Review for The Target by Nolon King and Johnny B. Truant

From the very first line to the very last, The Target was a brilliantly crafted story. A daring but cohesive plot is supported by memorable characters and often startingly poignant prose. With a noir feeling to things, the novel still possesses modern elements supported by an underlying social commentary that lurks under many of the interactions between the two main characters, sibling assassins. Nolon King and Johnny B. Truant have expertly woven together a story that any fan of this genre should read.

And hopefully without risking spoilers for any future readers, there are multiple twists that are exactly what you hope for. The turns are not so obvious that you are sure they are coming. But there are enough breadcrumbs laid throughout the story that there is nothing just appearing from a vacuum. More than the larger plot though, it’s the details and nuance that make me think so highly of this novel. Word choice and phrasing are why I called the novel beautifully depicted despite the gritty and graphic content.

Written from the first-person point of view of either of the two brothers, Robert and Emil, the character voices are incredibly distinct from one another. Their personalities in actions, in dialogue, and in thoughts are very much in line with what you would expect from two assassins that have been in the business for over 20 years. Beyond the two brothers, the rest of the cast also come across as multi-dimensional, realistic people.

I have both read and watched so many crime stories where the players were more like stooges than true professionals. That isn’t the case here. These assassins are smart to the point of calculating, and the way they problem solve makes actual logical sense. Fight scenes were described in a way that was almost cinematic to the point of visceral. And from a reader’s perspective, it felt like enormous amounts of research must have been done on the weaponry and the strategies taken by the various teams trying to take down the target.

Again, I highly recommend The Target to any fan of crime novels or dark dramas. Though there is quite a bit of language and violence as one would expect given the content, both are used with purpose and never came across as gratuitous. The novel doesn’t just fit into one box however, and often reminded me of a mashup between two movies: The Circle and Smokin’ Aces.

The Target is available to buy on Amazon.