4.29

5

May 29, 2013

I loved this book.........

Will Robie returns in David Baldacci’s The Hit, the 2nd book in the Will Robie Series. After his last disastrous mission in The Innocent, he returns home and given a new assignment.

Find Jessica Reel and do whatever it takes to eliminate her. She’s accused of going rogue after killing agents in the agency.

Jessica Reel is a fellow assassin, who he’s worked and trained with in the past and he’s baffled about her turning against the people and the company she has worked I loved this book.........

Will Robie returns in David Baldacci’s The Hit, the 2nd book in the Will Robie Series. After his last disastrous mission in The Innocent, he returns home and given a new assignment.

Find Jessica Reel and do whatever it takes to eliminate her. She’s accused of going rogue after killing agents in the agency.

Jessica Reel is a fellow assassin, who he’s worked and trained with in the past and he’s baffled about her turning against the people and the company she has worked with. But this will not stop him from doing his job.

As he gets closer to Reel, certain events pertaining to this case show that there’s more to what information he has been given. And when a high level CIA boss, who he had met with to talk about his suspicions, is killed, he realizes that something is now right about his mission.

Will and Jessica come face to face they realize that to survive they will have to work together, to finding the people who are trying to kill them both. They will have to use all the skills to staying alive.. “Success or failure was always defined largely during the preparation. With good planning all one had to do was execute. Even last-second changes could be made with greater ease if the planning in the first place had been precise.” I loved Jessica Reel! She’s a hardened and ruthless assassin, jaded as just as lethal as Will… “Sorry it’s come to this, Will. Only one can survive of course.” -Jessica Reel We
The chapters told from Jessica's POV give a deeper insight into her character and some of the reasons why she becomes an assassin. “What happened to you as a child, particularly something bad, changed you, absolutely and completely. It was like part of your brain became closed off and refused to mature any further. As an adult you were powerless to fight against it. It was simply who you were until the day you died. There was no “therapy” that could cure it. That wall was built and nothing could tear it down.”
“She apparently didn't expect any trouble but she also never expected everything to go perfectly either. That was a good rule to live by Robie knew. Because perfection was rarely the case in the field.” Will begins to question what he does. Who determines what is good or bad, or should die or live. He also has to deal with having Julie Getty, the young teenager he saved in The Innocent, in his life.

Great character development….I am very interested in Will’s boss, the Blue Man….he’s a mystery and we never discover who he really is.

Fantastic and gripping plot filled with death-defying action, tension and a gripping and dramatic climax. A total page-turner that will keep you glued to the seat of your chair!

If you love political thrillers, this series is a must!!! ...more

5

Mar 05, 2013

2nd read completed in 4/2018 on Audiobook.

I am rereading these first book on audiobook and I have to say it was a great idea. I love the way the narrators brought these beloved characters to life. Will and Jessica are mirrors of each other, and the way in which Baldacci explores that relationship is beautiful. Jessica's life seems more tragic than Will. The fact that she isn't a sociopathic machine killer is a great testiment to her inner character considering the way she grew up and the fact 2nd read completed in 4/2018 on Audiobook.

I am rereading these first book on audiobook and I have to say it was a great idea. I love the way the narrators brought these beloved characters to life. Will and Jessica are mirrors of each other, and the way in which Baldacci explores that relationship is beautiful. Jessica's life seems more tragic than Will. The fact that she isn't a sociopathic machine killer is a great testiment to her inner character considering the way she grew up and the fact that this was exploited when she was recruited as an assassin. I like that Will was not the type to just go straight to eliminating her. He asked questions and delve deeper, based on the fact that what he knew about Reel didn't gel with what he was told. I like that they don't stay adversaries very long (yes it's a spoiler, but you know this if you follow the series). I think they make a great team. Plus, Julie likes Jessica.

I recommend these books if you haven't read them.

