The Hit (Will Robie Series, 2)

Hit man Robie becomes uneasily teamed with hit woman Reel in attempting to head off a high level conspiracy to incite world chaos, and gains some humanity in the process. Not sure I ever figured out who was who, or whether they uncovered everything. Still of course, neverending action.

Will Robie is a Government assassin who made his first appearance in The Innocent. In this instalment he is assigned the task of tracking down a rogue agent who is systematically killing off members of the CIA. Robie trained with Jessica Reel and has always respected her. He wants to understand

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what has led her to turn on her handlers, but at the same time he is aware that he is in danger as is anyone close to him.

This is typical of many of Baldacci's recent books in that the action moves at a good pace but the suspense factor is low and the credibility factor is zero. I just don't buy Robie as a top assassin - he is far too impetuous, emotional and sloppy. I was hoping that we would be spared Julie the homework obsessed 14 year old and FBI agent/potential love interest Vance who made an appearance first time round, but no, here they are again. Why do we have to keep being reminded what a good guy Robie is underneath? A far more credible assassin for me is Victor, the hero of the series by Tom Wood (start with The Hunter) - he is a genuine professional with an icy exterior. Not Robie. As for the plot - well it unfolds much as you expect it will and has all those trademark Baldacci touches like an obsession with descriptions of people driving in cars, wooden dialogue and statements like "He operated in the world of government power, and it was as dirty as the grimiest alley in the city".

What it adds up to is a thriller that doesn't thrill. I was bored reading it. Yes, there's action and yes I suppose technically there are twists and turns, but if you don't see them coming from a mile away I'd be surprised.

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Fast paced and easy to read. I don't like the hit men primary characters nearly as much as in other story lines.

After reading the first in this series I wasn't too sure I was going to be a fan. I'm glad I gave the second book a try: still not one of my favorite Baldacci series but I enjoyed the story and Will Robie is growing on me. I still think the connection between Robie, the assassin, and Julie, the

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teenager, is a weird and tenuous one though, so I was glad not so see as much of her in this installment. I enjoy Jessica Reel's character and hope to see more of her as the series continues.

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Another fast-moving Baldacci thriller. Of course, Reel and Robie are pretty "super" and do follow through. They manage to bring down the very powerful against incredible odds and save the world! A good, fast-paced read for minor entertainment.

Baldacci is an excellent storyteller, and The Hit is an interesting story with many twists and turns. Baldacci, like many other writers does not feel compelled the write long, endless chapters filled with impressive vocabulary. Baldacci presents a sadly compromised government that runs by greed,

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power, and money. I wonder how close to the truth that Baldacci flies. The story revolves around Will Robie, Jessica Reel, and The Blue Man, Roger. What a sad and disheartening life lead by the people who monitor the Homeland Security. The characters are alive and the reader begins to feel compassion for him. The explanation of weaponry goes a little over my head, but I am sure that the men enjoy this detail. Will Robie and Reel retire?

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i really like baldacci. haven't read anything he's done and not liked it or enjoyed it. i prefer the style of writing with his other charactures. but this set of new characters i really grew to love. as usual with him i look forward to the next one. i'm more of an assassin fan anyway.

Another fine novel. He brings back Will Robie, a CIA assassin, in the story. The story starts out with an assassination in progress, though the target is not who it seems. The CIA officer directing the operation remotely is assassinated by the assassin. Will Robie is assigned to bring in the rogue

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assassin dead or alive, with the emphasis on dead.

It turns out there is a secret group within the intelligence community that has an operation planned that the rogue assassin has become aware of. The story has so many twists and turns through out the book you almost need to take notes to keep track of who is aligned with whom. A very good novel by a master of the genre.

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Complex. At first I thought maybe I would stop reading after a few pages but persisted and ended up enjoying the book. May have to go back and read the first one.

I found this double assassin theme way too involved and overly complex. And preposterous. The story could have been edited down mightily. I found myself really scanning just to get through it.

