Customer Reviews

Final Target (Random House Large Print)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

Cassie Andreas, the six year old daughter of President Andreas of the United States, escaped into a tunnel of her own psychological making after seeing the people she trusted murdedred around her. President Andreas hired Jessica Riley to help bring Cassie out of her catatonic state when no one else can reach her. Jssica is particularly qualified to help Cassie because her own sister had a similar experience when their parents were killed in a fire. Jessica's sister, Melissa, emerged from her coma with a terrifying talent...she had the ability to see danger in the future.

Final Target begins with Melissa finding her way home to Jessica's house in the country where Jessica is working with Cassie. Melissa is having dreams about something terrible happening to Jessica and suddenly finds that she can communicate with Cassie. Michael Travis is an unlikely hero with a questionable past who arrives at their country home as a guest of the president. Neither Melissa nor Jessica know whether to trust Michael or not, however Cassie seems to relate to him and he quickly becomes the only one who can help calm her when she is having one of her nightmares. Melissa, Jessica and Michael eventually form a tense alliance kidnapping Cassie to take her back to the scene of the original crimes. Read the book to find out how it all is resolved to help Cassie recover. The suspense is good, and the book is a quick read.

Having not read other books in Iris Johansen's series about a mythical statue The Wind Dancer, I may be handicapped by not having some background that would be necessary to appreciate this book. But truthfully, with or without the statue as a part of this thin plot, I could not accept any of the characters or their actions as Johansen superficially described them.

The failure in the area of character development is not the only reason that Final Target was a true disappointment however. Where can I even begin?

What suffices for a story line has a president's seven year old daughter involved in a kidnap plot, plunged into a catatonic state, caught up in the search for a priceless art object, and reached in her fugue state through some sort of paranormal mind-melding by the sister of her psychiatrist.

When I found that the book was partially set at the president's country home in the south of France (huh?) alarm bells should have gone off so loudly I would have been prevented from continuing. Alas, I persevered, to find even further disappointment.

The child's father meanwhile is portrayed like a patsy serving as commander in chief, President Andreas. (The name is where my first leap of faith is required) His main function is to growl menacingly on the phone to kidnappers as he shows himself to be utterly unpresidential. The man, who sounds more like the French Ambassador to the UN, goes along with unrealistic demands without much apparent involvement by the Secret Service, CIA, FBI, Interpol, or even the child's mother, who remains conveniently bedridden in the last month of her pregnancy and does not even merit mention in more than a sentence or two.

A plot that was superficial at best, characters that seemed flat and not well fleshed out, very little in the way of description and next to no scene setting made this book one I kept wondering why I continued to read. But I persevered, keeping alive hope for future chapters. I reminded myself that Iris Johansen is a well recognized writer and that the book made the New York Times bestseller list. In short I tried to believe that the best was yet to come.

Now that the final page has come and gone and the book closed, the disappointment remains. There was no redemption in those closing chapters and no feeling of vindication. The characters continue to seem hollow, the detail sketchy and my disappointment deeper. I'm left shaking my head and wishing that I`d let my first impressions guide me. This book is one I wish I'd put back on the shelf after chapter one.

When I bought this book I didn't bother reading the excerpt on the back of the book because Iris Johansen has never let me down and this book was no exception.
Although reading some of the reviews I must say I am surprised at how many low ratings there are!

Cassie (a seven year old girl) has witnessed a horrid robbery gone wrong! monsters, death, hide! Is all she will allow her mind to register?

Dr. Jessica Reily has helped her sister and other traumatized cationic children return to reality, so when the President of The United States asks her to help Cassie back how could she say no!

Jessica's sister, Melissa, returns home from college for what Jessica thinks is a well needed break, but what we learn very quickly is everyone has there own agenda!

Travis, the man who rescued Cassie, is brought in to find the man responsible for Cassie's trauma, yet he's not to be trusted because his past is beyond shady.

There's some physic and telepathic parts, which may seem unreal, but I don't find these parts to lessen the story but make them more interesting. Its not any different then believing in knights in Shinning armor coming and sweeping us off our feet -Real?
to some... intriguing for others and plain stupid for the non-believer.

I couldn't put this book down! If you like Iris Johansen give this book a try... although most reviews are against this particular book, don't let that stop you. Judge for your self!

I just completed one of the best suspense novels ever! Iris Johansen in her fourth Wind Dancer series has struck gold once again. Can this author tell a story or what?

The story begins with a kidnapping attempt on the President's daughter which was aborted by Michael Travis who seems to be a pretty shady underworld character. When 7 year old Cassie Andreas witnesses the murder of her bodyguards and nurse she withdraws from the world, leaving her in a catatonic state and the only emotions she emits are through her dreams. President Andreas enlists the aid of Dr. Jessica Riley, who has dealt with patients who have been traumatized and places Cassie in her care at her residence with around the clock agents. One of Jessica's patients was her younger sister Melissa who witnessed their parents' death and who also went through almost the same condition as Cassie. Somehow Melissa and Cassie's nightmares are linked so much so that Melissa leaves college to come home to her sister and now the stuff really hits the fan. There is just so much nonstop action going on here and this novel will keep wondering just who are the good guys. Don't miss out on this powerful novel as it will hold your attention til the very end.

What attracted me to this novel at first is that it has one of the characters from "The Search", Sean Galen, in it. Galen also plays a secondary character in this book, but he does have a lot of page coverage.

The book's beginning brings us into the middle of a kidnapping in process. The target of the plot is the US president's daughter, Cassie Andreas. Fortunately, she's saved by the hero of this story, Michael Travis. However, after experiencing the traumatic event, the 7 year old girl became a mute and mentally detached person.

