The Target

Supposedly this is book 3 in Baldacci's Will Robie series. I say supposedly because it felt more like the Jessica Reel show. Or maybe Jessica and Friends. There were after all the usual supporting characters, like Julie and Jerome. But Robie always seemed to take a backseat to Reel no matter what. While I appreciate the character building that continues from the previous installments, it needed more balance.

It also felt like Baldacci went with Patterson's “Look how many plots I can shove into a book” method of writing. The answer to that statement is TOO MANY. First there was the Robie/Reel vs the higher up at the agency. Then there was the Neo-Nazi plot that lead to the kidnapping plot, which lead to the Reel deals with her past (for now) plot resolution. All the while there's a couple of North Korean plots - in the past and present. And then there's the President does something incredibly stupid that puts a target on the backs of his love ones plot, followed by the big chase/explosion/shootout and tying most everything up in a neat bow. Even half of all of that should have been enough plot to fill the pages of this book.

Still, I enjoyed the Robie/Julie relationship as usual. She's probably the most real person in his life.

Hopefully the next book cuts back on the number of plots and puts more focus back on Robie.