Jess is no help to us because – although we’re in both of their heads – Baldacci probably identifies more with Will so it felt like we were keeping his secrets rather than Jess’s. While a thriller book, the book does explore the kind of hopeless psychological pain that defines our societies and how our fear of these pains control our actions. Interestingly he worries briefly about his lack of humanity – having had a glimpse at the alternative the last time we met him… on a more personal mission. Even as a longtime Baldacci fan and as an initial fan of this particular series, I can’t find anything good to say about End Game. It was like they were a super-villain but not nearly smart, cool, and interesting enough to carry it off.

His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide.

That Will and Jessica possess near super-human capabilities both individually and as a team is de rigueur in this series, but what they accomplish here stretches imagination beyond the limit, at least for me. David Baldacci is back with another in his hard-hitting Will Robie series, which matches an impactful thriller with some social commentary. Robie, who has always been seen as a cold and calculating assassin, seems to be trying to foster something with his partner, though she is slow to pick up on his subtle hints. From what I learned through reading are they both very good at what they do and that they, on more personal level care very much for each other.

After the huge opening scenes we settle down a little into an unfolding storyline around Will’s boss, known to them as the Blue Man. It's hard to believe that the same person who brilliantly wrote The Innocent actually wrote End Game.I am familiar with the characters and their jobs but there are things that must have happened in those earlier books. With little time to ponder what the future holds, Robie and Reel must act now and sort out their past connection later. He’s met there by his sometimes partner, Jessica Reel, who has just come off her own mission that ended quite poorly.

Baldacci knows how to get readers to turn the pages, and he's in top form here" "An edge-of-the-seat ride from one of the world's thriller masters ". I have long enjoyed Baldacci’s work, even though he seems to keep his fans dangling by creating and then shelving a series just as it gains momentum. A well-crafted tale that brings together mystery, suspense, and the results of social, political, and systemic issues. The story line wasn't bad, but the canned responses, and the way the Real has turned into a predictable "bad-ass woman trying to prove herself in a man's world" made this book a bore.At the time I appreciated the deviation because I was worried having not read previous books in the series may have been a disadvantage. They've healed as much as humanly possible, but Jessica's mind is still reeling (another pun intended) - leaving in limbo the "connection" they formed during a previous joint venture. However, Reel seems to have had a change of heart after the events in the last book and Robie is both hurt and confused about it. I plan to go back and read the third and fourth books in the series, The Target and The Guilty but am not necessarily in a hurry. The fifth book in the Will Robie Series by David Baldacci proved to be the weakest so far, and that's really quite a shame given the previous books.

Will's unaided and quick 'disposal' of 17 bad guys in just a few minutes at the beginning of the book (not a spoiler) was so unbelievable that it was surely facetious. Will even mentions (early on) the reason he’s such a deadly weapon is that he’s not afraid of death. The Book Review Station may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you use these links to purchase books. While I actually sort of enjoyed the personal angle, I did find it odd – it simply seemed to be an ‘extra’ to keep readers vested in the characters… something that was just not the norm with Baldacci. The only reason that I read this one now, before reading those, was because when the book was released I placed a recommendation at my library that they purchase it and received a notification that it had became available.

So, as much as I have enjoyed Will Robie, I will not be reading another one unless I know for sure that Baldacci actually wrote it, which means, if there is not a disclaimer saying he wrote it all, by himself, it won't be on my reading list. So no let downs here, as Will Robie and Jessica Reel are two of my favourite characters from one of my favourite authors. But there's a bit of a problem, as I see it, is in the execution - and I mean that as a double entendre. Will and Jess are forced to work together to work out what’s happened to the man they both admire, though know little about.