read his various series in order to get the most benefit from his character development and their back stories (and there is certainly plenty of that), I am still willing to pick up any Baldacci novel without bothering to refer to any back cover marketing blurbs. That said, THE TARGET is also particularly evocative in its rather gruesome depiction of daily life in the prison camp of totalitarian North Korea. If only half of what Baldacci writes is accurate (making allowances for the fact that there is clearly no love lost between the USA and North Korea), then life north of Pyongyang and the demilitarized zone on the Korean peninsula must be a Spartan and brutal affair indeed. The only word I can think of is “shocking”!
Well done and well worth the read. Thank you for another winner, Mr Baldacci. Definitely recommended.
Paul Weiss
April 18, 2018
I was on the edge of my seat the entire read!
So many things went down here. Tucker gunning for Reel and Robie. North Korea and their HORRIBLE prison camps! Jessica's despicable father pulling her into the past. Julie very much a part of one of the conflicts!
Gotta say, if the situation in North Korea resembles real life in any way, my heart goes out to those people! Wow!
I totally recommend the audio book! Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy were perfection!
So many things went down here. Tucker gunning for Reel and Robie. North Korea and their HORRIBLE prison camps! Jessica's despicable father pulling her into the past. Julie very much a part of one of the conflicts!
Gotta say, if the situation in North Korea resembles real life in any way, my heart goes out to those people! Wow!
I totally recommend the audio book! Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy were perfection!
April 27, 2014
Yet another established writer fails. This is puerile rubbish, cliche riddled, clumsy, amateurish. If it was the first effort of a self published teen it still wouldn't be excusable or acceptable. The characters are unbelievable, the dialogue and responses ludicrous, the stuff of comics, not mature writers. The writer has his protagonists doing things not realistically possible in the first few pages. Disarming and pulling down the pants of experienced street thugs before any of them can react or respond? A President who can be manipulated by simple psychology? There is light rain falling on the river's edge, but the river is "storm tossed"?
This "novel" is not only drivel, it is drivel that has managed to reach publication without input from a competent editor. That is surprising. Perhaps in the age of eBooks and self publishing some writers feel that they can do it all.
I was wondering if perhaps this was a joke, if someone had substituted dross for the real novel, but sadly it seems not. I have no intention of finishing the book - it is not only poorly written, it is so bad that it is actually annoying.
This "novel" is not only drivel, it is drivel that has managed to reach publication without input from a competent editor. That is surprising. Perhaps in the age of eBooks and self publishing some writers feel that they can do it all.
I was wondering if perhaps this was a joke, if someone had substituted dross for the real novel, but sadly it seems not. I have no intention of finishing the book - it is not only poorly written, it is so bad that it is actually annoying.
May 12, 2018
It was great getting a more in-depth read on Jessica’s past but now I’m ready to hear more on Will’s past. I enjoyed the plot and subplot of the book. The way the end turned out with the North Koreans was actually a bit surprising and I thoroughly enjoyed how the book ended with Min. I look forward to reading more on what happens next with these characters’ lives. The president’s daughter was actually amusing in her flirty behavior.
My quick and simple overall: another good installment into the series. Now on to The Guilty.
My quick and simple overall: another good installment into the series. Now on to The Guilty.
April 22, 2024
I don't remember the last time a book almost brought me to tears, and an espionage-action-thriller no less, that's saying something! The book had quite a few problems storywise, but in the end the perfect characterization and hearttouching, heartwrenching developments and ending covered all of that and then some. Just that hollowness I'm feeling right now after finishing a great book and departing from even greater characters. :(
December 8, 2021
Leed el primero de esta saga, vamos, y no perdáis el tiempo leyendo esta reseña. Xq obviamente no vais a empezar por el tercero. Y si habéis leído los dos anteriores fijo que vais a leer este. Y no se pueden leer por separado, pues aunque cada libro empieza y acaba se apoya mucho en los anteriores en cuanto a personajes y sus inter-relaciones.