******************************************************************************
Oh man! I loved this book. Baldacci took the firm foundation he built in The Innocent and kicked it up sky high. It was like he asked, "How can I really do something interesting with Will Robie in the next book?" And he did. He introduced Jessica Reel. Jessica Reel is the female counterpart to Will, and that is something indeed. Jessica is Grade A, high level lethal kickbutt to the extreme. Her life is as edgy as you can image, just like Will. I love bonafide tough women characters, and it's kind of hard to find the well done ones. But Baldacci has impressed me, because that is definitely Jessica.

I liked her so much, I really didn't want her and Will to be adversaries. Good thing that Baldacci resolves that very well in this book. Because if you have someone guarding your back, you'd want someone like Will or Jessica. And you definitely wouldn't want them gunning for you!

As far as the action, this book is high level. Yet, the plot and a workable story isn't sacrificed just for a good action scene. Everything holds together, and if it served the story better not to have an onscreen action scene, Baldacci wasn't afraid to do that. This book is a good combination of action and thriller/suspense. I don't love a lot of political conspiracy-type storylines because I just find it dry, but it's well done here. Not too much to bore me, but sufficient for the story. With characters like Will and Jessica, you have understand what their motivations are and what would push them over the edge, and that was here in the novel.

The pacing was excellent. I never got bored. Any downtime between action sequences progresses the story and allows us to learn more about the characters. Actually one of my favorite parts of this book was seeing the way Will and Jessica's minds worked. It's uncanny how their minds seemed to click. That was the fun of this book. Had Baldacci decided to take it in another direction, it still would have been a fantastic book, but I liked it better the way it was done. And I have high hopes to see more of this dynamic duo, or at least see Jessica pop up again.

I did get my other wish for this book, I did get to see Julie again. She wasn't in this book as much, but it fits the story. It was just good to know that she and Will are still in each others' lives and they know they can count on each other. Also great to see Nikki Vance and Blue Man again.

I can't say enough good things about this book. Just adored it. I definitely want to get copies of these books for my collection, because Will is definitely on my list, and Jessica as well. Please write more books about Will, Mr. Baldacci! ...more

4

Feb 28, 2017

Baldacci delivers ... again. If you like conspiracy stories chances are you will like this one. When I started reading this book I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it as much The Innocent, the first book in the series. But fortunately things picked up and didn't let up.

Will Robie is a professional assassin with the CIA. He is the man the U.S. government calls on to eliminate our enemies, terrorists, traitors. He is not the only professional assassin with the CIA. Jessica Reel, a fellow assassin, is Baldacci delivers ... again. If you like conspiracy stories chances are you will like this one. When I started reading this book I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it as much The Innocent, the first book in the series. But fortunately things picked up and didn't let up.

Will Robie is a professional assassin with the CIA. He is the man the U.S. government calls on to eliminate our enemies, terrorists, traitors. He is not the only professional assassin with the CIA. Jessica Reel, a fellow assassin, is equally professional, dangerous and maybe as skilled as Robie. But now, she appears to have gone rogue, having killed two fellow members of the agency. To catch a killer you send another killer. This is what Robie's superiors tell him. But as Robie pursues Reel he finds that there is more to her betrayal than meets the eye. There appears to be a vast conspiracy that involves many in different levels of government. Some in very powerful positions. In order to try and stop the conspirators from succeeding and unleashing havoc on a global scale Robie and Reel will need to work together. They will have to trust each other because they can't be sure who else can be trusted. Even within their own agency.

There used to be a TV show in the 1960's, "The Prisoner", starring Patrick McGoohan as a British former secret agent who is abducted and held prisoner in a mysterious village, where his captors try to find out why he abruptly resigned from his job. They do not use names in the village. Everyone is assigned a number. McGoohan's character, Number Six (which he refuses to acknowledge), usually went up against Number Two who tried to extract information from him on behalf of the unseen Number One. I saw a lot of similarities in this novel. You knew many of the conspirators and even Number Two but the story left you guessing until the very end on the identity of Number One. ...more

