contemporary

After reading The Cove and The Maze, I was anticipating The Target to have Coulter's signature style. There didn't seem to be enough history or depth to each character in this book like her previous books with Lacey Sherlock, James Quinlan and how can we forget Dillon Savich. Judge Ramsey Hunt could have been the hero readers would have "swooned" over, unfortunately there were times when his actions were just too hard to believe! How can a JUDGE discover a child that was physically abused and not go to the authorities? Realizing the child cannot speak was a spark for the beginning of a flame, but that was quenched too early in the book. Coulter tried to incorporate Sherlock and Savich into the cast, but it seemed that by adding them in was an attempt to keep you reading so you wouldn't just put the book down. The plot tried to thicken with "Who could have done it?" unfortunately it came up with TOO many people to point the finger at. There is a GREAT story to read in the pages of The Target, too bad in never manifested itself completely.

I loved this book!!! This is a book that you can read over and over and never get tired of it! It was sooooo good! Judge Hunt & Molly were terrific together! Now I have to read the Maze as they introduced the FBI agents from that book! Definitely a great read!

As others have explained, a federal judge hiding out in the woods for some privacy finds a severly abused girl. For eight (count 'em, 8) days - until her mother comes blazing into the book - he nutures her and cares for her himself, without notifying the authorities, without taking her to the hospital, and apparently without any consideration of the fact that somewhere she has a family going crazy with worry. Of course, during this time, he tends her wounds, washing away any physical evidence that she would be carrying of her attacker. This guy is a judge??? Then, when her mother enters the picture, she *thanks* him for keeping her daugher with him. That's the worst kind of hideous fiction that I can imagine. I generally like Catherine Coulter, but I could not even go on with this book after the first 50 pages or so: The beginning bordered on "fantasy" not "fiction."