Quedas con que los tres se han llevado 4 estrellas y no se bien por qué no tiene todos las 5 completas. Tal vez porque son un poco lineales, sin grandes vueltas de argumento…pero os aseguro que te los metes al cuerpo en plan yonki de la droga de la lectura. Este me ha durado ná.
El protagonista, Will Robie, es un “ejecutor” de la CIA. A él le dicen “mata a tal o cual” y el va y se lo carga…o al menos esa es la teoría. El gran protagonista de esta entrega es Corea del Norte y su régimen absolutista con férreo control de la población mediante terror y campos de internamiento. Y una “ejecutora” de ese régimen que está llamada a ser la némesis de Robie.
Tb aparecen neonazis del sur profundo americano y la familia del presidente americano.
Bueno, que leáis el primero de la saga y si os gusta el segundo y este tercero son más de lo mismo. Y me lo he pasado de maravilla y voy a segur leyendo a ese autor, sí o sí (ya tengo cargado otro suyo en el Kindle)
Quedas con que los tres se han llevado 4 estrellas y no se bien por qué no tiene todos las 5 completas. Tal vez porque son un poco lineales, sin grandes vueltas de argumento…pero os aseguro que te los metes al cuerpo en plan yonki de la droga de la lectura. Este me ha durado ná.
El protagonista, Will Robie, es un “ejecutor” de la CIA. A él le dicen “mata a tal o cual” y el va y se lo carga…o al menos esa es la teoría. El gran protagonista de esta entrega es Corea del Norte y su régimen absolutista con férreo control de la población mediante terror y campos de internamiento. Y una “ejecutora” de ese régimen que está llamada a ser la némesis de Robie.
Tb aparecen neonazis del sur profundo americano y la familia del presidente americano.
Bueno, que leáis el primero de la saga y si os gusta el segundo y este tercero son más de lo mismo. Y me lo he pasado de maravilla y voy a segur leyendo a ese autor, sí o sí (ya tengo cargado otro suyo en el Kindle)
May 20, 2023
Baldacci (Y Robie y Reel) en estado puro. Si has llegado hasta aquí supongo que es porque has leído los dos anteriores. Bien, pues puedes seguir con la saga. Este está al mismo nivel. Sigue sin llevarse las 5 estrellas y tiene un final un poco previsible, pero es un muy buen viaje. Viaje que en mi caso ha durado más de lo que debería por falta de tiempo para leer (vamos, que es un libro para ventilárselo en plan pim-pam).
Por cierto, la sinopsis engaña un poco, este libro va de muchas más cosas a parte de lo que dice.
Lo siguientes de "Will Robie" no están en español, así que ya veremos si me animo con ellos en inglés o si me paso a "Amos Decker". Sea como sea voy a seguir con Baldacci ;)
Por cierto, la sinopsis engaña un poco, este libro va de muchas más cosas a parte de lo que dice.
Lo siguientes de "Will Robie" no están en español, así que ya veremos si me animo con ellos en inglés o si me paso a "Amos Decker". Sea como sea voy a seguir con Baldacci ;)
May 22, 2014
Okay, book 3 of the so called Will Robie books ( I say so called because Jessica Reel is becoming pretty much a co-protagonist). The way this one plays out it's set up as a series of "adventures". This can get a little disjointed as we follow different characters and different situations but in the end Mr. Baldacci ties it all together well.
I've been following this series from it's beginning and I like it. While i can't say that I like everything Mr. Baldacci has written I do like many of his books. While I can't agree with everything he says...I will agree that he's an excellent writer.
Go David Baldacci.
So I can recommend this one and while it may not exactly be as tight as the first two about Robie it is a good addition tying up some loose ends, explaining some background we haven't seen beofore and being a very satisfying read.
Enjoy.
I've been following this series from it's beginning and I like it. While i can't say that I like everything Mr. Baldacci has written I do like many of his books. While I can't agree with everything he says...I will agree that he's an excellent writer.
Go David Baldacci.
