Target

This was a fast paced thriller with plenty of action and well developed characters that you grew to care about. There were a number of different developments and surprises within the book - not all of them good ones. This is my second book by this author and it definitely keep me reading his books.

Don't get me wrong - I really enjoy Simon Kernick and think he's an excellent writer, but his last four or so books have been very similar, all dealing with innocent people racing against deadlines, targetted usually by killers and cops alike, and often with an abductees life at stake.

And what is this thing with having a first person narrative, full of Is and Mys and Mes, interspersed with a universal narrator to keep us up tp speed on everyone else, only to KILL OFF the first person narrator? How is that even possible? It certainly is cheating - unless the narration is in diary form or something like that. A weak and decietful plot device.

And surely it's time Tina went to rehab or something? Its been a while since her lover was show more jkilled by series killer Paul Weiss yet the poor woman continues to smoke like a chimney and to hit the bottle big time - a functioning alcoholic who even takes the odd slug at work. Are you telling me no-one notices? Or do the British police just not care?

Were it not for library thing, I would not be able to tell if I had read Target/Severed/Deadline/Relentless since there is little to distinguish them in terms of plot. Thank God for this site which has saved me thousands when it comes to on-line shopping; without it I would be constantly duplicating! It's up to me to have the discipline though to add every new book I buy...

Having said that, this is another enjoyable foray into the not so cheery London of Tina Boyd and Mike Bolt: the gore is to be expected, but so is the excellent writing and guaranteed readability - provided you're not too fussy about a little de je vous. show less

I found this one of Kernick's poorer efforts. I have always enjoyed his books before

The beginning scene reminded me a lot of The Witness, especially the kidnapper going off to the bathroom.

The series of fortunate escapes from Rob Fallow stretched believability especially as he was eyeball to eyeball with a professional gunman a few times and escaped.

The book was also too long and could have been tighter. The planned gas attack element was ludicrous.

Also whether Jenny was dead or not was confusing.

Unconvinced by Tina Boyd being in mortal peril as we know she is in later books.

Tina remembering someone's mobile number while under extreme pain and stress was a little too unconvincing.

Body count was very high.
However, the book is an okay read.

Writer Rob Fallon goes out with his best friend's ex-girlfriend and starts a chain of events that keeps you gripped until the last page. The story involves the feisty DS Tina Boyd from previous Kernick books, where she was partnered with DI John Gallan. The story shows an authentic eye for detail gained from the writer's access to police to other services. Highly recommended.

A reasonably good read, though found some of the violence a bit gratuitous and not really adding to the story. Mr Kernick is a bit confused about the difference between different nerve gases and should have done a bit more research.

I'd recommend to some who want a reasonable read on a long train trip or flight.

Excellent read. Fast paced & punchy story.

This is the first book of Simon Kernick's that I have read.I found it different. The book has quite a few twists and turns in it and this makes it quite involved. I will be reading more of his books.