The Innocent

Will Robie, Book 1

By: David Baldacci

Narrated by: Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's Summary

Will Robie is an assassin with a mission. But whose side is he on?

Back in DC after successful missions in Edinburgh and Tangier, assassin Will Robie sees his latest assignment, to eliminate a US government employee, go badly wrong. What had she done? Or what did she know? Robie is now a wanted man. But it seems that he’s not the only one on the run.

Young teenager Julie Getty is devastated by the inexplicable murder of her parents in their home. Who wanted them dead and why, is a mystery. But Julie is smart enough to believe that their killer will come after her. Robie and Julie meet when he saves her from an attempt on her life as they are trying to leave town. The police investigating the hit start to take an interest in Robie. He’s particularly attracting the interest of Special Agent Nicole Vance, who believes that the two cases are connected.

Robie finds himself in a dangerous position as he is tasked to investigate a crime at which he was present. Does he need to change sides to save lives - including his own?

©2012 Columbus Rose, Ltd (P)2012 Hachette US

Critic Reviews

“This taut, action-packed adventure is Baldacci at his very best.” ( Daily Express)

Almost a DNF for me

I have listened to a lot of Baldacci's books and I really like them, so I thought this one would be good. Well...I was disappointed.
The Innocent starts off good and has me hooked for the first few chapters then the story gets confusing. From the eight chapter to up to the near the end there is no story. It is the same information being repeated over and over and over again. Robie works for a super secret agency with a lot of power, or so you're suppose to believe but obvious and simple detective investigating techniques weren't even used. Then...., at the very end, Robie obtains all the answers in one paragraph. I swear I was reading a murder she wrote novel but Robie was inserted as the main character. It's my best guess that Balducci had a deadline to met and this book was the end result.
I don't know if this new character is supposed to be his answer to Jack Reacher, but it really misses the mark. The writing was good, but the plot was so contrived. I got dizzy from rolling my eyes so much. The hero and his little "innocent" made many leaps in their conclusions from very limited information. bleh

Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy and the sounds effects nearly drove me crazy. It sounded like a B grade movie not an audio book.

Monotonous monotone by narrator Ron McLarty

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

The audio book started with "Sound Effects", something I absolutely hate. It is an insult to the narrator, showing his/her voice will not carry the story.I have looked at other reviews of this book. The story line should interest me. But, I gave up after listening to Ron McLarty's voice for 30 mins.I want a refund for my wasted time and money.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Nothing read by Ron McLarty. Nothing from Macmillan Audio Books

What didn’t you like about Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy ’s performance?

Ron McLarty's voice is better suited to the 30 seconds of scary advertisment to the next big horror movie block buster. Ron also sounds like he is a 3 packet per day smoker.Orlagh Cassidy. Only heard her voice for a few seconds. No opinions.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Innocent: Will Robie, Book 1?

Only got 5% into the audiobook, before I gave up. Cut the narrators, and start again.

Any additional comments?

I have also purchased the next book in the series "The Hit". It will not be listened to either. I am now even more annoyed at spending money on thse two audio books.

Captivating tale

What did you love best about The Innocent?

I particlularly liked the use of different voices and sound effects something many other audio books have not had.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, the plot kept me on the edge of my seat, you never knew whether the bad guys were after the girl or Will

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Unfortunately I don't have that opportunity, but I found myself siting in carparks at my desitnations so that I could get to the end of chapter.

A very enjoyable book, performed by masters

Not only is this a great story but the performance by Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy was superb. A definite valuable asset in my collection. Just get it and start listening.

good listen

What did you love best about The Innocent?

Baldacci continues to offer intrique and good story plots to keep reader involved

Who was your favorite character and why?

Robi is central character but his professional blandness is nicely countered with fiesty 14 year old Julie

What does Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Good narration by both parties

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

enjoyed the book immensely although slightly predictable it was still a great listen and worth the download.
another Baldacci winner

Simply written with great plot.

I found the English in this book to be quite simple which initially took me a while to get used to. The story got better the more I listened, and I liked the way it concluded. It does have an issue in the final chapter where one of the dialogues is clipped for some reason, though I'm not sure if that was a production issue or something else. That's the main reason it looses a star for me.

A Thriller Through & Through!

A fantastic book with a complex yet interesting storyline... Memorable characters especially Julie Getty who is feisty, intelligent, street-smart and captivating... The narrators Ron McLarty & Orlagh Cassidy always bring the story to life! Kudos the McLarty & Cassidy duo!!!!
--Mwenda

Great!

Another fantastic story the two narrators make all the difference. I'm reading my way through the entire booklist, I can't get enough of this author.

Loved the sound effects,using 2 narrators works.

If you could sum up The Innocent: Will Robie, Book 1 in three words, what would they be?

fast moving story

Who was your favorite character and why?