So I can recommend this one and while it may not exactly be as tight as the first two about Robie it is a good addition tying up some loose ends, explaining some background we haven't seen beofore and being a very satisfying read.
Enjoy.
June 4, 2019
Absolutely loved this book! It was so good the characters, the plot everything about it was amazing. Definitely will be reading more from this author.
March 3, 2019
3.5 stars
I am a big David Baldacci fan and enjoy most of his work. When I first started reading this story I thought it was going to be one of the exceptions but I am glad I stayed with it. The ending was worth it. There are several story lines in this book and at times it was hard to follow along and connect the dots.
Jessica Reel is on the out with some in the CIA because of things she did in The Hit. Will Robie, to a lesser extent, is in the same boat. Guilt by association. No less than the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (DCI) appears to have them in his crosshairs.
The President of the United has agreed on a top secret plan to remove a global leader from power. He agreed to the plan based on the advise he received from his DCI. The DCI has the perfect team for this mission. Robie and Reel. But first they must prove their worthiness and loyalty. They are to be sent to the Burner Box, a CIA training facility.
In an Alabama prison a convicted murderer dying of cancer hatches a plan to be reunited with his long lost daughter. This desire does not appear to be due to any desire to make amends. And it seems he is working with others outside of the prison. Who is his daughter? Why is he trying to get her to visit him in prison? And what does this have to do with the story?
In North Korea a survivor of a prison camp, Chung-Cha, is now a trained assassin for the Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. She is sent to deal with corruption and anyone who is suspected of being disloyal. Today she has an apartment, a car, a rice cooker and other material possessions but the prison where she spent her formative years and the price she paid to get out of the prison camp are always present.
The story moves from Washington D.C, to Alabama, to North Carolina, to Paris, to North Korea, to Nantucket. The plan to which the President has agreed to could lead to a global apocalypse. Only Robie and Reel can prevent this from happening. Robie and Reel are super agents. All that is missing is capes and tights. The story was entertaining if not realistic. What really saved it, and is the reason I rounded my rating up to 3.5 stars, was the character development of Chung-Cha. I would never have thought that I would find myself sympathetic with and liking a North Korean assassin.
I am a big David Baldacci fan and enjoy most of his work. When I first started reading this story I thought it was going to be one of the exceptions but I am glad I stayed with it. The ending was worth it. There are several story lines in this book and at times it was hard to follow along and connect the dots.
Jessica Reel is on the out with some in the CIA because of things she did in The Hit. Will Robie, to a lesser extent, is in the same boat. Guilt by association. No less than the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (DCI) appears to have them in his crosshairs.
The President of the United has agreed on a top secret plan to remove a global leader from power. He agreed to the plan based on the advise he received from his DCI. The DCI has the perfect team for this mission. Robie and Reel. But first they must prove their worthiness and loyalty. They are to be sent to the Burner Box, a CIA training facility.
In an Alabama prison a convicted murderer dying of cancer hatches a plan to be reunited with his long lost daughter. This desire does not appear to be due to any desire to make amends. And it seems he is working with others outside of the prison. Who is his daughter? Why is he trying to get her to visit him in prison? And what does this have to do with the story?
In North Korea a survivor of a prison camp, Chung-Cha, is now a trained assassin for the Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. She is sent to deal with corruption and anyone who is suspected of being disloyal. Today she has an apartment, a car, a rice cooker and other material possessions but the prison where she spent her formative years and the price she paid to get out of the prison camp are always present.
The story moves from Washington D.C, to Alabama, to North Carolina, to Paris, to North Korea, to Nantucket. The plan to which the President has agreed to could lead to a global apocalypse. Only Robie and Reel can prevent this from happening. Robie and Reel are super agents. All that is missing is capes and tights. The story was entertaining if not realistic. What really saved it, and is the reason I rounded my rating up to 3.5 stars, was the character development of Chung-Cha. I would never have thought that I would find myself sympathetic with and liking a North Korean assassin.
