No Easy Target

Written by Iris Johansen

Narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers

When an enemy from her past threatens to return, Margaret Douglas must go on the run. But danger is in hot pursuit, and Margaret finds herself matching wits with a man who refuses to be stopped. Turning from the hunted to the hunter, Margaret must use everything she has to not only survive, but defeat evil and prove she's No Easy Prey in this high-octane thriller.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781501947964

Iris Johansen

Iris Johansen is the author of over twenty novels - including Final Target, Body of Lies, No One to Trust, Dead Aim and Fatal Tide - and consistently hits the top end of the bestseller lists in America. She lives in Georgia, USA, where she is at work on a new novel.

Reviews for No Easy Target

[kayla.krantz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Margaret" has always been on the run. Ever since she was young, she has had men out for her blood.
She's learned to enjoy her own company, to own very little and keep her spirits high by enjoying the little things.
When she's finally captured, she panics but slowly learns that not all humans are evil.

I absolutely loved Margaret's character. She was strong, funny, and I sympathized with her throughout the book. Definitely one of my favorite fictional characters of all time.

[kbranfield-837433 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

No Easy Target by Iris Johansen is a suspense-laden mystery  with a romantic element.

Margaret Douglas has left her troubles behind her, but one phone call changes everything for her. Discovering that a total stranger, John Lassister, has pulled out all the stops in order to locate her, she is afraid that Stan Nicos, a notorious, sadistic criminal, has found her. However, John and his friend and associate Neal Cambry are one step ahead of her and before Margaret can go on the run again, he kidnaps her.  Will Margaret convince John to set her free? Or will he follow through with his plan and put in her in extreme danger in the process?

Margaret has a unique ability to communicate with animals which also makes it easy to read strong emotions in humans as well.  Now volunteering at a local zoo, she is content with her life when John finds her.  Margaret wants absolutely nothing to do with John and his plan which will put her smack dab in the Nicos' crosshairs.  However, in John's mind, his needs supersede Margaret's objections and he will go to any lengths to follow through with his plan.

While Margaret is a likable and sympathetic character, the same cannot be said for John. His information about Margaret and her ties to Nicos is superficial and he has a lot of assumptions but very few facts. While he has a good reason for going up against Nicos, his plan to use Margaret to accomplish his goal is unconscionable.

Margaret's quick about face is unrealistic given her history with Nicos and her subsequent romantic relationship with John falls flat. Despite the suspense element, the novel is extremely slow paced and gets bogged down in endless dialogue.  The conversations and inner thoughts of the characters are initially interesting but they quickly become repetitive.   The overall plot feels just feels tired and overdone.

No Easy Target has an interesting premise and Margaret is a gutsy heroine. Readers will be left wondering whether or not this is the first installment in a new series from Iris Johansen.

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you like Iris Johansen's thriller style of books, you will like this one. It takes Margaret Douglas, who we met briefly in a previous book and throws her into the role of main character. Like all of Johansen's characters, Margaret has a past that is shared with the reader throughout the book as her relationship with Lassiter, the male lead, deepens. Margaret escaped from a psychopath, Nicos, three years earlier, but he has not stopped looking for her. When Lassiter's mentor, BFF is kidnapped and tortured by Nicos, he finds Margaret, hoping to use her as leverage to be able to free his friend. Of course once he meets Margaret he is intrigued by her, and his plans change. Margaret, on the other hand, is tired of running and decides that she needs to end this once and for all.

