Rating: 
Summary: Not up to the standard set by previous books
Review: This book did not meet the expectations set by having read the previous mystery/thrillers by Iris Johansen. The characters lacked depth and seemed to be thrown together. The book only skimmed the surface of the story. At first, it was difficult to tell who the main character of the story was, and the twist that occurred was a rude and disruptive way to establish the main character.The book had some great elements: The Wind Dancer, the president's daughter in a catatonic state, a submject who had experience with this kind of rescue, an enigmatic hero, a ruthless killer. These should have made a great story, but didn't. I am a die-hard fan of Iris Johansen who was very disappointed in this book. I may have to go back to read some of her previous books just to regain some joy in her wrting. Her previous books, The Ugly Duckling, And Then You Die, Faces of Deception were MUCH MUCH better than this.
Rating:
Summary: Ho Hum
Review: This is a very so,so thriller. I kept on thinking "So what?" If you need something to read on a plane, a train, or just help you relax on a Friday night this the book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: great read, exciting and good characters
Review: great story! i like the development of the female lead, her romance, the intrigue - it was just too short!
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting ride.... with a little "X-files" feel to it......
Review: What attracted me to this novel at first is that it has one of the characters from "The Search", Sean Galen, in it. Galen also plays a secondary character in this book, but he does have a lot of page coverage. The book's beginning brings us into the middle of a kidnapping in process. The target of the plot is the US president's daughter, Cassie Andreas. Fortunately, she's saved by the hero of this story, Michael Travis. However, after experiencing the traumatic event, the 7 year old girl became a mute and mentally detached person. The president hired Jessica Reily, a pychologist, to help Cassie. Jessica's sister, Melissa, was a patient herself. Melissa was mentally detached for 6 years before Jessica brought her back. However, she has formed some sort of psychic ability after the incident. Lately, she's been having nightmares that forebodes bad events to come. Also, Melissa has also developed some sort of psychic connection to Cassie. Michael Travis is not a good man. He's been part of the underworld (smuggling and other illegal acts) since his birth. That's why he sneaked away after saving Cassie. He's been on the run with his own problems on hand. Therefore, he agreed to help the president find the kidnapper in exchange for protection. So he was placed in the same facility as Jessica, Melissa, and Cassie. There, he helps Jessica when Cassie has nightmares since Cassie views him as her savior and hero. Unfortunately, circumstances wouldn't allow Travis to stay at the facility. So he orchestrates an escape plan and brings along Jessica, Melissa, and Cassie with him too. While the president is after them, the kidnapper/killer is also on the lookout for them. A trail of murder and violence follows the group while they try to cure Cassie... Unlike some other readers, I wasn't disappointed with this book. Yes, it is slightly different than her past novels in that it concentrates more on the pyschological interplay between the characters, especially Melissa and Cassie's mental interchanges, but it still have its fair share of action, especially parts with Galen in them. It does have some level of X-files intrigue and as a fan of the show, it's easy to follow these lines of thought. The only thing I think could have been better is the villain, Edward Deschamps. The author does show his violent and murderous characteristics, but didn't really show the readers his mentally twisted mind. Compared to Rudzak (the villain in the "The Search"), Deschamps' character was not as fully developed and didn't really give us a chill. The final resolution(the fall and death of Deschamps) was simple and not brilliantly thought out. Overall enjoyable read. A good addition to the author's suspense collection. Again, I would like to see more Sean Galen in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Im glad I read this book
Review: When I bought this book I didn't bother reading the excerpt on the back of the book because Iris Johansen has never let me down and this book was no exception.
Although reading some of the reviews I must say I am surprised at how many low ratings there are! Cassie (a seven year old girl) has witnessed a horrid robbery gone wrong! monsters, death, hide! Is all she will allow her mind to register? Dr. Jessica Reily has helped her sister and other traumatized cationic children return to reality, so when the President of The United States asks her to help Cassie back how could she say no! Jessica's sister, Melissa, returns home from college for what Jessica thinks is a well needed break, but what we learn very quickly is everyone has there own agenda! Travis, the man who rescued Cassie, is brought in to find the man responsible for Cassie's trauma, yet he's not to be trusted because his past is beyond shady. There's some physic and telepathic parts, which may seem unreal, but I don't find these parts to lessen the story but make them more interesting. Its not any different then believing in knights in Shinning armor coming and sweeping us off our feet -Real?
to some... intriguing for others and plain stupid for the non-believer. I couldn't put this book down! If you like Iris Johansen give this book a try... although most reviews are against this particular book, don't let that stop you. Judge for your self!