January 10, 2020
This installment of the Will Robie series focuses on Robie's badass partner, Jessica Reel, whose ice-cold exterior conceals a very traumatic childhood. In The Target, chickens come home to roost. It turns out that her father is dying in a maximum security prison and as a last requests, asks his estranged daughter to visit him. He has ulterior motives that threaten to bring Jessica back into the arena of a dangerous figure from her childhood. And that's just one of the stories. The other story involves an assassin op that goes wrong.
Tons of action, but also layered characterization. Will and Jessica maintain their unflappable exteriors as always, but underneath, they are both caring, principled people who realize that they cannot survive being disconnected from others. Jessica is amazing. From someone who came from her background, her strength of will and integrity speaks volumes about her as a person. I like how the good and bad guys aren't always as cut and dried as it's made out to be.
Another holdover from the previous 2 years (a lot happened, don't judge me!) I never got a chance to write a review about...
Overall rating: 4.5/5.0.
Tons of action, but also layered characterization. Will and Jessica maintain their unflappable exteriors as always, but underneath, they are both caring, principled people who realize that they cannot survive being disconnected from others. Jessica is amazing. From someone who came from her background, her strength of will and integrity speaks volumes about her as a person. I like how the good and bad guys aren't always as cut and dried as it's made out to be.
Another holdover from the previous 2 years (a lot happened, don't judge me!) I never got a chance to write a review about...
Overall rating: 4.5/5.0.
June 17, 2023
The book is a pacy thriller, yes, with an incredible plot, but you want to believe in it all. And why not? Isn't that what fabulous literary fiction is all about? The suspension of the grey, drabness of belief to enter a richer, better world where great things can happen and which often holds a mirror up to ourselves and asks us to ask the questions ... What would I have done in that situation? How would I have behaved? Aren't we all "kids" at heart , thrilled by things that are better, bigger and stronger than ourselves? And that's where Baldacci's books always score. They take us to a better place, a fantasy where horrible things are sometimes explored, surprising depth of detail is uncovered and there's a resonance to right that puts things into a proper end, for me, satisfying perspective. I love the main characters their flawed, well developed. I’ve enjoyed the growth between the two characters It thrills and delights me in equal measure, because it is cleverly written with a human twist on the fatefulness of life's events.
October 28, 2014
The Robie/Reel dynamic is one of the most intriguing in popular thillers. CIA assassins, once deadly enemies, become partners, friends, and more. Though the transition to the "more" phase seems painfully slow at times, the tension adds to the intrigue. In this story, Baldacci utilizes multiple plot lines to maintain pace and the reader's interest. While action is the foundation, complicated relationships, between the protagonists and with friends and enemies, provide the mortar which strengthens the structure. As always, the author laces the story with unique locales and characters in order to entertain. A 4.5 in my book.
August 11, 2020
I wish I was versed enough to do justice to this story that is the Target. The title is as usual very minimalist. All three books from the Will Robie series are different from one another. Here, the titular hero shares the stage with a diverse and supportive cast. The amount of detail packed into 400 pages was pretty daunting.
The narration and characterization in multiple settings around the world could have not worked well. The small amount of time given for the reader to bond with or hate this or that character might not have been effective. But the author went ahead and took risks. The book works on all levels. It makes us realize the fragility of life, something many works of art try and fail to achieve. I'm glad I read this book. It was a fast paced page turner with a lot of heart. I haven't come so close to losing it since a long time. I just wish it had made a bigger splash than it has done.
The narration and characterization in multiple settings around the world could have not worked well. The small amount of time given for the reader to bond with or hate this or that character might not have been effective. But the author went ahead and took risks. The book works on all levels. It makes us realize the fragility of life, something many works of art try and fail to achieve. I'm glad I read this book. It was a fast paced page turner with a lot of heart. I haven't come so close to losing it since a long time. I just wish it had made a bigger splash than it has done.
