Books
x dismiss this message

Did you know you can edit this page?

see page history

Description edit see section history

America has enemies--ruthless people that the police, the FBI, even the military can't stop. That's when the U.S. government calls on Will Robie, a stone cold hitman who never questions orders and always nails his target.
But Will Robie may have just made the first--and last--mistake of... read more

Summary edit see section history

Will Robie.... In the opening pages of "The Innocent" we learn that he is "an inch over six feet and a rock-solid one hundred and eighty pounds", that he is one day shy of his 40th birthday, and that he is a professional killer. But this is no thug off the street; this is a man with a rich... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Will Robie.... In the opening pages of "The Innocent" we learn that he is "an inch over six feet and a rock-solid one hundred and eighty pounds", that he is one day shy of his 40th birthday, and that he is a professional killer. But this is no thug off the street; this is a man with a rich interior life, a moral center, and more than a little going on upstairs. Therefore, it's not too surprising when we soon learn that Robie is employed by an unnamed federal agency to carry out "sanctioned assassinations." In his own words:

"Sometimes he went after people intent on global menace, like Rivera or Talal, or sometimes he simply went after a problem. You could take your pick of labels, but in the end, they all meant the same thing. His employer decided who among the living and breathing would qualify as a target. And then they turned to men like Robie to end the living and breathing part. It made the world better, was the justification."

Except this time, he's being sent after a different type of target--a woman, an American, a mother. At the crucial moment, Robie refuses to fire. It doesn't smell right. Someone finishes the job with a long-range sniper shot, and it looks like they'll finish Robie as well if he doesn't run.

Elsewhere, we meet the wise-beyond-her-14-years Julie Getty. She's been in and out of the foster care system, and she's in the process of escaping her latest "caregivers." Julie has parents that she loves and who love her, but who are engaged in an ongoing battle with addiction. Returning to her parents' home illicitly, Julie is just in time to see the two of them murdered in cold blood. She is a witness, so she too is on the run.

Julie and Robie arrive at the same escape route, a late night bus from DC to NY. Each notes the other, and when things get ugly fast, it's not clear which of them was the target of the violence. Nonetheless, these two characters form an unlikely alliance as they attempt to unravel the mysteries surrounding them.

Characters edit see section history

Show all 38 characters
Popular Covers

Loading covers…

Choose your book’s cover

Quotes edit see section history

Setting & Locations edit see section history

Washington, D.C.
  • Northern Virginia: When Robie wants to change locations, he crosses the Memorial Bridge to Northern Virginia.
  • New York City: A bus that was in a bombing was heading toward New York City.
  • Tangier: Port city located in northern Morrocco.
  • Middle East: Events taking place in this region are key to the story.
  • Washington, DC: Where much of the action in the story takes place.
  • Scotland: A country that Robie goes to at the start of the story in order to execute one of his targets.
  • Maryland: Where some of the action in the story takes place. There is a meeting in Bethesda.
  • Edinburgh: Location where story opens.
  • Iraq: Two of the men who were victims had served in Iraq. Robie wonders if there is a connection.
  • Bethesda, Maryland: A bar where there is supposed to be a meeting.
  • Lucky's Bar: A bar in Bethesda Maryland where there is supposed to be a meeting.
  • Premium Pawnshop: Where Rick Wind was found dead.
  • Donnelly's: coffee shop where Robie and Nicole Vance met for coffee; the place was attacked while they were there.
Show all 13 settings

Organizations edit see section history

First Sentence edit see section history

Will Robie had closely observed every one of the passengers on the short flight from Dublin to Edinburgh and confidently deduced that sixteen were returning Scots and fifty-three were tourists.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Chapters 1-100
Excerpts from "The Forgotten"

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 9 of 20 in New York Times Bestsellers - Paperback Trade Fiction (Current). (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. David Baldacci (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. Alexander James (Photographer) - Authors photograph

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Grand Central Publisher
Country: USA
Publication Date: April 17, 2012
ISBN: 0446572993
Page Count: 432

Classification edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • Zero Day
  • Forgotten
  • The Hit
  • The Winner

We’re hiding the errata, movie connections, books that influenced this book, books influenced by this book, books that cite this book and books cited by this book sections. If you would like to add content to them, you must first make them visible.