Book Review: Final Target by Steven Gore

Steven Gore’s Final Target is a thriller with the body of a Robert B. Parker mystery plus hints of Tom Clancy and notes of John Grisham. The smatterings of Clancy and Grisham appear in the convoluted international machinations and detailed legalese; the echoes of Parker are most prominent in the protagonist, Graham Gage, an ex-cop private investigator with a degree in philosophy. In spots, Gage is eerily reminiscent of Parker’s Spenser — both are intellectual tough guys with a weakness for the helpless and for whom internal ethics override the letter of the law.

There are definite distinctions between the two authors. While Parker was the real deal as a writer, Gore is a real-deal detective. A private investigator with training in forensic science, Gore presumably knows whereof he speaks. This detailed knowledge is reflected in his writing. Final Target is replete with the intricacies of corporate intrigue and spy-craft that could derive only from experience and/or extensive research. These details add layers of texture to the plot and make the reader willing to overlook some of Gore’s writing ticks.

From a literary standpoint, Gore is still a bit rough around the edges. Dialog in the first third of the book tends to be rather stilted and overly expository. Toward the middle of the book, Gore and his characters find their voices and settle down into wittier, pithier, and more gripping exchanges. A small note perhaps, but a distracting one: by the middle of the book, I felt that if one more character “drew back” I was going to hurl the book across the room. They did, but I didn’t; I wanted to find out what happens.

For all of its stylistic hiccups, Final Target is a slick and compelling thriller. Though never quite building to white-knuckle suspense, Final Target carries the reader on a fast-paced ride through the underworld of corporate fraud and international crime.

The first sentence of the prologue captures the eye and hints at the intrigue to come: “More surprising than spinning out of control, than smashing through the railing, than tumbling trunk-over-hood down the hillside; more surprising even than the sheet metal buckling around her, was that she was dying in English.” The notion that a person dies in a particular language is an unexpected attention-grabber. Gore is not shy about starting things out with a bang. The opening paragraph to chapter one may be a bit clichéd, but is undeniably suspenseful:

“'Come on buddy, don’t die on me. Don’t you dare die on me.'

Continued on the next page Page 1 — Page 2

Article Author: Christy Corp-Minamiji

Christy Corp-Minamiji is a livestock veterinarian, writer, and mother living in Northern California. She writes fiction and blogs on the eclectic range of topics that interest her.

Visit Christy Corp-Minamiji's author page — Christy Corp-Minamiji's Blog