Rating:
Summary: Boring boring boring
Review: Stopped reading it halfway. I just found the whole premise, and the author's attempt to create a dramatic context, half-baked. This struck me as a book churned out in a hurry to meet some quota. Save your money...
Rating:
Summary: Ho Hum
Review: This is a very so,so thriller. I kept on thinking "So what?" If you need something to read on a plane, a train, or just help you relax on a Friday night this the book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Le President from the south of France
Review: Having not read other books in Iris Johansen's series about a mythical statue The Wind Dancer, I may be handicapped by not having some background that would be necessary to appreciate this book. But truthfully, with or without the statue as a part of this thin plot, I could not accept any of the characters or their actions as Johansen superficially described them. The failure in the area of character development is not the only reason that Final Target was a true disappointment however. Where can I even begin? What suffices for a story line has a president's seven year old daughter involved in a kidnap plot, plunged into a catatonic state, caught up in the search for a priceless art object, and reached in her fugue state through some sort of paranormal mind-melding by the sister of her psychiatrist. When I found that the book was partially set at the president's country home in the south of France (huh?) alarm bells should have gone off so loudly I would have been prevented from continuing. Alas, I persevered, to find even further disappointment. The child's father meanwhile is portrayed like a patsy serving as commander in chief, President Andreas. (The name is where my first leap of faith is required) His main function is to growl menacingly on the phone to kidnappers as he shows himself to be utterly unpresidential. The man, who sounds more like the French Ambassador to the UN, goes along with unrealistic demands without much apparent involvement by the Secret Service, CIA, FBI, Interpol, or even the child's mother, who remains conveniently bedridden in the last month of her pregnancy and does not even merit mention in more than a sentence or two. A plot that was superficial at best, characters that seemed flat and not well fleshed out, very little in the way of description and next to no scene setting made this book one I kept wondering why I continued to read. But I persevered, keeping alive hope for future chapters. I reminded myself that Iris Johansen is a well recognized writer and that the book made the New York Times bestseller list. In short I tried to believe that the best was yet to come. Now that the final page has come and gone and the book closed, the disappointment remains. There was no redemption in those closing chapters and no feeling of vindication. The characters continue to seem hollow, the detail sketchy and my disappointment deeper. I'm left shaking my head and wishing that I'd let my first impressions guide me. This book is one I wish I'd put back on the shelf after chapter one.
Rating:
Summary: Too Many Psychics in an Unbelievable Plot
Review: It's four hundred years or so later and the Wind Dancer has moved to a different continent, but sadly Iris Johansen didn't bring the reading pleasure along with the statue that I got from that trilogy she'd written and I'd read over a decade ago. She brought Sean Galen along from her last book, but even his capable presence doesn't quit pull this one off. I did finish it in an evening, and that's a good sign, but I was constantly put off by the reuse of so many simple phrases and the unbelievable plot. No president is going to let his daughter go off with a guy as shady as our flawed hero, under any circumstances. Also there were too many psychics in the story. Unless your name is Kay Hooper you can't get away with more than one character with abnormal, paranormal, supernormal or any other kind of powers. Sadly I liked the decade old, romantic Wind Dancer trilogy better than I did this one, though I'm still giving this book three stars, because I didn't put it down and even after all the off putting stuff I mentioned above, I didn't feel cheated. Reviewed by Vesta Irene
Rating:
Summary: A Hero with Real Feet of Clay, A Heroine You¿ll Never Forget
Review: Though my good friend Vesta Irene had some problems with this book, I think she's over reacting. Yes the plot was a little over the top, but I willingly went along for the ride, enjoying it most of the way. I was hooked right from the get go, concerned for Cassie as sees her traitorous nanny and her Secret Service protection killed and worried about her when she goes into the catatonic coma. I found myself hoping psychiatrist Jessica Riley and her sister Melissa could get through to her and I didn't find the mysterious Michael and his mysterious connection to Cassie so far fetched at all. Maybe the sweeping saga is too much for this book, I don't know, but I liked it. I especially liked the fact that both the Secret Service and the horribly evil Deschamps are after our heroes at the same time. And I also liked the connection between this book and Johansen's Wind Dancer romantic trilogy. Maybe I'd only have given this one four stars, but I feel that I've got to make up for Vesta's harsh rating, besides, I was teetering toward five anyway, so five stars it is. Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne
| 