5

Feb 11, 2017

Q:
...He checked his rearview for Vance, Reel, and assorted bogeymen.
I’m not growing paranoid. I am paranoid. And who could blame me?
(c)
Q:
Her firm core had come from agonizing exercise and careful diet. It had nothing to do with appearance. The core was power central. And fat slowed you down. In her world that was poison
(c)
Q:
There were three ways to approach the mission. For a mission was what Jessica Reel was on.
You could start from the bottom and move to the top.
Or start at the top and move to Q:
...He checked his rearview for Vance, Reel, and assorted bogeymen.
I’m not growing paranoid. I am paranoid. And who could blame me?
(c)
Q:
Her firm core had come from agonizing exercise and careful diet. It had nothing to do with appearance. The core was power central. And fat slowed you down. In her world that was poison
(c)
Q:
There were three ways to approach the mission. For a mission was what Jessica Reel was on.
You could start from the bottom and move to the top.
Or start at the top and move to the bottom.
Or you could mix it up, be unpredictable, go in no particular order.
The first option might be more symbolically pure.
The third approach greatly improved Reel’s odds of success. And her ability to survive.
She opted for success and survival over symbolism.
(c)
Q:
It had been traumatic in ways that even now Reel didn’t fully understand or appreciate. The experience had come to define her, and guaranteed that many normal things people did in life would never be part of hers.
What happened to you as a child, particularly something bad, changed you, absolutely and completely. It was like part of your brain became closed off and refused to mature any further. As an adult you were powerless to fight against it. It was simply who you were until the day you died. There was no “therapy” that could cure it. That wall was built and nothing could tear it down.Maybe that’s why I do what I do. Engineered from childhood.
(c)
Q:
“It’s ancient history. I’m not much into history. I try to be more of a forward thinker.”
“Your compartmentalization skills are amazing, Robie.”
He shrugged. “Necessary part of the job. Hindsight might be twenty-twenty. You learn from mistakes, and you move on. But every situation is different. One size does not fit all.”
“A lot like working cases. So how much longer are you going to be doing what you’re doing?”
“How long are you going to be doing what you’re doing?”
“Probably till I drop.”
“You really think so?”
“I don’t know, Robie. You said you’re a forward thinker. I’m more of a live-in-the-present kind of person. So when are you going to call it quits?”
“I probably won’t be the one making that decision.”
She sat back, took in the meaning of his words, nodded. “Then maybe you should try to make sure you’re the one deciding.”
“Doesn’t go with the territory, Vance.”
They said nothing for about a minute. Each played with the drink in front of them.
Finally Vance asked, “Have you seen Julie?”
“No,” he replied.
“Didn’t you promise her you’d keep in touch?”
“I promised you too and look what happened.”
“But she’s just a kid,” countered Vance.
“That’s right. She has a long life ahead of her.”
“But a promise is a promise.”
“No, not really,” answered Robie. “She doesn’t need me anywhere near her. She’s got a decent shot at a normal life. I’m not going to screw that up for her.”
“Noble of you.”
“Whatever you want to label it.”
“You’re a really hard person to relate to.”
Robie again said nothing.
“I guess as long as you do what you do this is how it’ll be.”
“It is what it is.”
“Do you wish it could be different?”
Robie started to answer this seemingly simple question and then realized it was not nearly as simple as it appeared to be. “I stopped wishing a long time ago, Vance.”
“Why keep doing it, then? I mean, I have a crazy-ass life, though nothing like yours. But at least I have the satisfaction of putting slime away.”
“And you think I don’t?”
“I don’t know. Do you?”
Robie put some cash down on the table and rose. “Thanks for the call. It was nice catching up. And good luck on your case.”
“Do you really mean that?”
“Probably more than you know, actually.”
(c) ...more

1

Apr 28, 2013

I can't believe I'm the only person who didn't like this book. It felt like he wrote it in a day just to get a book out. The characters were not developed at all. They came and went in the blink of an eye. The "doomsday" scenario wasn't explained thoroughly at all. Every scene they just sort of "poof", killed who they needed to kill. I thought this book was very generic.

4

Mar 28, 2016

David hooks his readers from the beginning.
His characters are playing with fire.
Audacious it was.

