Book Review: The Hit by David Baldacci

10 years ago Shaili Desai 4

BOOK TITLE: The Hit

Book Cover
Book Cover (Image Source)

 

Author: David Baldacci

(Update: Participate in the giveaway to get this book for free !)

About the author: 

David Baldacci made a big splash on the literary scene with the publication of his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996. A major motion picture adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star.  In total, David has published 26 novels, all of which have been national and international bestsellers.  His novels have been translated into more than 45 languages and sold in more than 80 countries; over 110 million copies are in print worldwide and more than 3 million ebooks have been sold. David has also published three children’s books.  He has received numerous accolades for his writing; most recently, he was inducted into the 2011 International Crime Writing Hall of Fame and received the 2012 Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award. The Hit is his latest book. (Source)

The genre of Thrillers is not really mine, although I like the occasional book which makes me sit glued to the seat and finish the book just because I can’t wait to know how it ends. However, I am making an effort to read books which I normally don’t read and I can say this for a fact, that wasn’t a bad thing I did! After a long time, I finished a book in one sitting. Please note that I will not compare The Hit with Baldacci’s other novels but tell you what I think about it, as a standalone work.

The Hit by David Baldacci is a fast paced novel centred on the two major characters- Jessica Reel and Will Robie. Both of them are Government assassins, the best that their agency can boast of, quite equal in their capabilities. In their profession, there is no room for mistakes as making one mistake could mean death. Eerily, they are also quite similar in the way they think and operate. Robie is sent out to kill Jessica who has supposedly turned rogue.

“Sorry it’s come to this, Will. Only one can survive of course.” -Jessica Reel 

The book follows some twists and turns. Also, plenty of cat and mouse chases where it becomes difficult to distinguish who’s the cat and who’s the mouse until there comes a point when, both, the reader and Robie, understand the motivations behind Jessica’s actions (doesn’t take long, though).

Everything I do has a reason. Just open the lock. -Jessica Reel

There’s comes a moment when Robie does not know who to trust. Is Jessica Reel just trying to manipulate him to save herself? Or is there a larger conspiracy going on behind their backs? Now, that is the basic premise of The Hit by David Baldacci.

I quite liked how Jessica Reel is such a strong character. Although she’s the first to breakdown, I shall forgive Baldacci for that just because Jessica Reel is such a swell character and I don’t know if Robie has already gone through the same in The Innocent (I haven’t read it).  There are lots of action-packed scenes in the book for those who delight in them. They make for great reading when you have characters like Robie and Reel, either trying to kill each other, kicking some major ‘bad guy’-arse or just trying to save themselves from men who are out to get them.

As for the suspense, well, it’s not a book where you get thrown off by the climax, wondering how possibly you could have missed it. However, the book does throw off red herrings here and there. To tell you the truth, my predictions, as to who would be the villain were all wrong.

The book also provides some food for thought as Robie wonders whether what he does is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ since he’s a killer, essentially, even though he may be killing all the ‘bad’ guys.

In all, you won’t regret reading The Hit by David Baldacci. All those readers who like the action/thriller genre, need to pick this up and read!

 Also, if you’d noticed, I have changed the format of the review this time, having included an extra bit, about the author. Let me know if you like that, or the previous format was better. I am trying to develop the best format that works for me and your feedback would be appreciated. Also, if you’ve read The Hit , let me know how you liked it ! 🙂

Note: A copy of this book was provided by the publisher, Pan Macmillan India, in exchange for an honest review.