November 8, 2014
Baldacci returns with a high-thrills adventure, featuring both Will Robie and Jessica Reel. After the CIA tries to deal with the fallout of Robie's last mission, they struggle with a plot that could leave the President of the United States in international hot water. Putting Robie and Reel through their paces, the Agency sends them off to handle a mission with complete deniability and dire consequences. When the mission takes a turn, Robie and Reel find themselves free to handle some personal business, stateside. This business leaves Reel to face some of her deepest and darkest secrets, while Robie is forced into action to save both Reel and his teenaged friend, Julie. All this as the stakes on the international scene rise significantly, leaving the First Family in the crosshairs. Meanwhile, in the depths of a prison camp in North Korea, a prisoner seeks to rise above the beatings and make a name for herself, no matter the risk. Could this gaunt woman mean the end of Robie, Reel, and a slew of others? Baldacci's outdone himself with this thriller, sure to keep the reader up late into the night with excitement.
Perhaps one of Baldacci's best novels in a long while, The Target explores territory never before addressed. Baldacci uses extensive research and possibly some literary freedoms to paint a grey and dour image of North Korea and its inhabitants. Countering that with the high-impact of the Robie/Reel connection and the reader is sure to enjoy the fights, the bullets, and even the break-night battles. Letting up only with the closing sentence, Baldacci opens his characters up to extensive exploration and thorough back story creation, sure to be useful in novels to come. At times, the reader may feel three novellas have been combined to create this larger work, all in the name of keeping Robie and Reel on their toes.
Kudos, Mr. Baldacci for putting forth such an exciting story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the next series instalment.
Perhaps one of Baldacci's best novels in a long while, The Target explores territory never before addressed. Baldacci uses extensive research and possibly some literary freedoms to paint a grey and dour image of North Korea and its inhabitants. Countering that with the high-impact of the Robie/Reel connection and the reader is sure to enjoy the fights, the bullets, and even the break-night battles. Letting up only with the closing sentence, Baldacci opens his characters up to extensive exploration and thorough back story creation, sure to be useful in novels to come. At times, the reader may feel three novellas have been combined to create this larger work, all in the name of keeping Robie and Reel on their toes.
Kudos, Mr. Baldacci for putting forth such an exciting story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the next series instalment.
May 21, 2014
Baldacci is writing exciting thrillers. Jessica Reel and Will Robie are still in the crosshairs of the CIA's DDI. When the President decides to work with a dissident North Korean general, they are recruited for an assassination, but the dissident's handler is killed by a North Korean superagent, Chung-Cha, a survivor of a North Korean prison camp, and the dissident commits suicide after damning the President for his treachery and demanding protection for his family. To assuage his guilty conscience, Robie and Reel launch a daring rescue and find themselves showered with praise by the President and his family, placing themselves in position for the final desperate act of the North Koreans.
February 8, 2018
Whew!
The Target is the best Will Robie book yet. The pacing is excellent - for the first time in this series, I did not put down the book even once. The characters are strong and we get to see new ones which are nuanced. The plot is also something quite different.
Overall, this is a great action thriller.
More reviews are available at Digital Amrit
The Target is the best Will Robie book yet. The pacing is excellent - for the first time in this series, I did not put down the book even once. The characters are strong and we get to see new ones which are nuanced. The plot is also something quite different.
Overall, this is a great action thriller.
More reviews are available at Digital Amrit
September 23, 2022
I have been really enjoying this series. I had previously read David Baldacci's "Memory Man" series and liked it so much that I wanted to read another David Baldacci series. I have to say that I think this "Will Robie" series is even better than the "Memory Man" series.
May 22, 2018
I will have the book review done in one to two weeks.
June 8, 2021
Love reading Baldacci.....usually. Love the characters in the Will Robbie series, but this installment is way over the top.
I love a complex storyline, but there are just TOO many plots and subplots, not all of them intertwined. There are perhaps an extra 100 pages or so of a subplot that added absolutely nothing to the plot line of THE TARGET! Investing the time to read non- essential pages not germane to the overall story arc is frustrating at best.
