ld153's review against another edition
4.0
This was the first Lee Child book I have read. My sisters love them, and as a movie is coming out soon I figured I should read one. I enjoyed it, it was action packed. Jack Reacher is an intelligent ex-military policeman who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and is accused of a murder he didn't commit. It had a good plot and I can see why they want to make one of the books a movie if they are about Jack (am quite disappointed they have cast Tom Cruise as Jack though as Jack is tall, and in his mid-late thirties... whereas Tom Cruise is a bad actor, short, and too old).
jhpedemonte's review against another edition
2.0
This was a serviceable thriller/detective story. I enjoyed the first half. But the second half took a turn for the worst.
Clichés started to pile up, expository dialog was everywhere, and the coincidences were just too numerous. The final battle was the most far-fetched.
Clichés started to pile up, expository dialog was everywhere, and the coincidences were just too numerous. The final battle was the most far-fetched.
wildbillbourbon's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent thriller. Fast-paced gripping and thoroughly enjoyable.
tanjagnz's review against another edition
3.0
I don't have a lot to say about this book - I really enjoyed it as a fun, escapist action read - a little like the guy-version of some of the bubblegum romantic fantasies I've read. I made the comment in one of my status updates that Jack Reacher reminds me of what James Bond would have been if Bond had been an ex-MP instead of a spy: a supremely competent supercharacter who's completely cut-off from his emotions unless they don't get in the way of what he needs to do. Not that characters like that push my buttons at all ;-)
Aside from liking Reacher as a character, I also liked a couple of the B characters - especially the female lead, although I did spend half the book waiting for Mr Child to kill her off or have her end up as one of the bad guys in true Bond style. That said, it did vaguely niggle that all the bad guys seemed to be somehow different physically (fat, hispanic, gaunt to cadaver-hood, etc) - which sort of reminded me of the old Westerns where you could always tell the bad guy by their black hat.
The plot was actually fairly good - this was more a plot book than it was a character one (although there was just a little character development for Jack Reacher from beginning to end). The story started with Reacher being arrested for a murder he knows he didn't commit in a sleepy, backwoods town , and ends up expanding out from there with all sorts of bigger things going on.
What also really stands out in my mind for this book is the narrative voice. Mr Child has an awesome ability to show, rather than tell, how Reacher's past affects his present (and his competence - Talia Gryphon take note!), and I love the process of deductive reasoning Reacher uses to come to conclusions about either what drives another character, or what they're likely to do now based on visual & body language cues. I've seen other characters in other books do this, but normally it takes the author half a page of so of description to explain the deductive process behind the conclusions - I love how Child can sum it up on a sparse sentence or two, in a style that's totally in keeping with the character
I'm giving this one a 7/10, and although I won't be rushing off to start Book 2 immediately (too many other books on Mt TBR), I' definitely looking forward to picking it up at some point in the near future
Aside from liking Reacher as a character, I also liked a couple of the B characters - especially the female lead, although I did spend half the book waiting for Mr Child to kill her off or have her end up as one of the bad guys in true Bond style. That said, it did vaguely niggle that all the bad guys seemed to be somehow different physically (fat, hispanic, gaunt to cadaver-hood, etc) - which sort of reminded me of the old Westerns where you could always tell the bad guy by their black hat.
The plot was actually fairly good - this was more a plot book than it was a character one (although there was just a little character development for Jack Reacher from beginning to end). The story started with Reacher being arrested for a murder he knows he didn't commit in a sleepy, backwoods town , and ends up expanding out from there with all sorts of bigger things going on.
What also really stands out in my mind for this book is the narrative voice. Mr Child has an awesome ability to show, rather than tell, how Reacher's past affects his present (and his competence - Talia Gryphon take note!), and I love the process of deductive reasoning Reacher uses to come to conclusions about either what drives another character, or what they're likely to do now based on visual & body language cues. I've seen other characters in other books do this, but normally it takes the author half a page of so of description to explain the deductive process behind the conclusions - I love how Child can sum it up on a sparse sentence or two, in a style that's totally in keeping with the character
I'm giving this one a 7/10, and although I won't be rushing off to start Book 2 immediately (too many other books on Mt TBR), I' definitely looking forward to picking it up at some point in the near future
_nika_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
eedee86's review against another edition
4.0
Read it after watching the reacher series. And it was true to the book in a lot of ways
13burkhart's review against another edition
3.0
It is painfully obvious that this is the first in a series of books.
I strayed from my usual reading pleasures and decided to go with a mystery, or action adventure... or what ever in hell you call this genre. Ive seen both of the Jack Reacher films, and Enjoyed them for the action roms that they were, so I was intrigued to see if the books were any better.
All together the story was finely done. Plot points were well spaced, the game wasnt given away early on, and overall the characters were likable.
My only gripe is the repetativeness of the prose. Child has the awful habit of explaining something in rich detail, and then in the next line, expalining it again.
Kinda kills the mood of the piece.
I am debating on whether or not to purchase the second book in the series to see if that issue is resolved.
I strayed from my usual reading pleasures and decided to go with a mystery, or action adventure... or what ever in hell you call this genre. Ive seen both of the Jack Reacher films, and Enjoyed them for the action roms that they were, so I was intrigued to see if the books were any better.
All together the story was finely done. Plot points were well spaced, the game wasnt given away early on, and overall the characters were likable.
My only gripe is the repetativeness of the prose. Child has the awful habit of explaining something in rich detail, and then in the next line, expalining it again.
Kinda kills the mood of the piece.
I am debating on whether or not to purchase the second book in the series to see if that issue is resolved.
frances_the_red's review against another edition
1.0
DNF.
Abgebrochen, aufgrund mehrerer Gründe, die mich in den Wahnsinn trieben. Das größte Ärgernis ist aber bei weitem Jack Reacher selbst, der als Ex-Militär angeblich keinen Ausweis, Waffenschein oder gar Führerschein besitzt. Er nennt eine gestandene Polizistin 'Babe' und anstatt einen Tritt in die Testikel zu kassieren wird er für diese Frechheit mit Sex belohnt. Er ist der Beste, Schlauste und männlichste Amerikaner überhaupt. Blegh.
Abgebrochen, aufgrund mehrerer Gründe, die mich in den Wahnsinn trieben. Das größte Ärgernis ist aber bei weitem Jack Reacher selbst, der als Ex-Militär angeblich keinen Ausweis, Waffenschein oder gar Führerschein besitzt. Er nennt eine gestandene Polizistin 'Babe' und anstatt einen Tritt in die Testikel zu kassieren wird er für diese Frechheit mit Sex belohnt. Er ist der Beste, Schlauste und männlichste Amerikaner überhaupt. Blegh.