Her dreams had finally come true when Arden Bowie’s debut book was published. Having lived through the tragedy of losing her parents as a young girl, she was finally happy with her life. Until she became a target of a deranged stalker. After a harrowing attack and seeing him getting only five years in a psychiatric hospital instead of a longer prison term, Arden flees the memories and fear and begins to rebuild her life in the far west. If and when he is released, she will be THE FINAL TARGET for this man, because she is a survivor, not a victim.

No one does a thriller quite like author Nora Roberts, and THE FINAL TARGET is no exception. She gets you into the heads of all the characters involved. Makes you laugh (I admit I burst out laughing when she picked the perfect Christmas movie – which is one of my favs – Die Hard), cry (mostly happy tears), feel the fear as well as the love. Arden comes back from the attack of Dustin – the wealthy, spoiled, crazy man who believes that she belongs to him – despite having only had one coffee “date” with him. We get to watch the changes in Arden as she moves away, gets a dog, and rebuilds her life until she feels safe.

But while we are watching her develop again, we also get a look at Dustin and his state of mind as he wiles away the years in the hospital. As can be imagined, his anger for everyone involved in his life becomes clearer and colder until the expected happens.

Luckily for Arden, more people come into her life who are fast forming a circle of love around her. It is the special, at first reluctant Gideon who brings the largest brightness into her life. He is also a former LAPD Detective turned hardware salesman, carpenter then police chief of the small Oregon town. He becomes her lover, protector and strength when she needs it. And when Dustin receives an early release to see his dying father, he knows he will need to use everything he has to protect her.

THE FINAL TARGET’s buildup of the tension – seeing her grow, Dustin wallow in his crazy, and Gideon finally admits what we all knew (here’s a hint – he is in love with Arden) to the finale will have you holding your breath. Ms. Roberts leads us through the life changes in both the attacker and the survivor. We see Dustin – now turned killer – make his way toward the safety that surrounds Arden.

Fans of Ms. Roberts will not be disappointed in the pace or the amazing descriptions of the people, the lay of the land, or the danger that fills the pages as we watch and hold our breaths to the perfect ending. Which, you can imagine, knowing this author, the bad guy gets his. A fast- paced, enjoyable and terrifying read!