Author: David Baldacci
Release date: April 17, 2012
Genre: Spy espionage thriller
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Summary:America has enemies–ruthless people that the police, the FBI, even the military can’t stop. That’s when the U.S. government calls on Will Robie, a stone cold hitman who never questions orders and always nails his target.
But Will Robie may have just made the first–and last–mistake of his career . . .
THE INNOCENT
It begins with a hit gone wrong. Robie is dispatched to eliminate a target unusually close to home in Washington, D.C. But something about this mission doesn’t seem right to Robie, and he does the unthinkable. He refuses to kill. Now, Robie becomes a target himself and must escape from his own people.
Fleeing the scene, Robie crosses paths with a wayward teenage girl, a fourteen-year-old runaway from a foster home. But she isn’t an ordinary runaway-her parents were murdered, and her own life is in danger. Against all of his professional habits, Robie rescues her and finds he can’t walk away. He needs to help her.
Even worse, the more Robie learns about the girl, the more he’s convinced she is at the center of a vast cover-up, one that may explain her parents’ deaths and stretch to unimaginable levels of power.
Now, Robie may have to step out of the shadows in order to save this girl’s life . . . and perhaps his own
I tend to appreciate most genres when it comes to my choices in literature: from suspense thrillers to soapy romance novels, in all genres I can find something to grasp my intrigue. There is however, nothing that can beat a good old espionage thriller in my mind- the tense nature of the main characters is always a fun read, so this week I am glad to say I found quite the book for those who also likes such books.
So where shall we begin- Will Robie is a highly trained and top assassin for the United States government. He works for a “three letter” agency that at a drop of a hat, would disavow any knowledge of Robie’s existence should he ever get caught or captured. This of course would never happen, since Will is just too damn good at his job for such a thing. Quickly at the beginning of the novel, it was established that Will is the perfect assassin in, he never fails, never questions orders. Getting the job done is his bottom line and he will kill you if your names come up to be taken out. Even as he is approaching 40 years of age, his skills are still very much intact, but his “code” is tested with his next assignment.
His next hit is not one he expected to receive, instead of it being a warlord in a 3rd world country, it’s an American citizen and Federal employee located close to home in Washington D.C, right where he lives. Not going to spoil it for you, but he refuses to take out the hit, then to his horror, witnesses a second shooter finish the job he was given to do. This of course sends him on the run, into an unlikely ally.
A young girl named Julie witnesses the murder of her parents and is being hunted by their killer. During her escape, she crosses paths with Will, and two unrelated events somehow reveal themselves in the long run to be more entwined than they could ever imagine.
So what works, well for starters, the chemistry between Will and Julie is outstanding. The dialogue between them might not always be thrilling, but it’s always believable. These two people come from truly contrasting backgrounds, but the effort they make in casting aside their difference in order to solve who is trying to kill them and why, was a fantastic piece of spy thriller writing and suspense.
The pacing of it all was great, and never did I once feel bored with the characters or the plotline. The true villain of the piece might not surprise anyone; however the path to get to him (or her) was a great ride. Will and Julie again were well written in this novel, very well fleshed out- what I liked even more about it was that it felt like a complete story, there was no obviously loose ends that they obviously needed sequels for (though they are sequels so that point is moot).
For anyone who enjoys a good spy thriller with great but not perfect main characters, this one is just the one for you! Do however, go into this book knowing it’s full of violence, and people will die, this is not a fairy tale novel, but a fun bloody thriller.
