The Target, by David Baldacci

David Baldacci. The Target. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2014. 420 pages. ISBN 9781455521203.

Author of nearly 30 previous novels, David Baldacci has become a master at writing thrilling page turners. In this latest he brings together characters that have appeared in earlier books: Will Robie and Jessica Reel. Both employed by the CIA, Robie and Reel have been recovering from an earlier operation that left Robie with significant wounds and burn scars. The Director of Central Intelligence wants to punish them for going off-script in the earlier operation, but he also needs them for a highly-sensitive upcoming assignment. Before they can even begin their new operation, however, it becomes clear that the targets have caught on and they have to enter clean-up mode instead.

Baldacci focuses in North Korea in this timely thriller. Parallel stories are set in North Korea and focus on Chung-Cha Yie, whose purpose in life is the same as Robie and Reel's: to assassinate enemies of the state. Chung-Cha's history is told in detail: her family was sentenced to a concentration and work camp when she was a child, and she was raised there until she was granted release to begin her training and "career." Her price to get out of the concentration camp was that she had to kill her own family.

I found the portrayal of North Korea interesting. It reflects what we hear about North Korea in the news: the paranoia, the fear of saying the wrong thing, the lack of freedom, the hunger, and the poverty. One of Chung-Cha's rewards for completing an operation is that she is given an electric rice cooker, something (according to this book) that only elites within North Korea own.

Although the American operation against North Korea wasn't carried out, they are determined to avenge it and set in motion a plot to assassinate the wife and two children of the American president. Chung-Cha is assigned this task and given a team of operatives to help her plan and carry out the attack. I found this part of the book particularly incredible; I don't believe that it would have been anywhere near this easy for a group of assassins to infiltrate Nantucket, even on Halloween, which is when the attack is planned for. Nevertheless, the plot and action are fast-paced and the pages keep turning. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary thrillers with a geo-political theme.