The Target

By: David Baldacci

Narrated by: Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy

Length: 8 hrs and 43 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

" 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)

"Baldacci is a master when it comes to writing about small-town conspiracies and a lone hero who fights against all odds to clean up corruption. The narrative moves slowly, so the reader has a chance to solve the case along with Puller. It might seem straightforward, but the final reveal will surprise even hardcore thriller junkies." ( The Washington Post on The Forgotten)

"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)

Reel and Robie

Once again the dynamic duo performance was brilliant. Great job and the storyline kept me attached as always.

Stick characters and a preposterous plot.

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

I often find that the "preposterous plot/super action agent/CIA jerk director genre" works well for something that helps pass the time on the exercise machines at gym. But the only redeeming virtues of this one were: 1) It is short; and 2) [Better yet] it's essentially broken into segments that were even shorter. Translation (in the jargon of old melodramas): At least when the train is bearing down on little Nell while she is tied to the tracks, the author does make you endure 50 pages of nonsense to hear what happens next!

Has The Target turned you off from other books in this genre?

No.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrators did well. If anything, having an audio performance may have helped mask the that the author's non-development of characters was a disaster.

Any additional comments?

An author needs to do more than write: 1) This is a good guy. 2) This is a bad guy! 3) Bad guy fails to kill good guy!

Hard to put down

What made the experience of listening to The Target the most enjoyable?

The performance of McLarty and Cassidy--they could be narrating a menu and I would love it.

What other book might you compare The Target to and why?

This is a series of books featuring Will Robie and Jessica Reel

Which character – as performed by Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy – was your favorite?

I have always enjoyed Ms. Cassidy's take on the character of Jessica Reel.

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

It was a shorter audible book (only 8 hours) and had I the time, I would have listened to it all at once.