Books
by Lee Child
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61 Hours |
This most recent Reacher novel is certainly up to standard. This former army MP does not seek violence or want 'to put the world to rights'. He just doesn't 'like people who put the world to wrongs'. So the good guys always win but only after an enthralling, breathtaking read. This time it is North Dakota in a terribly cold winter, almost freezing the reader, and Jack is revealed as more vulnerable and fallible than he believed.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 59 Winter 2011) |
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Bad Luck and Trouble |
Fans know Reacher is a drifter, not a hermit, a loner, not antisocial, with no phone, ties or address, a loyal friend and colleague. So when a woman from his old military unit finally finds him and asks for help, he goes the distance, literally, and more. Hurt his friends, you hurt Reacher, take the consequences and you get more than you bargained for. You wind up with less, much less. Ingenious, gripping and fast.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 67 Winter 2013) |
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Die Trying |
One of this clever writer's earlier novels featuring Jack Reacher, the maverick loner committed to the good of society especially if there's a lady involved. Ridiculous? Far-fetched? Impossible in these United States? Not if you read the newspapers or have read Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here. Fast moving, chillingly real, a bit too long and deus ex machina - but Child knows his geography and geology and what can result from the military mind gone mad.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 66 Autumn 2012) |
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Killer Floor |
The very first 'Jack Reacher' which catapulted Child to the top of his genre. Ex-soldier Reacher is trying to get his bearings in an alien world. On a whim he goes to Georgia on the trail of a dead jazz musician, only to find himself in a corrupt prison in a corrupt town. More violence, less depth and subtlety than in subsequent books, but a real, breathing character and all the earmarks of success are there.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 63 Winter 2012) |
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One Shot |
A sniper randomly kills five people in a shopping mall and is later arrested on clear evidence, no question. In prison he is terribly beaten up and taken to hospital. All he says are "you've got the wrong man" and "Find me Reacher". Here begins one of the best in the Reacher series. Fast, taut, well-constructed, believable and, quite unusually, with a prominent human element. The professional details of weaponry and shooting anchor this firmly to the military. A winner.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 59 Winter 2011) |
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Running Blind |
One of the best in the Reacher series, really unputdownable (horrible word, but in this case apt). The story goes at a breathless pace, and is so ingenious that the end solution really takes one by surprise, although the author deals fairly with the reader and leaves clear clues behind for those not wholly mesmerised to pick up. Reacher, as usual, is his competent self, violent when necessary but emotionally and morally involved. Another winner.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 62 Autumn 2011) |
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The Affair |
I am a recent convert to the thrillers starring action-hero Reacher, the macho loner wandering at will with trouble always seeming to seek him out. This latest - fast paced with the right mix of murder, mayhem and intrigue - returns to his life in the Military Police setting the background to his current existence. Despite his killer instincts, he is a thinker and this paradox ensures he is one of the good guys - a winning formula for all fans!
(Rebecca Howell - bwl 63 Winter 2011) |
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The Hard Way |
Kidnap in New York is a favourite subject in hard-hitting thrillers, but Child manages to be unusual and inventive, without sacrificing his talent for description and characterisation. The sound and feel of New York, the silence of the English countryside, the anger and despair of those involved, come over true and solid. The ties to the military in far-off places gives this an extra dimension. Reacher is slightly less plausible as super-hero, but for his fans a gripping read.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 61 Summer 2011) |
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Tripwire |
This early Jack Reacher novel, in what has turned out to be an addictive thriller series, fills in the gaps for anyone not au fait with his military past. Situated in the bustle and noise of New York, its roots go back to the Viet Nam War and the author's feel for detail in both places makes for a challenging and satisfying read. Very plausible, though scary with an unexpected twist - the good guys win again.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 65 Summer 2012) |
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Without Fail |
This perfectly crafted thriller in the old, no-nonsense style is one in the series featuring loner Jack Reacher, ex-US military cop. Although the author is British, he brilliantly evokes the lonely Middle West landscape flawlessly handling the style and idiom. The gently relentless, fast action, sympathetic characters, knowledge of the American scene and all the insider details over the hardware used, as well as insights into the workings of governmental security forces, make this a riveting read.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 58 Autumn 2010) |
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Worth Dying For |
When Jack Reacher stops for a night at the Apollo Inn, in Nebraska, he doesn't expect that he will have to stay for several more difficult days. Without intending to, he encounters the Duncans, the local clan which is terrorising the county. So true to form, he does some cleansing and resolving and then resumes his solitary journey. A very good read as usual.
(Laurence Martin Euler - bwl 60 Spring 2011) |
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