3

May 06, 2018

There were some really entertaining moments in this book but I did not get into it as much as I did book one. I will continue the series because I do like the character of Will Robie and want to see how things go on the Jessica Reel front. If you like conspiracy types of storylines, I believe you will enjoy this book and series from what I have read.

My quick and simple: good but had trouble really getting into this installment.

3

Jul 27, 2017

3.75 Stars

Will Robie is an exceptional CIA assassin, whose true love is his current weapon of choice. When an agency “handler” and the Deputy Director of the CIA are executed, the evidence points to another equally skilled killer, Jessica Reel, and the white paper dubbed “Apocalypse” — a recipe for eliminating menacing leaders of unstable regions, simultaneously.

Initially accepting his superiors’ conclusion, Robie packs up his arsenal and sets out to hunt down and kill Jessica Reel before she
3.75 Stars

Will Robie is an exceptional CIA assassin, whose true love is his current weapon of choice. When an agency “handler” and the Deputy Director of the CIA are executed, the evidence points to another equally skilled killer, Jessica Reel, and the white paper dubbed “Apocalypse” — a recipe for eliminating menacing leaders of unstable regions, simultaneously.

Initially accepting his superiors’ conclusion, Robie packs up his arsenal and sets out to hunt down and kill Jessica Reel before she can return the favor.

Baldacci serves up enough action and suspenseful espionage to keep the pages turning. Although, at times, Robie doesn’t seem to possess nearly the bravado one might expect, he is — without a doubt — an adversary from which nightmares abound. And those pulling his strings have overlooked one crucial element: Robie is just as adept at calibrating his suspicions as he is a sniper rifle.

Chock-full of political agendas, henchmen, and believable conspiracies, The Hit is nearly just that.

...more

5

Apr 29, 2018

I read the first book in this series and I thought it was okay. This one had me hooked. The author has a way of balancing action with story that works really well.

2

May 30, 2014

It's with a disappointment of ample magnitude that I greeted the final chapters of this book. This proves that no book is guaranteed to excel, whoever the author. But Baldacci didn't do many things wrong. He just wasn't inspired to write another breathtaking spy novel. There was not only goodwill that carried over from the first book. There was also attachment. I cared about Will Robie, and though I knew he wouldn't die, I cared about the people who mattered to him.

This book is about on the It's with a disappointment of ample magnitude that I greeted the final chapters of this book. This proves that no book is guaranteed to excel, whoever the author. But Baldacci didn't do many things wrong. He just wasn't inspired to write another breathtaking spy novel. There was not only goodwill that carried over from the first book. There was also attachment. I cared about Will Robie, and though I knew he wouldn't die, I cared about the people who mattered to him.

This book is about on the same level as The Forgotten, with similarly genteel twists, and suspense that lacked mordant. Strictly speaking David Baldacci has yet to fail me, he didn't even completely bail out. It's just that the third book in the series, The Target, is now a mortal among books, as there is no great hype from this one to carry over. ...more

5

May 13, 2013

A great read. It had me guessing what would happen next throughout the entire book. Even when I thought I had it figured out something else was thrown in. The ending wasn't overly corny either, which is a happy relief from many books today.

3

Oct 31, 2014

The Hit is the second book in the Will Robie series. After that amazing first novel, one's expectations clearly rocketed. The problem with expectations though is that it most of the time lead to awful disappointment. The Hit is one of those most of the time situations.

The biggest letdown of this novel would be the one and only Jessica Reel. The main reason why I liked the first book was because of Will and Julie. I just didn't see much connection from Reel and Robie. Their relationship felt The Hit is the second book in the Will Robie series. After that amazing first novel, one's expectations clearly rocketed. The problem with expectations though is that it most of the time lead to awful disappointment. The Hit is one of those most of the time situations.