The president hired Jessica Reily, a pychologist, to help Cassie. Jessica's sister, Melissa, was a patient herself. Melissa was mentally detached for 6 years before Jessica brought her back. However, she has formed some sort of psychic ability after the incident. Lately, she's been having nightmares that forebodes bad events to come. Also, Melissa has also developed some sort of psychic connection to Cassie.

Michael Travis is not a good man. He's been part of the underworld (smuggling and other illegal acts) since his birth. That's why he sneaked away after saving Cassie. He's been on the run with his own problems on hand. Therefore, he agreed to help the president find the kidnapper in exchange for protection. So he was placed in the same facility as Jessica, Melissa, and Cassie. There, he helps Jessica when Cassie has nightmares since Cassie views him as her savior and hero.

Unfortunately, circumstances wouldn't allow Travis to stay at the facility. So he orchestrates an escape plan and brings along Jessica, Melissa, and Cassie with him too. While the president is after them, the kidnapper/killer is also on the lookout for them. A trail of murder and violence follows the group while they try to cure Cassie...

Unlike some other readers, I wasn't disappointed with this book. Yes, it is slightly different than her past novels in that it concentrates more on the pyschological interplay between the characters, especially Melissa and Cassie's mental interchanges, but it still have its fair share of action, especially parts with Galen in them. It does have some level of X-files intrigue and as a fan of the show, it's easy to follow these lines of thought.

The only thing I think could have been better is the villain, Edward Deschamps. The author does show his violent and murderous characteristics, but didn't really show the readers his mentally twisted mind. Compared to Rudzak (the villain in the "The Search"), Deschamps' character was not as fully developed and didn't really give us a chill. The final resolution(the fall and death of Deschamps) was simple and not brilliantly thought out.

Overall enjoyable read. A good addition to the author's suspense collection. Again, I would like to see more Sean Galen in the future.

I just completed one of the best suspense novels ever! Iris Johansen in her fourth Wind Dancer series has struck gold once again. Can this author tell a story or what?

The story begins with a kidnapping attempt on the President's daughter which was aborted by Michael Travis who seems to be a pretty shady underworld character. When 7 year old Cassie Andreas witnesses the murder of her bodyguards and nurse she withdraws from the world, leaving her in a catatonic state and the only emotions she emits are through her dreams. President Andreas enlists the aid of Dr. Jessica Riley, who has dealt with patients who have been traumatized and places Cassie in her care at her residence with around the clock agents. One of Jessica's patients was her younger sister Melissa who witnessed their parents' death and who also went through almost the same condition as Cassie. Somehow Melissa and Cassie's nightmares are linked so much so that Melissa leaves college to come home to her sister and now the stuff really hits the fan. There is just so much nonstop action going on here and this novel will keep wondering just who are the good guys. Don't miss out on this powerful novel as it will hold your attention til the very end.

A Very good paranormal romantic suspense book. I was caught up in the story and didn't want to put it down. The hero was caught up in his own agenda, already set into motion, when he learned the president's daughter was in danger. He stepped in to help but still had to finish his dealings. This took away from the book for some but I thought it made a "one step ahead of the killer" fast paced read.

I disagree with some of the negative reviews I've read. I really enjoyed this one by Johansen. While it doesn't contain her more popular characters, it does introduce you to some equally compelling new ones. I read this one rather quickly, as I could not stay away from it for very long. The story sucked me in rather fast and definitely held my attention. If you like great suspense drama, you won't be disappointed with this one!

It was a bit confusing reading the reviews on this book. It seems either you really like it or you were disappointed in it. I fall into the first category.

Cassie Andreas, the young daughter of the president of the United States watches with unspeakable horror as the secret service agents and her beloved nanny are gunned down in front of her. Knowing she is about to be taken by the terrorists, she pleads with the magical statue, the Wind Dancer, to take her away. Before she can be kidnapped, Michael Travis, a man known only for his underworld connections burst upon the scene and saves Cassie. While Cassie may be alive physically, she has retreat from the horrors of what she witnessed into a silent world.

Melissa Riley goes home to Virginia to see her sister, Dr. Jessica Riley. It seems Melissa is having horrifying dreams and needs the security of her sister's love. You see, Melissa laid in a coma for six years after witnessing the horrendous death of her parents. Melissa truly believes it was her sister's love that pulled her through. Jessica is now taking care of a new patient in a coma. That patient is Cassie Andreas. For unexplainable reasons, Melissa is able to make contact with Cassie during the child's horrific nightmares. Both Jessica and Melissa know they most pull Cassie back before she is forever lost. The key seems to be the mysterious Michael Travis. He is the only one who can calm Cassie during one of her many nightmares.

I though Final Target by Iris Johansen was a wonderful romantic suspense novel. Yes, I agree with the other reviewers that this book lacks the level of suspense that has been present in Ms. Johansen's previous books and there isn't as much romance. But for some reason, this book pulled me in and wouldn't let go. I loved the characters and the storyline.

My only regret is about Galen. Those of you who have read Ms. Johansen's previous book will recognize him from The Search. He is such an engaging character. Please give him his own storyline!

I'm sorry - but this book was very, very mediocre. Not only were the characters unconvincing, but everything from the dialogue to the story settings to the plot was way overdone. I got a headache from rolling my eyes at language like "Cassie's scream tore through the room; Michael wasn't the kind of man to show his feelings; Melissa's eyes went wide with terror". Everytime you turn around somebody's having some sort of melodramatic episode. It wasn't long till I was checking to see how much longer the book went on. Save your time and money: read the synopsis above and be on your way.