End Game: David Baldacci (Will Robie series, 5)

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She has a weak side, but does not reveal it easily, though when she does, it almost seems a let-down.

The Book Review Station may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you use these links to purchase books. 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.

Formulaic, but lacking adequate character development, especially disappointing with an earlier likable character Will Robie. It’s Jack Reacher / special ops / navy seals on speed in some instances, backed up by a complex plot and likeable (if slightly dysfunctional) characters.

The cliché-ridden dialogue is not improved by the narration, particularly that of Orlagh Cassidy reading (mainly) the role of super-assassin Jessica Reel. Blue Man, their handler, superior, and friend, has gone missing when he had taken a rare fishing vacation to his hometown of Grand. 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. I mentioned in my review of David Baldacci’s previous Will Robie book, The Guilty(published in 2015), that it wasn’t a series I knew well. 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.Together, the sexual tension seems almost unbearable, but it does not detract from the plot and cutthroat nature of the mission. Last seen in rural Colorado, Blue Man had taken a rare vacation to go fly fishing in his hometown when he disappeared off the grid.

Robie and Reel soon discover that there is another group who find themselves hiding out in Eastern Colorado, armed with their millions of dollars and secretive condominiums in former military outposts, awaiting the End of Days. As the investigation gathers steam, it is soon discovered that Blueman was well known in these parts, though his actual work was a complete mystery to the locals.

Will and Jess had a ‘moment’ at the end of the last book but when this book opens they’ve not seen each other for six months and Will’s at a bit of a loss as to why. 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. And when Robie and Reel find themselves up against an adversary with superior firepower and a home-court advantage, they'll be lucky if they make it out alive, with or without Blue Man. Much like the previous two books in the series, the foundation of this story is based on a main character and their previous life before working for the U.

This is just my kind of book with short chapters that often end with cliffhangers so you just have to read one more chapter. As Will and Jessica work the clues, suspects and background information is revealed piece by piece, and the two argue and bicker over Jessica being distant from Will without explanation.I could see things playing out and was impressed with the pace and forward movement, but cannot say that I was kept up late into the night reading or wondering. And the mystery surrounding the Blue Man plays out in a personal and revealing manner that adds depth and sincerity to both his character and the series mythology.