Since Will and Jessica are government sanctioned CIA assassins and have earned a debt of gratitude from the sitting President, it seems inconceivable that they fear for their lives from one of The President's subordinates - the CIA Director himself!
Additionally, it seemed like the protagonists are parodies of Avengers or Xmen... just how much super human powers can a reader take even with suspended disbelief! The plots are exciting, but there are too many extraneous and non-essential sub-plots and all just too unbelievable!
This one is a bit of a disappointment, but to be fair, I am comparing this installment to Baldacci’s other stellar novels. He has set a high bar for himself!
I love a complex storyline, but there are just TOO many plots and subplots, not all of them intertwined. There are perhaps an extra 100 pages or so of a subplot that added absolutely nothing to the plot line of THE TARGET! Investing the time to read non- essential pages not germane to the overall story arc is frustrating at best.
Since Will and Jessica are government sanctioned CIA assassins and have earned a debt of gratitude from the sitting President, it seems inconceivable that they fear for their lives from one of The President's subordinates - the CIA Director himself!
Additionally, it seemed like the protagonists are parodies of Avengers or Xmen... just how much super human powers can a reader take even with suspended disbelief! The plots are exciting, but there are too many extraneous and non-essential sub-plots and all just too unbelievable!
This one is a bit of a disappointment, but to be fair, I am comparing this installment to Baldacci’s other stellar novels. He has set a high bar for himself!
September 19, 2014
After my last book, and not being able to finish The Stuart MacBride book.
Great to get back to a author that I know I am going to be happy with and I was.
Knowing that I enjoy this type of book, with assassins, international travelling and plots and of course the great characters Will Robie and Jessica Reel.
This book has you hooked from the beginning with the return of Will Robie and Jessica Reel but now with the added bonus of a North Korean assassin, and a good one.
David Baldacci seems to know his knowledge on North Korea, and a great plot build up with exciting tension, excitement, suspense and lots of fast paced action from across the world.
Reading an author I enjoy so much, makes me appreciate them as to write a "good book" is not quite so easy as you think as there are many weak books out there as well.
I just could not put this book down and had to get to the end and the conclusion, and lots of twists and turns.
Enjoy
Great to get back to a author that I know I am going to be happy with and I was.
Knowing that I enjoy this type of book, with assassins, international travelling and plots and of course the great characters Will Robie and Jessica Reel.
This book has you hooked from the beginning with the return of Will Robie and Jessica Reel but now with the added bonus of a North Korean assassin, and a good one.
David Baldacci seems to know his knowledge on North Korea, and a great plot build up with exciting tension, excitement, suspense and lots of fast paced action from across the world.
Reading an author I enjoy so much, makes me appreciate them as to write a "good book" is not quite so easy as you think as there are many weak books out there as well.
I just could not put this book down and had to get to the end and the conclusion, and lots of twists and turns.
Enjoy
September 29, 2014
Audiobook Review
3 Stars
Why I even rated this three stars is perplexing -- perhaps because Baldacci's writing is tight and consistent, and he is generally a superb writer. But this story is a mess, with 1 core plot that is remodeled every few chapters. Plus there is a sub-plot with Jessica's father, her past and her consideration of the future. There is also a sub-theme relating to mothers and their children. Baldacci smashed far too many plots into one story. This is not a Mission Impossible movie -- it's a book.
By the end of this book, I needed a vacation just to recover from all the noise, the action & jet-lag, and felt like I just fought a pack of rabid Ninjas.
In another Will Robie and Jessica Reel saga, the duo is pressed into action by the President for a top double-secret mission. But a nemesis in the government is gunning for them. As they head to the 'Burner Box,' the CIA's version of an Abu Ghraib training camp, they're convinced they'll never make it to the mission. However, by a quirk of circumstance, the mission evaporates and morphs into an assassination instead. Complications ensue from the hit on a former CIA asset from North Korean. Robie and Reel must then penetrate a North Korean work camp to rescue the asset's family. After contrived battle scenes, Reel and Robie are rescued and return to the US. At which time they are asked by the First Lady to accompany her and her children to Nantucket for a family vacation. The hits just keep on coming, and the teary-eyed ending finally arrives. Running in parallel for the first half of the book is a sub-plot of Jessica's criminal father, who raises his ugly neo-nazi head for the first time in 20 years to create a near-death disaster for Jessica.
