Customer Reviews

The Target

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The enigmatic Gerri Hill strikes again with this fantastic romantic drama. She brings us Jaime Hutchinson, a homicide detective, who has seemingly been selected by the FBI to protect the only daughter of a presidential candidate, Sara Michaels, from death threats. Of course, there is a catch. It seems no one has figured out how to convince Sara to cooperate, so Jaime finds a way to protect Sara without Sara knowing she's being watched.

Sara owns and operates a self-help business that takes women on a confidence-building journey - first through therapy and group sessions, followed by a two-week hiking trip away from the real world. She is totally against the newcomer joining their tight-knit group, but is out voted by the women in her group. Sara also has an essentially non-existent relationship with her estranged father, so she has chosen to ignore the death threats. Because she is ignoring the threats, she also ignores the FBI's plans to keep her safe.

It's extremely interesting to watch as Jaime finagles her way into the hearts of the hikers and how she captures Sara's reluctant attention. When she finally admits her true agenda, it's too late for Sara to turn her away. Watching the push and pull as these two strong women come together and fall apart is exciting beyond words and the overall story ends with an incredible twist.

I read some of the other reviews and I'm not sure what people are expecting. Let's face it, this is a lesbian book. It's a romance with a bit of intrigue thrown in. I thought she did a great job with all of the characters. I will agree that the romantic connection could have been a bit stronger. At the same time, I don't think being chased though the mountians is the type of place where romance and sexual tension can really bloom.
I enjoyed the book. It is one of the better books I've read lately.

The book was pleasent enough but imo did not live up to the Killing Room or Hunter's Way. I found the plot over simplified and the romance on the flat side. I also found it hard to believe that a professional assassin did not, could not find a more intelligent way to deal with tracking and taking them down.
While the romance was quite steamy in the Killing Room and left me panting, it did very little for me in this one. I found the emotions and desires of the protagonists superficial and hurried. It is easier to overlook a flat or predictable plot if the characters and their emotional journey are memorable. Alas this was not the case in the Target.
Never the less it was an entertaining read but unfortunately not the suspenseful read I was looking for and anticipated after the Killing Room.

This book has been my favorite book by Gerri Hill. It not only has great action but a beautiful love story. Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. I finished it in one day. Since I have read it twice more. The twists are well placed and never expected. Amazing book. I highly recommend this.

Gerri Hill has already proven herself to be an accomplished and popular author with several books published; however The Target may rank as her best. She has written a terrific adventure story, full of suspense, intrigue and a romance, that will probably have you reading the book in one sitting, an assumption based on personal experience.

Detective Jaime Hutchinson is designated by her police department to protect a woman who doesn't think she needs protecting. Sara Michaels is the owner of a self-help clinic for women and the daughter of a senator who has received death threats since announcing his candidacy for the Presidency. Sara is sure the threats can't be aimed at her since she hasn't talked to her ultraconservative father in years, so she intends to take her latest class of women on the traditional culminating activity of their therapy, a two week hiking trek in the wilderness. Jaime manages to infiltrate the group undercover and finds herself in the company of a delightful group of women, including the somewhat uptight Sara. As the trip progresses Jaime finds she is really enjoying the experience and also begins to believe that the threats were unfounded, until someone starts shooting at them. Then a race ensues. No one knows where they are and most of these women have never spent any time in the wild. They need to reach safety in a hurry, but they have limited skills. The trip was intended to show the women that they could be more self-reliant and life has dealt them the ultimate test of their skills. And, if they reach safety, then the problem facing Jaime will be to figure out who is trying to kill Sara and how it might be connected to her father's political aspirations.

There are numerous positive aspects to this book. The interaction of the characters is superb. The women in the therapy group add a special dimension to what could have been just another romance story. Jaime and Sara have precisely the correct amount of tension between them and, although a romance does develop, the focus of the story is on their determination to save the women in this group from a tragedy they had no part in creating. This is definitely a step above.

I've been looking for a book like this for a long while. Funny, well written, endearing characters, action, adventure, and an extremely genuine romance.

I read it in one sitting and I'm going to enjoy several more readings of it...then I'm donating it to my library and requesting that they purchase more of Ms. Hill's novels.

I'd read one other Gerri Hill book before I picked up this one, and I was hesitant to read another because of the weaknesses I perceived in it, but I was caught without a book to read and a limited selection to choose from on the bookshelf. Another reviewer says that you have to be willing to put up with the mundane in order to get to the good stuff with this author, and I can really relate after reading this book.

It wasn't perfect, but I liked the set up, the setting, the action was serious enough, but also didn't rely on jumped-to conclusions or deus ex machina type endings for the characters to triumph (like I felt Hunter's Way relied too heavily upon). Perhaps there could have been more heat, but I liked all the characters, I liked the adventure, the writing was solid, as was the editing, making this an enjoyable read. Plus, I'm a sucker for books where the characters are going places and doing things that seem interesting, like the hiking and psychological awakenings in this outing. Well worth the read. On the strength of this outing, I will give more of Gerri Hill's offerings a try.

I confess, I'm a raving lunatic fan when it comes to Gerri Hill, my all-time favorite author. IMO "The Target" surpasses "The Killing Room" as her best romance/adventure story. It's that good, and here's why:

The descriptions of the Colorado Rockies are so crisp and vivid that I felt like I was there. This provides a lifelike backdrop for the spine-tingling action that takes place. Both of the main protagonists are uncommon women in uncommon circumstances --- just what's needed for interesting interaction between them as they face a scary variety of crises. It also lets the author develop her characters using the `show, don't tell' technique, so we get to watch their reactions to different types of situations, rather than being given lengthy recitations of their inner thoughts or past histories. As a result I felt like I was right there, sweaty palms and all, with Jaime and Sara. The plot had so many twists and turns that I was guessing about the outcome (usually incorrectly) all the way to the end.

I wonder if Hill will outdo herself again in her next book. I can't imagine it, but I'm anxious to find out.

Gerri Hill is an excellent writer. This book was exciting and kept me reading from beginning to end. I really enjoyed it. Great love and suspense storyline.

I fell in love with Geri Hill when I read "Dawn of Change".
She had never disappoints me.
I do think that she relies on nature to provide ther antagonist.
I will go out of my way to purchase her books.