Comments (43)
After reading the short story collection, 'No Middle Name' this is the first Jack Reacher novel I tried. The setting is evocative and a simple premise (a little slow to develop) turns into a well-developed story. Child is a skilful writer who makes even an old-timer like me rethink the ethical issues raised. Additionally, Child does not shy away from ugliness and portrays it with brutal, jarring honesty. There is no formulaic approach which makes Child very skilful and original.
I think this is one of Reacher's worst adventures: an ok read, but the bad guys seem more like 2-bit hoods than anything else.
I liked this book, actually rather more than I usually like the Reacher tales. The fights were still part of the story, but it was a story that contained fights, not a series of fights strung together by a story.
I don't know if Childs is moving in a different direction with Reacher or if this was a one off, but either way, I enjoyed it.
Great job in describing Wyoming and the Western mentality. He included a number of details and reactions that are common to the area and often missed by writers who have not spent much time in the Rockies and their surrounding land.
Best book in a long time in the Reacher series. Child is starting to have a discernible theme to his stories in this case the horrible treatment of our maimed and wounded warriors by an uncaring nation/political system. Always ready to throw them into the fray never ready to give a damn about them. Pentagon is equally at fault as these are their people and must be protected/cared for, forever if necessary that is the debt owed and the contract assumed.
Shockingly boring and ridiculously unrealistic. I think Child wrote this for the paycheck. Even Tom Cruise could not redeem this disappointing story.
Agree with the comments that this book gets back on track--the last few, following Never Go Back, have been peculiar or worse. One area in which Child excels (beyond gratuitous violence, of course) is his portrayal of physical settings. Here he created a fictional Wyoming environment that is fully palpable--you feel as if you've really been there. (In fact, I HAVE been there: Mule Crossing is actually Tie Siding, Wyoming, where I also went into the flea market to ask directions, just like our Jack. Child's depiction is right-on, other than suggesting a lot more trees and topography than can be found along the actual dirt road extending off to the southwest--you can follow it on Google Earth). In addition, Child viscerally portrays addiction from the addict's perspective. Never really understood how it must feel until reading this. And as a final closure [spoiler]: the image of Arthur Scorpio tumbling inside a clothes dryer turned on high is indelible.
Yes, it is Lee Child's Jack Reacher formula yet again.Cliches abound both in language, people and situations but... I think Lee Child in this one feels duty bound to give an insight into the sad fates of those veterans of the wars the US has participated in who have fallen through the cracks on their return home The underlying theme of neglect and drug dependency hidden in small town mid west America is handled well.Not for the squeamish or anyone looking for a light touch and an entertaining read but an informed commentary indicative of the current state of the world in general and USA in particular..
Finally, Chlid returns to writing a decent Reacher tale.
As Jack ages, it seems he maims & kills fewer in his adventures.
And we learn what female feature charms him the most.
very nice Jack Reacher start. got extended almost to the end. whimpering end. Lee Child seems to have run out of steam
Totally unbelievable. I guess if you are a fan of Wonder Woman and Batman, you will like this book. Put your mind in neutral and you can get through it. I did but it was an endurance test. Don't waste your time.
Wow, such a page-turner! Very formulaic Reacher (damn, I wish Cruise hadn't played him in the movie, I can't I'm now getting the wrong mental image as I read the novels), which if it works for you, continues in this novel. Very interesting characters, story line, engaging.
Really disappointed, not much action, a lot of geography. Actually Tom Cruise could have done this one. It is the only Jack Reacher book that this could apply to. I kept reading only because I thought there would actually be some action.
After his disappointing effort on the last book, Lee Child seems to be getting back to the style that made most of his books great. I say "seems" because there is still a little too much fluff for me as a Reacher fan. We are not used to seeing him working as a part of a team, and his fighting style is pretty tame. Maybe the aging Reacher is mellowing out?
Great book! More like some of the original Jack Reacher books. I read it within a couple of days, it was so interesting.
Did Lee Child actually write this? He has rediscovered what made the series enjoyable. The best Reacher novel in a while.
Most enjoyable Reacher novel in current memory. Proof that a good story trumps mayhem. Fans of mayhem will reach the end and wonder why they are still satisfied; alright maybe we could have had a few more broken people parts.
Another enjoyable Reacher read. This one was a bit different from most previous books with Reacher essentially forming an impromptu team with others to resolve issues. I liked all of the characters and wouldn't mind seeing Nakamura or Bramall show up in some future story line. I didn't mind that there was less brawling than in previous books. Child's story formula usually includes a few fights but they aren't essential.
Lee Child always entertains, and his Jack Reacher character is at the top of my favorite serial leads. By the way --- Tom Cruise is NO Jack Reacher, no matter what Hollywood would have you believe. This character is larger than life - in attitude, in physical appearance, and in every other way you would want your good guy to be if you were eluding trouble. Story development was great, and as expected the twists when turning the pages by this author were pretty nonstop. I am always happy to see a new release by Mr. Child, and to date have not been disappointed.
Another great read from Lee Child. Jack Reacher is my favorite character and his novels are
always a treat for me. I look forward to the next one.
Not one of Child's best. A little bit of a different Jack Reacher in this one. Not so many broken bones, and shattered ear drums from the big man in this episode. Its a bit long and drawn out, with lots of time spent driving around the backwoods and rural roads of Wyoming. It could easily have been 50 pages shorter. Several chapters appear to have been ghost written, and not too well written at that. I wonder where the copy editors were on those, as they lack Child's usual crisp and immaculate English.
Another great Lee Child book....Much better than his last book which was a clunker.
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