The Target by Riley Chance

His last novel, Weeping Angels, was shortlisted for the NZ Booklovers Award, and Riley Chance’s new thriller, The Target, is once again a page-turning, thought-provoking read. It brings back two memorable characters: former US agent Marla Simmons and New Zealand journalist Grace Marks.

Marla is living a quiet life in the remote South Island, after surviving a few attempts to kill her from the former agency she once worked for. Always on alert, she lives under the radar, aware that any day could be her last. The only contact she has with the outside world is a weekly encrypted call with Grace and getting groceries.

In Wellington, Grace is covering escalating union protests, and it seems the government might be going to extraordinary lengths to shut them down. Grace meets with one of the trade union leaders, but when a bomb explodes in their offices, echoing the 1984 Trade Hall blast, they are both injured. Grace has many enemies, so was she the target, or was she in the wrong place at the wrong time?

When Marla misses a call from Grace and sees the story on the news, she risks returning to Wellington to see her friend, protect her and get to the bottom of what is happening. Meanwhile, another agent is in New Zealand with an assignment to assassinate a target, and the bombing was just the beginning of a complex operation. The stakes have never been higher or more dangerous for both women...

The Target is an exhilarating novel, with two strong, unforgettable women centre stage.

Reviewer: Karen McMillan

Two Roads