The biggest letdown of this novel would be the one and only Jessica Reel. The main reason why I liked the first book was because of Will and Julie. I just didn't see much connection from Reel and Robie. Their relationship felt really forced and cliche. Yes, a crime novel that's cliche, nothing new. The only thing it can offer in return though would be good characters. Will Robie is already one of my favorites, but Reel just ruined everything. She's too weak to be considered as someone who was assigned to kill Robie. Robie's supposedly a freakin' legend, but all this novel showed was his sensitive side. It also seemed to showcase IHOP a lot. Made me want to eat breakfast at 1-am.

Another thing that I didn't like would be the fact that the author kept showcasing Robie as a highly-skilled assassin . First things first, he's really not that good. Everything he did was not impressive. I've read way better assassin novels. It wouldn't be that bad if the author didn't keep shoving how great of an assassin Robie is. Expectations tend to rise, and disappointment usually precedes.

Overall, this was a mediocre novel. It wasn't bad to a point wherein I wanted to throw it away, but not good enough to make me want to read the sequel as soon as possible. Disappointing new addition to the "cast". Hopefully the author didn't write more of Reel in the next novel, because I'm still planning to read it in the future. The short story seems promising though, I might read that after writing this and then postpone my reading of the third novel, because I still have a lot of other novels waiting in line. ...more

2

Aug 23, 2013

Spoilers

Another Baldacci book that will keep you turning pages; as long as you don't bother to think.

Baldacci writes enjoyable books, decent dialog, characters with some depth, but in too many a rediculously silly plot ends up spoiling all the fun.

In "The Hit" a CIA contract-killer turns on the Agency and begins killing fellow officers. The CIA responds by sending out another killer, our hero, Will Robie, to find her and stop her. A move so obvious that even our bad girl killer anticipates it, Spoilers

Another Baldacci book that will keep you turning pages; as long as you don't bother to think.

Baldacci writes enjoyable books, decent dialog, characters with some depth, but in too many a rediculously silly plot ends up spoiling all the fun.

In "The Hit" a CIA contract-killer turns on the Agency and begins killing fellow officers. The CIA responds by sending out another killer, our hero, Will Robie, to find her and stop her. A move so obvious that even our bad girl killer anticipates it, and begins texting Robie to tease him.

Of course eventually Robie finds out his opponent is trying to stop traitors in the CIA from in acting a plan that will throw the world into chaos. The two killers work together to save the world and out the spies. Yay!

Great story. Except, to find the bad killer, Robie has to solve a fiendishly complicated puzzle she left specifically for him. The puzzle she left gives specific directions for finding her. She left the puzzle at a time when all she knew was that Robie would be assigned to kill her. Also, the plot they need to stop end up bearing no resemblance to the one they thought they were trying to stop, so, the middle third of the book ends up being pointless. Also, three or four scenes with Robie's teenage accomplice from the first book in the series never end up amounting to anything, do they exist only to add heft to the book.

Damnably stupid. ...more

4

Jan 27, 2017

Excellent book by an excellent author. Baldacci has become one of my go-to writers if I'm in the mood for some kick ass action.

4

Apr 22, 2013

I read the first book of the series 'The Innocent' last week, and just finished this latest offering. I am a convert now- a new follower of Baldacci! Like the first novel, this also is a very mature read (obviously, in the scheme of things of an average thriller, and not overly serious stuff). The character development is again fantastic, and this time there is another assassin in whom Will Robie finds his match. The emotions and trepidation of someone who is wired to kill in cold blood, of I read the first book of the series 'The Innocent' last week, and just finished this latest offering. I am a convert now- a new follower of Baldacci! Like the first novel, this also is a very mature read (obviously, in the scheme of things of an average thriller, and not overly serious stuff). The character development is again fantastic, and this time there is another assassin in whom Will Robie finds his match. The emotions and trepidation of someone who is wired to kill in cold blood, of someone who lives a lonely and friendless life, and the thoughts of that someone in taking on the might of the government, all of this has been nicely narrated. Will Robie has been instructed to track and kill a colleague spy believed to have gone rogue and a traitor. As dutiful as one can ever be, Will sets out on his hunt, only to realise that things aren't what they are being made out, and no one can be trusted to identify who the actual traitor is. The equally complex and highly skilful character of Jessica the rogue assassin makes this an unputdownable read. I will read the next in the series! ...more

5

May 22, 2013

Another page turner from David Baldacci! He is becoming one of my favorite authors of all time.