Margaret, as the female lead, is a strong character as are all of Johansen's women. She has a strange talent where she is able to meld with animals and they can communicate telepathically. This helps her out of some jams as you might expect. Lassiter is a good guy and does bad things to bad people to right wrongs. The white hat/black hat storyline. The one thing I do not like about his book and so many of the others written by this author is the sexual assaults on children and/or young women. Fortunately they are not described, but it is still there and somewhat taints the book, so it does not get that last star. It is a thriller that is fast paced and keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next. It was a good story that had me reading throughout the day to finish to find out if Margaret and Lassiter succeed in their quest. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

[ddjtj1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

NO EASY TARGET BY IRIS JOHANSEN: I am an on again off again reader of Ms Johansen's but everytime I read one of her books I'm impressed about the depth of the characters & the true gutsiness of them , and Margaret Douglas is no exception. Margaret has successfully gotten away from a drug dealer & is on the run from him. She finds herself kidnapped by a wealthy man who wants to trade her up for a friend of his. The situation doesn't exactly work out the way he wants it! Johansen is well known, and a best selling author because she can keep the reader glued to the pages till the very last and still come out with an ending that surprises you. I cant wait to see more !I received this book free from goodreads in exchange for a honest review.

[susan.macura · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

As an animal lover, I was intrigued with the description of this book. However, as a reader with at least average intelligence, I was totally disappointed in the story. Never mind that people can't read animals thoughts, much less get them to do outrageous things through mind control, nor does the average 12-year-old possess the skills necessary to live for months in the woods armed only with a backpack with some clothes, the story is simply not credible in any way! The action is forced and unbelievable, the characters one-dimensional and the hours I wasted reading this sad tale are ones I shall never have back!

[jfe16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Margaret Douglas manages to keep her painful past at bay by maintaining a low profile, keeping to herself, and never staying in one place for too long. But her ability to communicate with animals is a skill that others covet. Despite her caution, Margaret soon finds herself at the mercy of CIA operative John Lassiter, who knows nothing of the woman except for her usefulness as a pawn as he seeks to rescue one of his men from a horrific enemy.Will Lassiter trade Margaret for his friend? And why does the evil, psychopathic Nicos want to control this woman?Interesting characters, a strong plot, and several animals all combine to keep the tension building as the story unfolds. Readers are likely to find the unexpected ending a bit of a surprise. Recommended.

[juju2cat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it! Margaret has a gift of communicating with animals - it's amazing and mesmerizing. The book also has a lot of action and romance. I'm not usually a fan of "strong" women but imagine running away from home because your father beats you and you know that next time the beating will kill you so you run into the forest at a young age and survive quite well thanks to the "gift" she has been given. There's quite a lot of wisdom as well regarding her rape at a young age and how she overcame it because it's what's inside you that counts not what happens to your body. I do hope there will be another book with Margaret.

[theyodamom · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This author has been recommended to me by many people over the years. When I read the blurb for this book I was excited to finally get to her work. A pet whisper who helps take down a killer/drug dealer. I'm a sucker for paranormal stories, add animals and I'm a happy reader. I was not a happy reader while reading this. I'm warning you I was feeling a bit rant-ish after finishing it.What went wrong for me: Never ending telling and retelling, over explained everything down to the smallest little detail, repetitive explanations, cold mechanical sex, weird methodical dialog, silly goading, too many dialogs, one dimensional characters, conversations that I could not figure out who was speaking, the conversations with the animals were odd and didn't feel emotional like they were told to be. Yes, told, the book spent a lot of time telling me how it was to be felt. They talked/inner dialog/explained so much I just wanted them to shut up so I could read the story. The romance, sigh, what romance ? It was ridiculous, heated glares, glances, and "let's have sex" after you kidnapped me and plan on using me in a way that could get me tortured and killed. It was step A, step B, step C, done. Really, is that supposed to work ? The suspense, was so cheesy, the big bad guys so hollywood derived, I never felt it. The ending was, nothing, it went to nothing.What did I like about the story ? When she rescued Juno, that was a good moment. Till the dog started talking, ugg ruined moment that lasts and lasts. I hope that I never get to talk with animals if they keep repeating themselves like Juno. My dog is looking at me now and I'm so grateful I can't hear a word, sorry pup.Stubborn to the end I finished this book even when I knew at 10% in it wasn't working for me. I will not be reading more from this author her style does not work for me.