Target Practice (novel) explained

Target Practice
Author:Nicholas Meyer
Country:United States
Language:English
Genre:Crime fiction
Detective fiction
Publisher:Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Pub Date:March 20, 1974
Media Type:Print (hardcover, paperback)
Isbn:0151879974

Target Practice is a 1974 crime novel by American author and film director Nicholas Meyer. It was Meyer's second novel but published before the bestselling The Seven-Per-Cent Solution that same year.

Plot

Mark Brill, a private investigator, is hired by the grieving Shelly Rollins after a chance meeting on a plane to investigate charges of treason laid against her brother, a former Army officer who has recently committed suicide.

Reception

Target Practice received moderate praise from critics. Kirkus Reviews criticized the main character as being "rather unconvincing," but described Meyer's writing as possessing "slick efficiency."[1] Publishers Weekly also gave the novel moderate praise, calling it "excellently built-up suspense." Target Practice was subsequently nominated for the 1975 Edgar Award for Best First Novel, but lost to Gregory Mcdonald's Fletch.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Target Practice by Nicholas Meyer . . 1974 . 2 July 2012 . 3 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214421/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/nicholas-meyer-2/target-practice/ . live .
  2. Web site: Edgar Award Winners and Nominees in the Private Eye Genre . thrillingdetective.com . 17 August 2012 . 18 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111018104715/http://thrillingdetective.com/trivia/triv50.html#1974 . live .