In Pocatello, Idaho, a white supremacists group headed by Dale Wilmot was running dangerous experiments in order to create a deadly plot to wipe out high level government officials in a terrorist attack on American soil. Wilmot was angry with the United States because his only son, a handsome, popular athlete in high school, came back from Iraq and Afghanistan with major injuries including the loss of several limbs and his face severely burned.

The controversial experiments were conducted using illegal immigrants brought into the country just for that purpose. Wilmot used the women to test his theories before putting them into practice.

Former State Department official Gideon Davis found evidence through an informant of the impending attack. He contacted a friend of his, FBI agent Nancy Clement, to help him present the information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). When the informant disappeared, and the Bureau refused to take Gideon seriously, he enlisted the help of his brother Tillman, requesting he go underground to infiltrate the terrorist organization.

Both Gideon and Tillman have understandable reasons to be angry at the United States government, but their love for their country overrode the betrayal they endured at the hands of the highest authority in the nation.

With time running out and the most important people in the upper echelon of politics gathering for a special event in Washington, D.C., Gideon and Tillman went underground in a death defying attempt to stop the cold-blooded slaughter.

Hard Target is the second Gideon Davis novel by Howard Gordon, following Gideon’s War. Executive producer of the highly popular television show 24 and writer and executive producer of the X-Files and Homeland, Gordon is well equipped to write action-packed thrillers.

The opening scenes in Hard Target may be difficult for some readers, but they help set the tone for the rest of the novel.

Although Gordon is well-known for action thrillers, he is also adept at building his characters and their relationships with one another, especially the growing bond between the two brothers, Gideon and Tillman.

Readers who start with this novel may want to read Gideon’s War in order to understand the difficult relationship between the two brothers, especially before another novel comes out. Hopefully there will be more Gideon Davis novels.

A special thank you goes to Touchstone, a division of Simon and Schuster, for providing us with a complimentary copy of Hard Target for review. If you are interested in purchasing your own copy of either book, Howard Gordon’s books are available at Amazon.com.