REVIEW: The Innocent by David Baldacci

Summary


Will Robie is a government assassin. When he gets an assignment, he’ll travel anywhere in the world to take out the bad guys. His usual targets are terrorists and mass murderers. But on his latest assignment, he finds himself looking into the eyes of his target… and he can’t go through with it. Something about this hit just isn’t right.

A young girl sneaks out of her horrible foster home to go see her parents. She gets home in time to see her father killed. When her mother tells her to run, the girl takes off, certain that she will never see her parents alive again.

The two meet when Will saves the girl from being killed on a bus to New York. When the bus later explodes, Will feels responsible for keeping the girl safe. But they are both on the run and don’t know who they can trust. Are the two situations connected? The body count rises quickly while Will tries to puzzle out the truth. Can he figure it out in time to save them both?

Review


This book was part of our family’s summer reading challenge. My husband recommended this to me, and I really enjoyed it. This is the second Baldacci book he has had me read. The mysteries are great although the deaths tend to be more plentiful and more graphic than my usual cozy mysteries.

I wasn’t sure I would be able to get past the main character’s profession in order to enjoy this book. It took several chapters to get past the idea that he kills people for a living. Bad people, to be sure, but without due process – and maybe without knowing the whole story. But Will’s protectiveness of the girl, Julie, endeared him to be. From there, I didn’t put the book down until the last page. I was able to get close to solving the mystery myself, but not all of it, and I was guessing on parts all the way to the end. I would definitely read more Will Robie books in the future. (language, violence)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