Note to the Author: LOOSE THE SOUND EFFECTS. I was in a quasi-relaxed state listening to this audiobook and suddenly my super stereo earbuds blasted from my ears with unexpected explosions. The words are the performance. Let we poor readers imagine the sounds.
3 Stars
Why I even rated this three stars is perplexing -- perhaps because Baldacci's writing is tight and consistent, and he is generally a superb writer. But this story is a mess, with 1 core plot that is remodeled every few chapters. Plus there is a sub-plot with Jessica's father, her past and her consideration of the future. There is also a sub-theme relating to mothers and their children. Baldacci smashed far too many plots into one story. This is not a Mission Impossible movie -- it's a book.
By the end of this book, I needed a vacation just to recover from all the noise, the action & jet-lag, and felt like I just fought a pack of rabid Ninjas.
In another Will Robie and Jessica Reel saga, the duo is pressed into action by the President for a top double-secret mission. But a nemesis in the government is gunning for them. As they head to the 'Burner Box,' the CIA's version of an Abu Ghraib training camp, they're convinced they'll never make it to the mission. However, by a quirk of circumstance, the mission evaporates and morphs into an assassination instead. Complications ensue from the hit on a former CIA asset from North Korean. Robie and Reel must then penetrate a North Korean work camp to rescue the asset's family. After contrived battle scenes, Reel and Robie are rescued and return to the US. At which time they are asked by the First Lady to accompany her and her children to Nantucket for a family vacation. The hits just keep on coming, and the teary-eyed ending finally arrives. Running in parallel for the first half of the book is a sub-plot of Jessica's criminal father, who raises his ugly neo-nazi head for the first time in 20 years to create a near-death disaster for Jessica.
Note to the Author: LOOSE THE SOUND EFFECTS. I was in a quasi-relaxed state listening to this audiobook and suddenly my super stereo earbuds blasted from my ears with unexpected explosions. The words are the performance. Let we poor readers imagine the sounds.
April 28, 2014
As I start to write this I haven't put a rating above yet. I'm a little conflicted about this one. There is no question that I like the characters in this book, but this time around I think David had them doing too much in way to short of a time span. Even Superman and Superwoman would have trouble keeping up with Will and Jessica. The action really never stops and that is not always a good thing. I think that applies in this case.
David had a really good idea when he put Will Robie and Oliver Stone together in a short story(Bullseye) I'd like to see that expanded to book length. Of course despite the faults or what I see as faults, I'll continue to read his works as they appear.
David had a really good idea when he put Will Robie and Oliver Stone together in a short story(Bullseye) I'd like to see that expanded to book length. Of course despite the faults or what I see as faults, I'll continue to read his works as they appear.
July 15, 2014
Either Baldacci has passed his peak or I'm just tired of international thrillers that stretch a little too far to be believable. I've always looked forward to Baldacci's next book, but no more. The plot here took half the book to really kick in, and it read more like several episodes strung together, rather than one coherent story. Also, I felt the emphasis on what Robie and Reel were struggling with in their emotional lives began to dominate the story; if I wanted to read a family drama, I'd read someone else's work. I honestly wonder if someone else crafted the majority of this story, since it was such a disappointment.
March 25, 2015
David Baldacci wrote a very compelling book in (The Target) whereby he follows the careers of two intelligence agents. They have many hair raising experiences in many foreign lands as well as here at home protecting the first family.
Enjoy and Be Blessed.
Diamond
Enjoy and Be Blessed.
Diamond
December 29, 2021
Enjoyed the story. I could have done without the repetitive backstory of Chung-Cha.
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