The Innocent
Publication Date: April 17, 2012
Pages: 432
I first heard of David Baldacci back in the day when I was working a desk job that allowed you to listen to audio books during the work day. I "read" several of his earlier books this way, then took a hiatus for a while. When the opportunity presented itself to read an Advanced copy of
The Innocent, I jumped at the chance and honestly, I hoped that I would be disappointed as I have been with "old" favorites of late.
Well, I was NOT disappointed.
The Innocent is about a Government hitman, Will Robie. He works for the United States Government and his targets are usually international evil people, but that night his target was close to home. But he was shocked to discover that his target was a single mother with two young kids sleeping by her side. Will couldn't pull the trigger, his gut told him that something here was off. Even though he couldn't pull the trigger, his "handler" could and Will suddenly finds himself in the middle of something bad. As he is making his "escape" he encounters fourteen year old Julie, who just saw her parents shot dead and is on the run, herself from whoever pulled the trigger. Her path crosses Wills in their attempt to escape their respective situations and Will finds himself with a "partner in crime" for the first time in a long time. Will he be able to get them to safety before they become casualties of "war"?
I forgot how much I enjoy the fast pace, heart pounding tales that David Baldacci is such an expert at crafting.
The Innocent was a great companion on my journey home from vacation the other day. I read all 432 pages while sitting in the car and I found myself just whipping through those pages like they were candy. BUT, I will say that I suspected that one person (who shall remain nameless to avoid spoilers) had a part in the mess in SOME way, I just wasn't sure how, but I was not all that shocked by what happened at the end. It was the fast paced action sequences, plus the interaction between Julie & Robie that really held my interest.
Bottom line, David Baldacci still has got "it" when it comes to keeping the attention of his readers. His characters are complex, yet entirely likable. Even if they are cold blooded killers. There are some tender moments between Robie and Julie, but in general it is not a "warm fuzzy" kind of book. It is a heart pounding page turner and it is perfect.
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