Book review: In David Baldacci’s The Guilty, assassin Will Robie digs into his past

David Baldacci goes back to a small-town setting in The Guilty, which takes place in Cantrell, Mississippi. Grand Central Publishing via AP

The Guilty

David Baldacci

Grand Central Publishing

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In The Guilty, David Baldacci's latest thriller featuring professional assassin Will Robie, he proves you can't go home again.

On assignment, Robie shoots someone using a sniper rifle. However, he not only eliminates the target, but also a child standing behind the victim. The incident rips Robie apart and he immediately takes another assignment to get the case out of his head, knowing it wasn’t his fault.

When he receives his orders to fire, he stops when a young boy climbs into the target’s lap. He later learns that there was nobody else there. Why did his mind conjure up the image of a child? Has he lost his edge?

Robie also learns that his father has been jailed for murder. He hasn’t seen him for 20 years, and all he knows is that his dad had become a well-respected judge in the small town of Cantrell, Mississippi. Robie decides to confront old demons, revive his mojo and try to help his father by finding the person responsible for the murder.

When Robie sees his father, he’s surprised to learn that he doesn’t want an attorney and is refusing to defend himself. He also doesn’t want his estranged son involved. But Robie can’t turn away. The more he digs, the more his father appears guilty.

Baldacci has written about small-town life before, with the outsider hero shaking up things and uncovering long-buried secrets. Readers will learn a lot more about what makes Robie tick, and as a study of character, the story sings. The resolution, on the other hand, is a bit wacky and hard to believe, forcing the reader to take major leaps of faith. Still, Baldacci is a gifted storyteller and he knows how to keep the pages turning.