5

Apr 13, 2013

A good, solid action-thriller, but not necessarily a mindblowingly great one. After enjoying the sheer awesomeness of The Innocent, I was eagerly waiting to read through the next Will Robie thriller, and although its a very entertaining read for the most part, I didn't thought it was one-of-a-kind like the previous one.

The settings and the storyline had refreshingly taken a new direction, as structure-wise the two novels are as different as they can be (while still being in the same genre), A good, solid action-thriller, but not necessarily a mindblowingly great one. After enjoying the sheer awesomeness of The Innocent, I was eagerly waiting to read through the next Will Robie thriller, and although its a very entertaining read for the most part, I didn't thought it was one-of-a-kind like the previous one.

The settings and the storyline had refreshingly taken a new direction, as structure-wise the two novels are as different as they can be (while still being in the same genre), which gets a high score from me because of today's all those formulaic series. But after a great start, unfortunately Baldacci couldn't quite carry the momentum to the second act, where the story settled in to a mostly cliched twists and turns for a generic conspiracy thriller. While the new character of Jessica Reel was an interesting, strong, capable counter-part of Robie, I didn't like the sudden introduction of the antagonist's POV from the middle parts, which for me at least, made the then-intriguing mysteries of the ongoing situations less, well, intriguing and uninteresting. And I guess that's the main difference of The Hit with The Innocent, as it has less Brainwork and head-scratching puzzles, and more large action set-pieces one after another. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE awesome action sequences, but without much of a genuine twist, it just made the story feel less unique and more conventional. It also didn't help the matter as I deduced who the main culprit was halfway through, although it wasn't much of Baldacci's fault as when you have just a handful of characters driving your plot, there's only a couple of guesses as to who your person of interest is, and in my case, the guess was the right one in the end.

Still, it certainly doesn't mean I didn't like the book, because quite the contrary, I greatly enjoyed blazing through the pages! Even with all the problems in the middle, the third act almost saved it with some unexpected turns, and I really liked the finale after the supposed finale (you'll know when you read it), though I'd say the climax still lacked the unbearable suspense (and emotional impact) of that of the first book. Will Robie's character continued to develop very well here too, to the point that he is becoming one of my favorite Hero of the Post-9/11 espionage world. Reel's character was also a great addition to the series, one which I hope to see much more in the future installments. I had a blast seeing the two of them hitting it off, with both of their characters had so much in common, yet had a completely different viewpoints on life. And most of all, I loved the optimistic finishing in the end, unlike the super-depressing one of the earlier story, and that really put a smile on my face as I finished reading it. Trust me, if anyone ever deserved to have life cut them some slacks, its these guys!

Edit after re-reading: After re-reading the book a year later, I find it surprisingly more entertaining and thrilling than the first time. Maybe because now I know what to expect without some unrealistic high expectations. This is almost on per with the first one IMO. I'm bumping up the stars from 4-stars to full 5-stars. Will Robie and Jessica Reel, you guys ROCK! ...more

2

Jan 21, 2017

After reading the fabulous previous book in the series, " The Innocent", I had high expectations for the sequel. And for about two thirds of the book they were mostly met with a very intriguing promise: a face-off between two super skilled government assasins. So far, so good. But inexplicably, in the last third part of the book, everything falls apart. I mean everything. The plot, which was confusing enough to begin with, takes a turn into something unexplainable as the doomsday scenario is not After reading the fabulous previous book in the series, " The Innocent", I had high expectations for the sequel. And for about two thirds of the book they were mostly met with a very intriguing promise: a face-off between two super skilled government assasins. So far, so good. But inexplicably, in the last third part of the book, everything falls apart. I mean everything. The plot, which was confusing enough to begin with, takes a turn into something unexplainable as the doomsday scenario is not correctly explained and kept in very vague terms. Just when you think you're going to have the mother of all battles and a hugely satisfying climax...well, you don't. I felt like a kid who has been promised candy by the truckload and only ends getting chewing gum. What happened, Mr Baldacci? Did you have a deadline? Ran out of inspiration? The two parts of the book feel so completely disjointed that they don't seem to be part of the same story.