A US sanctioned killing of an Arab politician goes astray when the assassin’s handler is killed instead. That murder is soon followed by the professional assassination of the second highest person in the agency and an attempt on a third ranking member of a US security department.
Will Robie, one

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of the most efficient hitmen used by the government is called in to locate and capture or kill the assassin. The agency leaders suspect the target is one of their own who has been turned, Jessica Reel.
The book follows the usual Baldacci format of lots of twists trying to figure out the motive, what the victims had in common, and multiple murders, usually, but not always, of the bad guys. Much of the plot is devoted to identifying the leader, Near the end, the Robie helps determine the actual plan of the victims and tries to keep it from succeeding and causing world chaos.
How personal relationships are affected by people in Robie’s profession is also examined.
I’m giving this book 4 stars because while it is well-written and has excellent character development, it follows too much of the formula of his previous books. And there is too much murder, even if the victims are bad guys. There must be other ways to stop them besides guns and bombs.

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Exciting and fun to read. This is the first book I've read from this author, so I'd like to read more.

This is, in my opinion, the best series that Baldacci has made so far. The character depth is definetly there and, while this is more of a separate novel with the same main characters and very different supporting characters, Robie is even more fleshed out. ALso I loved the ending(I won't spoil

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it), it's my favorite type, integrated in the rest of the book well(and not obnoxiously) and sums up the mindset of all the character's amazingly. A little overdramatic at times but still a very good boo

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A fast-paced, action-packed thriller.
Also, a train wreck. Very clumsily written. Baldacci relies on gimmicks rather than strong storytelling to hold his reader's attention. I felt little to no sympathy for any of the characters, and the author's constant tendency to have them do things that were

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completely out of character did more to make him look like a poor story planner than to create any kind of character development.

I did not realize that this was book 2 of a set when I picked it up, which may explain why there seemed to be a lot of backstory that was missing or glossed over. However, the plot and story of this installment so thoroughly failed to impress me that I don't plan to go pick up book 1 to fill in the blanks.

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Robie and Reel made for a great, fast-paced story, albeit a bit of a stretch more likely to be believed during the Cold War.

I like Baldacci's writing, but think he should rein in his imagination a bit....... nah, keep up the great writing as it's loads of fun.

Robie and Reel made for a great, fast-paced story, albeit a bit of a stretch more likely to be believed during the Cold War.

I like Baldacci's writing, but think he should rein in his imagination a bit....... nah, keep up the great writing as it's loads of fun.

Will Robie is back and on the hunt for a colleague. The agency believes she's a traitor but, Robie isn't sure. Likeable characters, lots of action and a twisting storyline make this another winner from Mr. Baldacci.

It's with a disappointment of ample magnitude that I greeted the final chapters of this book. This proves that no book is guaranteed to excel, whoever the author. But Baldacci didn't do many things wrong. He just wasn't inspired to write another breathtaking spy novel. There was not only goodwill

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that carried over from the first book. There was also attachment. I cared about Will Robie, and though I knew he wouldn't die, I cared about the people who mattered to him.

This book is about on the same level as The Forgotten, with similarly genteel twists, and suspense that lacked mordant. Strictly speaking David Baldacci has yet to fail me, he didn't even completely bail out. It's just that the third book in the series, The Target, is now a mortal among books, as there is no great hype from this one to carry over.

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Will Robie is back - this book occurs immediately after The Innocent. The characters are all there - Julie Getty, Nicole Vance (FBI agent) and the Blue Man (Robie's connection inside the CIA).

And there has to be a bad guy - right. This time the bad guy is a collegue - the second best shooter at the

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CIA - Jessica Reel. Reel has decided that it is time for justice and begins killing off a secret group of collaborators. It just happens that the group includes her handler and the second in command at the CIA.

Robie is put on her trail. And because he has been slowly growing a brain again, he doesn't blindly follow his orders - he thinks a bit.

This was another great and fast read. It was more predictable and more far-fetched. But, that makes for an interesting story. Robie and Reel are frenemies. You see it coming and it doesn't disappoint. The government machine is the big, bad ogre that they are really both against. That also is not a surprise. But there is comfort in that formula.

I enjoyed this one as well!

