Rating: 
Summary: Worst luck ever, but great character! Great story.
Review: I love books where I can learn something... it is not just brain candy. This was one of those learning books. What you didn't know about the US treasury and currency... fasinating. It is violent! Violent! Sometimes I swear I could feel the book warming and turning red. And at times... I wanted to put it in the freezer (Friends!). But I really like Jack Reacher, lead character. Cannot wait to dig into number two!
Rating: 
Summary: But did you know there really was a Blind Blake?
Review: I loved this book from the first page. I devoured this book, unable to put it down. I read it in less than a week which is saying a lot for me. I liked Jack Reacher a lot. He's got a past, he's not all good, but he's the good guy. "Sometimes good guys don't wear white." If were to compare him to any character, I'd say John McClane from Die Hard or even Blondie from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (the greatest Western ever made!). He's a bad ass you have to like. He is the anti-hero you want to see in any action flick.
I found the other characters likeable but not very deep. Part of this is because Child never explores them much, this is after all a jack Reacher novel, and in part because they all have single-name names, Roscoe, Finlay, Hubble. I didn't mind. I found it easy to follow and not confuse characters. The bad guys were stock, smarmy, and slimy, straight out of The Dukes of Hazzard, easy to hate.The back cover mentions the brutal violence. Many reviewers mentioned the extreme violence. I didn't think that the violence was all that bad. When its there, its quick and brutal, sure, but its not like its in every chapter, a non-stop Quentin Tarantino ode to violence. Certainly not any worse than the Bourne Identity or Point of Impact. Perhaps thin skinned people shouldn't read thrillers. While a minor, minor subplot, though really the anchor of the book, I did enjoy the faint tangent of Reacher searching for the story of blues legend Blind Blake.It added just a hint of depth to Reacher. Overall, a great book. If you are a Tarantino fan, if you loved Die Hard, if you like a fast paced no holds barred action-thriller, you will love this book. Ignore the petty detail stuff like the shrugging and simple names. Otherwise, try Robert Ludlum or Stephen Hunter. I have to admit I am tempted to read the next Jack Reacher novel, after all I want to find the answer to "all Jack knows is he didn't kill anybody. Not in their town, and not for a long time..." For more details, go to aj.huff.org. Thanks.
Rating:
Summary: Blew me away
Review: I must agree with some of the other reviews that the book contains minor quirks, excessive shrugging, and continual short, choppy sentences. However, the plot was one of the best that I have read in years. I only wish I had picked this up when it was originally published, because I now have some catching up to do with the Reacher series.
Rating: 
Summary: A total waste of time....
Review: I picked up this book based on the reviews here on Amazon, and I wish I hadn't.
To be honest, I'm surprised at the good reviews that this book has received. I'll admit, the first chapter of the book, I was prepared to be sucked in. But, the plot and details in the book were so poorly done, that the positive first impression I had quickly evaporated.
The main character is laughably unrealistic, and it's obvious that the author was not in the military, and made no effort at research or proofreading (note to Lee Child: it's .22 "caliber", not "gauge"; corporals are ncos, and wouldn't do an officer's laundry; MPs are not "elite soldiers expected to take down green berets, etc"; MPs are analogous to "patrol cops" in the army. Reacher would more realistically be CID if he's investigating; etc.). Also, there's a point in the book where Reacher puts his pistol and ammunition in an oven to dry. I'm not going to even bother pointing out why this is a bad idea, especially considering Reacher's "military expertise".
The plot is similarly full of holes, and the key point of suspense _still_ makes no sense (the "sunday deadline").
In short, rather than waste more time with this book pointing out everything the author got wrong, I'll just say to prospective readers that for "brain candy thrillers", there are so many examples out there that do a better job, why waste your time?
Pick up a De Mille, a Cornwell, etc, or better yet, a Westlake, a n Ian Rankin, a Robert B. Parker ( for something more than brain candy)
Rating:
Summary: Violent loner seeks road and redemption
Review: Jack Reacher is a guy you want on your side. The is filled with serious action, violence, and crazy plot twists that actually hold together. Child's writing style takes some getting used to...it is filled with short sentences, but not quite in the style of James Ellroy...it is rata-tat-tat. Still, something is missing...what I just can't put my finger on.
Rating: 
Summary: decent first effort
Review: Jack Reacher was an Army brat turned military policeman until the end of the Cold War brought on a peace dividend that included Pentagon downsizing. Now he's taking some time to drift around the United States, checking out the haunts of old time blues greats, before he decides what to do next. But the decision is made for him when he's arrested for murder in Margrave, Georgia. He quickly proves to the black, Boston-transplant, chief of detectives that he's not guilty and prepares to move on, until it turns out that the murder victim was Reacher's brother, Joe, a Treasury agent. Intent on revenge, Reacher starts digging, with the help of the Chief and a friendly woman police officer, and quickly uncovers a mammoth conspiracy as the corpses start piling up. Take equal parts In the Heat of the Night, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Point of Impact and Rambo, give them a good shake and you've pretty much got this interesting, though flawed, debut thriller by a British author. I saw flawed because the plot is simply driven by too many coincidences and epiphanies; Reacher makes so many intuitive leaps that it starts to become somewhat annoying. On the other hand, Reacher is a likable hero and Child is clearly trying to hit a home run with this modern noir. He started out in British television and his writing has a sort of cinematic quality to it, the book reads like a movie. I'll give him credit for a decent first effort and assume the subsequent installments will be even better. In fact, I've already bought the second book. GRADE: B-
Rating:
Summary: Macho, likeable, but less than perfect
Review: Lee Child writes what is known as muscular prose; short, choppy sentences which are blunt, relatively undescriptive and hit you like repeated rabbit punches as you read. It's a style that works on occasion, and this book is one time that I must confess that I did enjoy it. His main character Reacher is a little too Rambo for my liking---a giant who kills every bad guy with a single punch and never even comes close to getting hurt himself. His secondary characters are a little too cliche', and his plots are less than amazing (I've read 2 of his books and both times the plot has been something that's been done a million times). Still, though, his books make for an enjoyable read-it-and-then-forget-about-it diversion, like eating a whole bag of potato chips while watching reruns on TV. Short on substance but long on action, and Mr. Child always seems to have a good working knowledge of his subject matter. I would have given three stars but some extra-bad bad guys and good suspense scenes bumped this review up to 4.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable read... well... if you don't mind the blood...
Review: This is my second book of the Jack Reacher series. Reacher, a modern day Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry -- he kills bad guys and women just can't resist him!! I read Pursuader first and then Killing Floor and enjoyed both of them tremendously. Some people complained that the endings are too easy to figure out, but hey, these are action-thrillers, not mystery whodunit!!! If you are looking for a hero who is not wishy-washy and not afraid to deliver a deadly punch to the bad guys, you should read Jack Reacher.
Rating:
Summary: What a great mystery series
Review: This is the first Jack Reacher book and a great way to be introduced to a mystery series that demonstrates that the most puzzling and suprising mysteries can take place in the most commonplace and innocuous locations. Marberry, GA, would not be interesting, except that Jack Reacher just wandered into town.
Rating:
Summary: Blew me away
Review: This series is unstoppable. I am referring to the Un-Abridged Audio Cassette Book. What a way to make your commute more enjoyable. I hope Lee Child continues to write in this series. Jack Reecher is the man. I feel as though I connect on a level with this character that I have not experienced with any other series. The writer keeps the reader/listener focused on the main character, he does not jump around as so many writers do these days. You see everything from Jack's perspective. This is good and you must get this NOW.
|
