The Final Target by Nora Roberts ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

He showed up at Arden Bowie’s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that.

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May 2026; St. Martin's Press; 978-1250413581
audio, ebook, print (432 pages); psychological thriller

WOW!  For the last several years, Nora Roberts has published a psychological suspense novel, and I always look forward to them.  THE FINAL TARGET is her 2026 book, and it’s her best yet.  It’s a real page turner with a strong woman, a sweet love story, and one of the worst ‘bad guys’ that I’ve read in a long time.

Arden is a debut author who is excited to be doing her first book signing.  Dustin is in line to get his book signed and tells her that he’s writing his first book and asks if she has any advice.  She offers some advice but when he asks her out for coffee, she refuses.  Then he showed up at her next event and her next and continued to ask her out.  One evening, he broke into her house and assaulted her.  He went to a mental hospital for 5 years, and she had to learn to get over the fear that he had caused.  She moved from Ohio to Oregon to be closer to her cousin and starts her life over.  She buys a house and decorates it as she continues to write her books that have become very popular.  She’s decided to no longer live in fear and to embrace life and live it to its fullest.  She meets a local craftsman, and the sparks fly between the two of them.  Her life is finally happy and peaceful…until she finds out that Dustin has gotten out of the hospital and may be headed her way.  Despite the fact that Arden is thriving in her new life and love, Dustin remains fixated on her and his delusions that they belong together.

This book was a real roller coaster ride.  It was a bit different in that right from the beginning, we knew that Dustin had plans to harm Arden.  Even after his first attack on her early in the book, it was apparent that he was still obsessed with her.  So instead of being a story where we had to figure out who the ‘bad guy’ was, this book was a build-up to their final confrontation.  Trust me – telling the story this way didn’t decrease the suspense – in fact, it heightened it because we knew what was coming, and seeing the workings of Dustin’s mind made it even scarier!  I already know this book will be one of my top books of the year, and I highly recommend it!

Buy The Final Target at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.

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