Will Robie makes an excellent hero, very explosive

What about Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy ’s performance did you like?

Work extremely well together.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes it made me download books 2 & 3, & they are just as good as the first.

Sounds effects add nothing

Any additional comments?

Personally I enjoy a book being read and using my own imagination for sounds effects and such like. The fact that these were added in this audio book, together with it being read by two people (male and female) made it seem more like a recorded stage production than an audiobook. Listened to the first bit, and stopped. Am going to buy the paperback second hand from the local charity shop. While this type of production might suit some, it did not for me. So based on this I would not suggest this book, but as I said, that is me.

An easy listen....

...apart from the annoying musak and awful sporadic sound effects. I read/listen to books to utilise my imagination I did not like the intrusive additional noise.

Thoroughly Enjoyable

Don't judge by other reviews!!!! I have thoroughly enjoyed this book from the beginning. Don't want to give anything away so I will just say it keeps you in suspence to the end and couldn't stop listening. It is the first time I have heard an audio book with sound effects, I must say they did make me jump a few times but it is not off putting but adds to the suspence. Go listen and enjoy........

A good old fashioned thriller!

Any additional comments?

Early on I thought "what is this?". Is this guy for real? Ron McLarty's deep serious tones illustrated the perfect all-american hit-man and there was fade-in/ fade-out music and sound effects happening. I was confused as hell!But I hung in there and dismissed my preconceptions about how an audiobook should be... and then it happened: I really got into it. Purchased book 2 before I even finished book 1 so that I wouldn't suffer withdrawel symptoms and loved the experience! This was what it was, Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy, complete with sound effects, a great old-fashioned thriller story with well resourced bad guys and the infallible but very likeable good guys. The whole book was a great experience.Highly recommend it!

Great story, great audio.

I've not read any Baldacci before, so found this a real treat. the story is good with some real twists in the plot and some intriguing characters.
There is some production value to the audio with sound affects and music used sparingly, that I found a little amusing at first. But it's not long before you realise it adds tension and value to the story.
Ron's voice is great with good intonation and characterisation and Orlagh playing the female roles works well also.
A cracking production all round.

Not Baldacci's best but still a pretty good read

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

If they were a Baldacci fan. If not I don't think this would be the best book to introduce them to him. I'd suggest the King and Maxwell series or the John Puller series as a starting point.

Would you be willing to try another book from David Baldacci? Why or why not?

Absolutely. But maybe not based on this book.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book but not as much as the others I've read by this author. I found it hard to warm to a "hero" who is an assassin, but warm to him I eventually did.
I just wish the publishers didn't insist on sound effects and music at crunch points in the story, they don't add anything and can be a little distracting. Surprisingly I know what gunfire or speeding cars sound like. Having said that I didn't find it as grating with this book as I have previously, maybe I've learned to tune it out!
I like the two narrators, they' ve narrated most of the Baldacci books I've listened to and it works really well not having a man doing a falsetto voice or a woman pretending to be a man.

Good Action Thriller with a twist

This is a good action book with a twist - the hero is a trained killer. The author has created a nice complex character and delivers a really good action thriller. I have read both the Will Robie books and enjoyed them both - fast action and clever. If you like Jack Reacher, John Puller, Jason Bourne then I think you will like Will Robie.

Leave out the music!

This is a fairly mundane narrative.
The writing was quite flat, the characters undeveloped, the plot utterly implausible and unconvincing, and the surprise twists were telescoped from early in the book.

The worse part was the irritating music as the "scary" bits approached and at the end of chapters. If the writing and narration aren't enough, there is something wrong.

Only small plus is that I DID finish the book to see what happened.

I Can't Believe I Paid for This!!

Dire story, dire "he said, she said" production and OTT sound effects. In a word - avoid!!!! Would give it zero but the computer says no!!!!

exciting and fun

I loved it, could not put down, however the story is a bit far fetched comparing to other D.B. books. that's why the 4 stars. but it totally worth my time and money.

Decent story but.......

I am a keen Baldacci reader but this was perhaps the weakest book I remember. The last couple I have read have been based in Army CID special agent John Pullar. His investigative expertise is great and I have become used to Ron McLardy playing the part with Orlagh Cassidy playing the supporting role. The main character in this book is Will Robie who is not an investigator but an assassin. After the assassin elements are over in the first half hour, Will Robie simply becomes John Pullar. He morph's from an assassin into an ace detective / investigator and I felt Baldacci had reverted to his comfort zone and of course what he is good at after starting down the road of an assassin. This is not helped by the same narrator playing both parts. After half an hour the story would as well have been a John Pullar story. That was disappointing. The storyline is fine and the book reasonably enjoyable but certainly not a favourite.