A Somewhat Disturbing But Interesting Suspense -- Not Everybody's Cup Of Tea

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	• The Target Catherine Coulter Jove, 1999 - 400 pages average customer review:based on 87 reviews view larger image
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Good book

This book had a refreashing plot. It keep you thinking. But,I really don't think men are that mesmerised by a woman that easily. I give them more credit than that. I received it in great shape.

A Somewhat Disturbing But Interesting Suspense -- Not Everybody's Cup Of Tea

Let me start off by saying that the ratings on this book says something. I've seen items where the five stars and four stars well outweigh the lower rankings. On controversial books, the sign of it being effective is a lot of five stars and a lot of one stars, with little in between. While I'm in the largest group (I'm #22 of the five stars), the smallest group (the two stars) has a respectable number.

What does this mean? If you are one who relies on reviews to decide whether to get this book, read ALL the reviews. Don't base your decision on just mine unless you happen to be a fan of my reviews and consistently trust my opinion.

This is the third Catherine Coulter FBI thriller I've read. It is not Pullitzer prize writing, but it keeps my interest. I like the characters in her books, though for some reason I picture the leading men (Judge Ramsey Hunt here, James Quinlan from "The Cove", and Miles Kettering from "Blindside") as all looking the same, and I just realized I see them all looking like Barry Van Dyke (Dick's son) from Diagnosis Murder.

This book is more disturbing than the other two I read because of its child molestation story-line. Also, one thing I'll give away is that the molester is a former priest. This is the first Coulter novel I read that does not have a protestant minister as one of the bad guys -- this time it's a former Catholic minister. (I wonder if Coulter has any books where a minister is a good guy, or at least, where none of the villains are connected with Christianity.) Maybe the preachers she knows are all child molesters and child kidnappers and murderers, but most real preachers are nothing like that.

Also, this book does have some erotica which I skimmed over, and which is not necessary. Also, there is some cussing which I never consider a positive, though I'll add that it is not pervasive in this book.

One thing that cracks me up is the long distance mob battle between Mason Lord and Rule Shaker. With names like that, I wonder if Coulter read Dick Tracy comics or watched James Bond movies for research.

In her plot description, she promised a twist at the end that even the best mystery solvers would not expect. I don't consider myself great at solving mysteries, but I successfully guessed what that twist was. Maybe I would have been surprised if she didn't warn me of the twist.

This is not a perfect book. Many have pointed out the illogical way the judge acts in the situation, though if he did what he was supposed to there wouldn't have been a story. Having completed a novel, I noticed that Coulter is not always consistent with the point of view. But if you want to entertain yourself, this would work.

One other note. The other two books I've read in the series (and I'll add Hemlock Bay, which I started and decided to read later, maybe) had two different stories going on ("Blindside" had a third little situation unrelated to the other two); this one focuses on the main story.

I will conclude by saying that I do like the way the book ends.

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An Okay Read

I have read several of the reviews and everyone has their own thoughts but I liked the book but not as much as The Maze. I think I liked the humor and romance between Sherlock and Savage more than the characters in The Target. One Reviewer talked about Ramsey being obsessed with Emma and even said he touched her too much and etc. I didn't see that. He saw her at the worse time right after she had been beaten and abused by this horrible person. I thought he handled it well, gaining her trust and protecting her. If police and therapists had been brought into it at the beginning, she would probably have been more terrified. Ramsey and Molly did seek professional help later. I thought the author's idea for Ramsey was a sensitive caring man and he was devastated by the ordeal of Emma. He indeed did love her and was protective of this little girl who had been wonded physically and mentally. I think Ramsey did love Molly but the author leaves you thinking he marries her just to get Emma, but still think he was in love with her and she him. I have noticed in Catherine Coulter books, she seldom has the romantic characters say "I love you". I kept looking for it in "The Maze" and believe I saw it once from Sherlock. The characters have other ways of dipicting they love the other person but kept wondering why they doen't just say it. Interesting! If I had a problem with the book was a Federal Judge being able to accept the Crime Lord's way of killing and getting away with it. I'm sure that is the way of real life but I had a hard time dealing with that. However, I found the book a "Thriller" and kept my attention from the beginning to the end.

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Touching

I just finished the hardback version of this novel (and because it is the only Catherine Coulter book that I have ever read) I thought I would check out what she has going on Amazon. Admitted, I cannot compare it to her other "better" works, but I must say that I found this book to be very touching. I'm actually very surprised at some of the reviews that I have read of this book.