As I said, the first two thirds were awesome and we get a somewhat clearer glimpse of Will Robbie's character and his moral compass. But overall, it was a huge disappointment. I will continue to read the next books in the series at some point because I'm intrigued as to how Will Robbie will fare now in the world. We'll see if Baldacci can pull it off. ...more

3

Oct 24, 2018

So....not a fan after all. I enjoyed the first book due to the heroics required for Robie, the hit man, to put someone else above his own needs in the case of his protection of young teenager, Julie.
I did find it outlandish in many respects, but all was forgiven because of the character he exhibited.

This one continues with the "out there" theme of moles/conspiracies/rogues within government agencies, etc. So I skipped over much of the content in this book to see how it ended, and now I am done So....not a fan after all. I enjoyed the first book due to the heroics required for Robie, the hit man, to put someone else above his own needs in the case of his protection of young teenager, Julie.
I did find it outlandish in many respects, but all was forgiven because of the character he exhibited.

This one continues with the "out there" theme of moles/conspiracies/rogues within government agencies, etc. So I skipped over much of the content in this book to see how it ended, and now I am done with Robie the hit man trying to be human whilst killing targets. ...more

2

Apr 25, 2013

The worst of the book written under a deadline pressure is present in this novel. The story is based on a single somewhat interesting premise: an ace agency hitman after another ace agency hitman. However, the author is completely bereft of ideas on how to make the plot interesting from start and the story suffers throughout.

The formulaic bad people on the inside in the absence of a powerful external enemy does not have to be galling by itself. However, when the most cliched action sequences and The worst of the book written under a deadline pressure is present in this novel. The story is based on a single somewhat interesting premise: an ace agency hitman after another ace agency hitman. However, the author is completely bereft of ideas on how to make the plot interesting from start and the story suffers throughout.

The formulaic bad people on the inside in the absence of a powerful external enemy does not have to be galling by itself. However, when the most cliched action sequences and stereotypical characters are thrown in the mix, the entire story becomes a search for some single inspirational twist or at least a rousing climax. Unfortunately, the known bad guys fail and collapse in a single chapter as eventlessly as rarely ever seen in such books.

The franchise author should take a bit of pause after the book to come up with something cool, something he is highly capable of as all his fans know. ...more

4

Jun 14, 2013

It’s hard to pin down why I liked this better than its predecessor, “The Innocent”. Maybe it’s because fellow author Ron McLarty puts his theatrical skills to work so well as a reader for the audiobook form for imbibing “The Hit” (and supplemented with occasional sound effects—when do I stop calling this “reading”?). I put my other ongoing books aside to inhale this tale of a “Spy vs. Spy” scenario where our hero CIA hit man Will Robie is tasked to quickly retire a fellow agent, Jessica Reel, It’s hard to pin down why I liked this better than its predecessor, “The Innocent”. Maybe it’s because fellow author Ron McLarty puts his theatrical skills to work so well as a reader for the audiobook form for imbibing “The Hit” (and supplemented with occasional sound effects—when do I stop calling this “reading”?). I put my other ongoing books aside to inhale this tale of a “Spy vs. Spy” scenario where our hero CIA hit man Will Robie is tasked to quickly retire a fellow agent, Jessica Reel, who mysteriously skips her hit assignment and takes out her own spotter.

The plot features a fiendish conspiracy involving CIA and ex-CIA among the bad guys and other CIA and intelligence figures as targets and responders. No wonder Robie has a hard time trusting anyone. Rather than freaking out, he keeps his cool and works the clues like a detective in between bouts of mayhem and pyrotechnics. Despite the rather hokey nature of the conspiracy, I was drawn in by the tone, by the almost calm spot in the mind of this trained killer that we and few others know has a heart of gold. I’m not sure how I can thrive on that implausibility, but the paradox of an instrument of assassination coexisting with a regular guy is satisfying to hold onto.