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Excellent read ... as usual for Baldacci. Expect the usual unexpected plot twists. Although the story line starts a little slow, it builds into a "hard-to-put-down" story. Highly recommended.

Have read a lot of David Baldacci’s books and this series is not my favorite. Purchased the audio and of course the narrator does a good job, as well as the author; however, it was a little slow moving starting out. I have read some good books lately, so did not enjoy as much as others I have in

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comparison. I am sure his fans will love.

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I'd have to say this was my favorite book out of this trilogy. I actually picked it up first because the blurb hooked me right off the bat, and then I realized it was Book 2 and had to go find a copy of the first one.

I've always been a huge fan of spy/assassin stories, particularly ones that pit

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two spies/assassins against each other. See why the blurb would have caught my eye? The plot was great and left me continually wanting to find out what happened next. Will Robie is a very well-written character and it was a lot of fun to get reacquainted with him.

So far I've really appreciated the way Baldacci writes female characters. Even though they don't have major roles in this book, Julie and Agent Vance are both strong and lovable. I think Jessica Reel is one of the best-written female characters I've ever come across. She's a hardcore assassin who can shoot and fight and get down and dirty with all the male characters. I believe she's even supposed to be 5'9" - there are way too many little tiny petite female assassin characters who realistically wouldn't be able to handle themselves in certain situations, simple as that. She's an intriguing character, but she also seems very real.

If you like a good spy story and appreciate well-done female characters, this book and series are for you.

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This book was literally picked by impulse: during my last visit to the library, this "The Hit" was on the shelf of the featured books. On the cover, the marketing messages "# 1 New York Times" and "The thriller of the year - The Times" fulfilled their mission and captured my attention. After

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reading the synopsis, I thought "Well, I have nothing to lose, and a thriller is usually a nice summer reading. Let's have it!"

This is a book of easy reading, that quickly catches the reader's attention. However, the story becomes somewhat less interesting as we move throughout the book. At first, it begins with quite pace, but the author seems to have some difficulties in keeping the rhythm as the pages pile up, with a story that almost crumbles on itself and which becomes quite predictable at the end.

Honestly, the initial good impression on the book got blurred over time. Yet, this is still a - let's say it - a nice summer book: to read, to have a good time with it and to let it go.

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Este foi um livro literalmente escolhido por impulso: durante a minha última visita à biblioteca, este "O Atentado" estava na estante dos livros em destaque. Na capa, as mensagens de marketing "#1 New York Times" e "O thriller do ano - The Times" cumpriram a sua missão e captaram a minha atenção. Após ler rapidamente a sinopse, lá pensei "Bem, não tenho nada a perder e um thriller é sempre leitura de verão. Bora lá!"

Trata-se de um livro de leitura mais ou menos fluída, que rapidamente prende a atenção do leitor, mas é uma atenção que se vai perdendo ao longo do livro. Se é verdade que começa com bastante ritmo, o autor parece que tem dificuldade em mantê-lo à medida que as páginas se acumulam, com uma história que acaba por se enrolar nela própria e afigurar-se bastante previsível no seu final.

Confesso que a boa impressão com que fiquei no início do livro se foi esbatendo com o passar do tempo, sem que, com isso, deixe de ser um livro de verão: para ler, passar um bom bocado e já está.

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A great addition to the Will Robie Series. The Hit begins not too long after the ending of The Innocent.

What I liked: The stability of the characters. In other words, a few characters are introduced but the core group is the same that you met in The Innocent. It was pretty easy to keep track of

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who was where and what they were doing. I genuinely enjoyed the Jessica Reel addition to the cast. She's a female version of Robie with trust issues as well. The beginning moves faster or maybe after The Innocent, I've become more familiar with Mr. Baldacci's writing style. The world building continues and is realistic, especially in light of the fact of everything happening in the Middle East. Robie continues to grow in all aspects of his character.

What I didn't like: This is nitpicking but I figured out "the bad guy" too quickly. I believe any thriller reader would be able to do the same. The reasoning for the bad guy is sound and believable. I wanted more Julie storyline but it really didn't have a large opening to be a part of the story.

Highly recommend this series and look forward to the next in the series.

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