The Target cover image

What the blurb says: “Government operatives Will Robie and Jessica Reel are faced with a lethal mission. An attack from North Korea looks likely as US involvement in an attempted coup is revealed, and a bond of trust has been broken at the very highest level.

Chung-Cha is a young woman who was raised in the infamous Yodok concentration camp. It’s a place where honour, emotion and compassion don’t exist. Cold, calculating and highly skilled, Chung-Cha has been trained to kill. And the task she has been given is to destroy the enemy at all costs.

A dangerous and deadly operation of cat and mouse plays out between East and West. But who will be hunter and who will be hunted when the true target is finally revealed?”

The Target hooked me into the story from the very first page. Will Robie and Jessica Reel make for a great, if rather unconventional, duo. Both highly specialist government operatives with years of difficult missions behind them, trusting other people doesn’t come easy to either of them, but with each other they’ve forged a rare bond. Which is good, because on their last mission they went against orders and now the Director is gunning for them, determined to test their loyalties to the limit before he’ll let them back into the field.

When a threat at the very highest level of national security is made, Robie and Reel are thrust into a succession of high danger missions that take every ounce of teamwork and skill they have to survive. This book is action packed and fast paced, but it also explores the characters of Robie and Reel, revealing more about their personal lives and those they hold dear (and would protect unconditionally).

One of the stand out elements of the novel is the deadly operative Chung-Cha. Raised in the Yodok concentration camp in horrendous conditions and with brutal treatment, she is a lethal assassin who strikes without emotion, or so her commanders would believe. Her journey is a compelling, shocking and thought-provoking narrative that adds another layer of emotion and depth to the story.

With high stakes, and ever-rising tension, this book is a must-read for thriller fans.

Highly recommended.

[with thanks to PAN for my copy of THE TARGET]