Robie had enough of treachery in the last book. No wonder he needs to touch base when he can with his own humanity. Toward that end, he tanks up through occasional friendly contacts with the 14-year old girl, Julie, and lovely FBI agent, Nicole Vance, he shared adventures with in “The Innocent”. Baldacci is wise enough to keep any romance with Vance or Reel herself on a back burner. Maybe that prospect of Robie becoming a man in full will continue to recede deliciously out of reach in future tales with this character. Which I already look forward to.
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5

Jul 24, 2013

Baldacci created a scenario, incorporating contemporary government inter-agency struggles, to expose and eliminate a plot that would de-stablilize major worldwide political forces. Two US government assassins, Will Robie and Jessical Reel, set out to thwart the plot. At times, they find themselves in potentially fatal competition with each other. Baldacci blends political reality and believably constructed fiction to produce a great story.

4

Sep 22, 2013

Another winner from Baldacci. Will Robie is tasked with finding Jessica Biel ... oops, Freudian slip, I meant Jessica Reel, the only assassin who scored as high as he did in qualification testing. She has turned rogue, killing her handler and the #2 man (DDO) in the CIA. First, she rescues Robie and then he rescues her as he senses something is seriously wrong. Eventually they team up to take on the evil within. Tension filled, fun.

4

Jun 10, 2016

The second book in the Will Robie series is an enjoyable follow up to the first one. Some of the politics are a little overly done and the ending felt a bit rushed, with the final showdown somewhat anti-climactic, but the middle makes for an intriguing game of cat and mouse.

3

Oct 17, 2012

Baldacci’s latest brings the reader back to the Will Robie scene, the reluctant US sniper whose assignments always seem to pull on his moral compass. When assigned to remove a sniper gone rogue, Robie is left to chase her around, trying to piece together her next move before it is his last. With his friends in the crosshairs, Robie must find this renegade before it’s too late, while also piecing together a terror plot that’s fallen into his lap. What looks like a simple kill order at the outset Baldacci’s latest brings the reader back to the Will Robie scene, the reluctant US sniper whose assignments always seem to pull on his moral compass. When assigned to remove a sniper gone rogue, Robie is left to chase her around, trying to piece together her next move before it is his last. With his friends in the crosshairs, Robie must find this renegade before it’s too late, while also piecing together a terror plot that’s fallen into his lap. What looks like a simple kill order at the outset is soon revealed to be much more complex and could have larger ramifications if undertaken. Robie’s inner compass returns and leaves him wondering which way is up, and which truth believe. With a weaving storyline and some characters with depth, the book pushes along and keeps the reader wondering what lies around the next corner.

Baldacci’s numerous series always bring a little intrigue along with suspense to the reader. While his earlier work, numerous one-offs, always kept the plot thick and ever-changing, his move to series writing has proven quite complex, which can have both good and bad aspects. As a reader, trying to remember who fits into which series can be daunting, though I do it all the time as a shift from one author to the next, though Baldacci’s different work mirrors some of the other greats that there is a strong need to divorce what is known about, say, Brad Thor’s Scot Horvath, and the Will Robie presented in these pages. No doubt remaining a master in his field, Baldacci keeps churning out classics. I will admit this was not as powerful or as captivating for me, the fickle reader, as it may be for some.

As I have said before, being an audio book fanatic, Baldacci’s use of a main male and female character is catered to well by the publisher, with Ron McClarty and Orlagh Cassidy. Their strong work presenting the story cannot be ignored and the dual narration (well Cassidy’s voice as all female characters) brings the book to life. I have often wondered if Baldacci writes with that in mind (the male/female main characters) or if the publisher can simply infuse both these gifted narrators into the mix.

Kudos Mr. Baldacci on some stellar work. While not my favourite, it certainly does deserve a recommendation to others. ...more