 Hardcover edition | |
| Author | David Baldacci |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Will Robie |
| Genre | Thriller novel |
| Publisher | Grand Central Publishing |
| Publication date | October 9, 2012 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print, e-book, audiobook |
| Pages | 448 pp. |
| ISBN | 978-1455519002 |
| Followed by | The Hit |
The Innocent is a thriller novel by American writer David Baldacci. This is the first book to feature Will Robie, a highly skilled U.S. government assassin. The book was initially published on October 9, 2012, by Grand Central Publishing.
References
- Baldacci, David (9 October 2012). The Innocent by David Baldacci. ISBN 978-1455519002.
- "The Innocent (Will Robie #1) by David Baldacci". Goodreads. Retrieved 2015-01-07.
Plot
Will Robie is a seasoned CIA agent and assassin who recently returned to United States after his recent missions of eliminating Mexican drug lord and human trafficker Carlos Rivera and disgraced Saudi prince Khalil bin Talal. Throughtout the story, Robie is having relationship with his next-door neighbor Annie Lambert, a secretary working in White House. Robie is given new mission to eliminate Jane Wind, a suspected member of terrorist cell. After arriving at her house, he hesitated to kill her after feeling suspicious of his mission, forcing his handler to kill the target with another assassin causing Robie to flee the scene.
Meanwhile, a girl named Julie Getty escaped his abusive foster parents and returning to her home when she discovered her parents were killed by unknown assassin, forcing her to run away. Both Robie and Julie took a same bus when the assassin follows the latter. Robie subdue the assassin before leaving the bus with Julie just before the bus explode, knocking both of them and killing everyone inside. After regaining consciousness Robie and Julie leave the scene and Robie dropping her off at his safehouse before returning to his apartment.
Robie is later contacted by his superior, "Blue Man" who later revealed that his latest mission was a set-up and he is suspecting there are traitors in the agency and order Robie to worked together with FBI to investigate the murder and the bombing to throw away their suspicions towards the former. Robie and FBI agent Nicole Vance decide to track Jane's ex-husband Rick to question him, only later to find his decomposed body. During their investigations Robie, Vance, and Julie survived numerous assassination attempt committed by traitors from both FBI and CIA, and Robie discovered that Julie's father and Rick were members of same squad during Gulf war. Robie later ask Vance to look after Julie while he tried to find the mastermind behind the attack.
Robie met with his mentor and predecessor, Shane Connors to ask for help to track the remaining squad members. Robie later met Jerome Cassidy, another squad member and Julie's real father, and Elizabeth van Beuren, the only female member in the squad and is being treated in hospice following her terminal disease she got during the war. Robie later discovered Elizabeth was killed by her husband George after she had discovered his plans to assassinate the president and told the plot to every squad members sans Cassidy when they visited her. Robie and Blue Man rushed to the White House to apprehend George only to found him knocked unconscious, forcing Robie to find the real assassin by himself. Much to his shock, Robie found Annie to be the assassin before he forced to kill her, saving the president.
Robie is later contacted by Talal (who had survived the assassination attempt), that he had kidnapped both Julie and Vance and demanded him to come to Morocco alone in exchange for their safety. After meeting Talal in Morocco, Talal renegades his deal and decide to have the three of them killed as revenge for foiling his plan to kill the president. Suddenly, one of his bodyguard who revealed as the informant, help Robie escape and kill Talal's remaining bodyguards with the help from Connors. Robie later send Talal to Saudi authorities before he returns home with Julie and Vance.
Robie later have a meeting with both Blue Man and Connors, with Blue Man revealed that Annie was brainwashed by her adoptive parents the Iranian citizens who hated Americans to become an assassin for Talal and he had her moved to Robie's apartment in order to spy on him. Talal also had all the squad members who knew the plot including Julie's parents killed, and the attempts on his life were part of Talal's psychological torture in order to break him. Blue Man also revealed that Talal has been executed for his crimes. In the epilogue, Robie and Vance watch as Julie is adopted by Cassidy.
External links
| Novels by David Baldacci | |
|---|---|
| Camel Club |
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| Sean King and Michelle Maxwell |
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| Shaw and Katie James |
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| John Puller |
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| Will Robie |
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| Amos Decker |
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| Freddy and the French Fries |
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| Other novels |
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| Adaptations |
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