The Target

By: David Baldacci

Narrated by: Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy

Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

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.

©2014 David Baldacci (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Critic Reviews

"This book is a definite one-day, 'edge-of-your-chair' read, with an ending that is a complete surprise. One of the best Baldacci's since Absolute Power, this is one that will have all suspense readers enthralled." ( Suspense Magazineon The Innocent)

" The Innocent is Baldacci at his absolute best.... Baldacci provides the reader a non-stop pulse pounding ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat into the wee hours of the morning.... Five Stars." (Examiner.com)

"Another fast-paced page turner that will keep you glued to the couch...by an author who continues to standout in the increasingly crowded thriller field." (Examiner.com on The Forgotten)

the sound editing is awful.

music shouldn't be used in audible books. sound mixing was distracting. a brainless summer listen.

2 Stories

Baldacchi must be running out of material. This book contains two unrelated stories that leave one questioning where the book is going. Add in lots . . . way too much . . . mindless drivel. It seems another writer or editor took over Baldacchi’s soul. This is the first of his books I have disliked.

Terrible.

For some reason I thought David Baldacci was supposed to be a decent writer. Some of the dialogue in this book is so bad I wondered if he was taking lessons from George Lucas. The female narrator was pretty good most of the time, but the man was way over the top with his characters. The ending is so ridiculous I was laughing out loud.

Fun thriller, gets better as it continues

This is a long spy novel with many plot threads (most get connected, but not all). I had listened to and enjoyed other books in the Will Robie series. North Korea played a big part in this novel. I was interested enough in all those plot threads, and Baldacci does a great job at moving from one to another so that it does not get boring. Most are pretty far-fetched, so you have to suspend belief to get into this. I did that, and most of the second half was pretty exciting. To me, this worked as a fun, mindless spy thriller. Even when he is over the top, Baldacci writes readable thrillers. I love the voice of the narrator, but he is not great at changing his voice to be different characters. That's why a woman narrates the spoken words of all the female characters. That took me a while to get used to, but it ultimately worked for me.

Best Baldacci book ever

I have all of his books and am a fan especially of King & Maxwell as well as the Camel Club series. The Target is his third in the Will Robie series which probably be renamed the Robie & Reel series.

As always, Ron McLardy and Orlagh Cassidy did a great job of narration.

Jessica Reel is a more interesting character than Will Robie. The Target goes much further in developing the Jessica Reel character than did the prior books in the Robie series. Will Robie remains somewhat an enigma because so little has been explained about his past. The ever precocious Julie, now age 15, is back in The Target.

A North Korean female assassin named Ye Chung-Cha is also a major character in the book. Baldacci's development of her character is outstanding.

Without giving the plot away, The Target is about poor relations between the US and North Korea. A sub-plot is the background of Jessica Reel whose father is a murderer who has been on Alabama's death row for many years. Part of the sub-plot is a kidnapping arranged with the help of Reel's father.

I recommend that The Innocent and The Hit be read prior to The Target.

Do you respect your time?

If you respect your time then do not listen to this book. This book is awful. I usually stop listening to really bad books and get a refund but this time I listened until the end. I will never do that again.

Another Let Down

Baldacci seems to have come up with a recipe for his books and it involves a male character who we generally know little about (no family history, no personal history) and a female character who is tough and lethal but troubled mentally from dysfunctional past (we know her history). The male character is steady, calm, the strategist and thinking (which is about all we know about them). The female kicks butt yet is emotionally unstable. In the early books of a series the male character plays a more prominent role and then as a series continues becomes more background. You can see the pattern in the King & Maxwell novels as well as the Robbie & Real novels as they degraded into this recipe. I don’t enjoy this formula and am getting turned off with each new Baldacci book to the point I will not read or listen to another unless the reviews are outstanding. I loved the Camel Club, especially the early books, liked King and Maxwell early books, enjoyed the first Will Robbie book (The Innocent), The Last Man Standing … I guess Baldacci’s earlier writing…. The Target seems to be 3 short stories connected by a thin thread in order to roll them all into one novel. This isn't a page turner, won’t keep you up at night, and actually is a book you could set down and not go back to. As far as the narrators go, I have never been that impressed with Oraigh Cassidy but in books like the Camel Club series she didn't have to do too many female voices, in this one she did and it was beyond her skills.

Liked , not loved it.

Have you ever heard the saying, "Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story"? That pretty much sums up this and other Baldacci books. The writing, , especially the action scenes, are so ridiculous as to be unbelievable. And what's with the dramatic music and sound effects? Maybe to distract the listener? That being said, the book is entertaining. But I'm sure glad I got it on a Daily deal. Was worth the 5 bucks but not much more.

Could only listen for an hour

The plot is silly. The dialogue is cheesy James Pattersonesque and feels “padded” to make it longer. I liked other books by Baldacci. This one is a loser. If I could I’d ask for a refund.

Tight and Engaging -- Reel and Robie are back!

Robie and Reel are back in this third thriller from Balacci. Book three starts of with Robie and Reel dealing with the aftermath of their actions in book two. Suffice to say there are some in the CIA that want Reel dead and other that hold her in respect for her actions. With this as a backdrop "The Target" really starts to follow two seemingly separate story lines. You learn quite a bit more about Jessica in this novel and you have cameo appearances from Julie.

The plot is tight and engaging and it moves quickly. I found this novel Baldacci let Reel and Robie be a little more cerebral to offset their the CIA hitman persona that we saw in book two. Jessica has been a fantastic addition to the story line in these lat two novels.

This novel has wide appeal to thriller readers and should be on the reading list. You can read it as the first one so it is accessible. However, I would suggest you read the series starting at book 1. I give this novel a bit thumbs.