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The Innocent

Review

The Innocent

Will Robie is a covert, sanctioned assassin for some obscure agency of our government. By nature, he is a loner. And that doesn’t concern him. But now that he has turned 40, he wonders if he has missed out on a lot life has to offer. And he hopes that he will have time to find out.

"In David Baldacci’s latest novel, the spine-chilling action begins on the first page and doesn’t let up until the last. Baldacci manages to make his main character, a confessed assassin, likable. No, actually he makes him more than likable, for you can’t help but pray for his success. THE INNOCENT is not just a scary read; this is heart-stopping stuff!"

After so many years, Robie knows he’s the best in the business, but he also recognizes he can afford only one mistake. In the course of his career, he has carried out many assignments without questioning why. But his latest one bothers him. He can’t put his finger on it, though; it just doesn’t feel right. And the closer he comes to his target, the less he likes what he sees. Ultimately, he follows his instincts and backs away, but now his own people seem to have turned against him. Had it been just Robie, he might have been okay, but in his attempt to escape, he encounters someone else who is fleeing an unseen danger, equally desperate. The worst part is that she’s only 14 years old.

“He was on the run, and he was not alone. Alone he might have a chance. But now? Now he had Julie. She was fourteen, maybe. She didn’t trust him or anyone else. And she was running from something too.”

Julie Getty has been in and out of foster homes for years. Her parents truly love her, but can’t seem to stay clean and sober. Now, Julie has gotten a note at her latest foster home, asking her to meet them later that night. Excited, she makes her getaway. But it isn’t the happy reunion Julie envisioned. Instead, it turns out to be the last time she will see her mom and dad alive. She doesn’t even have time to grieve, for someone is hard on her heels. If Julie was your average kid, she wouldn’t get far, but this is one tough girl with plenty of brain power and street smarts to back it up. Still, she is only 14 and needs help, the one thing she has a hard time accepting.

In a twist of fate, Robie finds himself teaming up with the FBI as they work to solve two gruesome cases they don’t believe are related. Fortunately for him, he has contingency plans. Even though he has Julie to worry about, somehow he thinks it might work out. But the powers that set this scenario in motion have other ideas. Are they just toying with him, or is he really keeping a step ahead of them? More importantly, who are “they”? Most of his past encounters no longer walk this earth. Robie must figure out which hit went wrong, and how. Only then can he begin to plot how to keep himself --- and Julie --- alive.

In David Baldacci’s latest novel, the spine-chilling action begins on the first page and doesn’t let up until the last. Baldacci manages to make his main character, a confessed assassin, likable. No, actually he makes him more than likable, for you can’t help but pray for his success. THE INNOCENT is not just a scary read; this is heart-stopping stuff!

Reviewed by Kate Ayers on April 19, 2012

The Innocent
by David Baldacci

  • Publication Date: October 9, 2012
  • Genres: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
  • Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
  • ISBN-10: 1455519006
  • ISBN-13: 9781455519002