I won't rewrite a synopsis as this has already been done below but I do have several issues in support of this book to point out to other readers.

There is a tad of the unbelievable in the fact that Ramsey didn't immediately take the child that he found to a hospital; but that is a sign of our too cynical hearts. The reason that it is unbelievable is because most people would be afraid of the consequences of being blamed for molesting her themselves and would therefore have immediately turned her over to the nearest "authorities", felt sorry for her and been done with it. But that is not the nature of the "hero" of this story.

What makes this understandable is the fact that Ramsey is a federal judge who knows very well the system that Emma would be going into once he turned her over. As a federal judge he IS one of the "authority figures" and immediately takes responsibility of a child whose situation has touched his heart. He feels that he is more capable of being sensitive to her situation and caring for her than would male complete strangers in some podunk town in the Rockies. [I don't know about any of you readers - but have you ever had to deal with sheriffs in small rural towns on sensitive sexual issues of rape involving children? Guarantied that most of the people involved would be men, and loud, and insensitive to the fear they inspire in the child just by being men. Just imagine how much more trauma could be caused by this to a child.]

Now, you may then bring up the point that as a federal judge he would know about things like destroying bodily evidence from the child when he bathed her, etc. instead of taking her directly to a medical facility. Remember another thing, they were in a very rural, very isolated location with no phone and Ramsey Hunt was in seclusion over what he claimed was the paparazzi chasing him after having to kill some drug dealers in his courtroom. But in reality he is having nightmares, etc. of guilt over having taken a life and doesn't feel good about being considered a hero because he lost it to his anger and killed someone. He was also having feelings of impotence over the fact that because the system was so overcrowded criminals would walk free in too short of a time period anyway. Emma's situation was one he had control over. He felt that he could do a better job than the local authorities who would hurt her feelings and didn't want to turn over the responsibility of her too quickly.

As for the comments about him being almost as sickly obsessed with Emma as the pedophile - again I must point to too cynical hearts. Have any of you ever been exposed to a truly caring male? Not a homosexual with feminine tendencies but a heterosexual man with a caring soft heart? I feel sorry for our society if you haven't. I have. I was raised by one. I was married to one. I have uncles and cousins who are just as family oriented and nurturing - who take on half the care of the kids especially if their wife is pregnant again. Who would be just as outraged to their souls by what happened to that child as Ramsey Hunt's character is. Who may be just as deadly and want to take care of it on their own. (my late husband was a professional martial artist)

Especially if it's a male Cancerian and Ramsey Hunt's character reads like a male cancerian. A male cancerian would be capable of taking a look at a poor, beautiful, abused baby and adopting her. He'd want to be her father and take her in, want to care for her, "mother" her in a male fashion, feel responsible and think that no one would be able to do the job as well as he would himself. He'd take over her life and would then extend that love to her mother. (I remember a male friend telling me once that the way some men find their mates is that they see a beautiful child and then want to meet its mother because the woman who produced such beauty had to "fine" herself.)

So he never says "I love you" to Molly but he does admit, as far as he is capable, that he more than likes her. He comes to appreciate her qualities as a unique person and begins to picture them as a family. He shows her how he feels in his actions towards Emma and Molly. He takes them in and takes them over and nurtures them and lets himself be mothered by the women in his life at the same time. It's typical cancerian.

As for Molly, she comes to appreciate him and his strength and his love for her daughter. He's a handsome, caring, successful, strong, man who will care for her and protect her without patronizing or smothering her. What sane woman would pass that up? She doesn't need money she's rich. What she needed he provided. It's a formula for successful marriage more enduring than the raw "passion" of most romance novels. It's a love story of a family who comes together and of love that grows between them after they have come to appreciate one another, their strengths, and their weaknesses.

I found this book to be very touching. It left me with a bittersweet smile on my face for them as a new family and for the road that Emma would have to travel in life in order to be whole again. The mystery surrounding who was really behind the plots, them on the run, and the chase for the child molester, etc. was pretty good and kept the pages turning. Other commentators were right - it wasn't the most suspenseful book that I've read but it was a very good read. That's why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Any other comments I make would be spoilers - and I hate spoilers. So I will leave you with a strong recommendation for this book as I really enjoyed it. The male character is not the typical stubborn, brooding Alpha man but caring and sensitive while still being strong and decisive. I will definitely be looking into more of Catherine Coulter's books. Ciao.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

FBI agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock are faced with the case of an abducted child. But is the girl's kidnapper really her savior?

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