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Flash back to Jack Reacher's past. This was such a refreshing change of pace to gain insight into Reacher's time in the army. Well executed and compelling story as always
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Lee Child's Reacher novels are all pretty similar and generally preposterous, but still I find them satisfying. They are great books for beaches and airplanes. In this installment, we step back in time to Reacher's days in the Army as an Executive Officer of the Army Military Police. It's the waning days of the Cold War, January 1990, and Reacher is stationed at an Army Base in North Carolina. On New Year's Eve a General is found dead in a seedy roadside motel, and shortly afterward his wife is murdered. A highly classified agenda for a meeting of top Army brass goes missing. Officers around the world are inexplicably reassigned. Reacher smells a rat, and begins to uncover a massive coverup and internal struggle for power within the upper ranks of the Army.
The story has plenty of far-fetched scenarios that could be lifted out of a Steven Seagal movie, but it's balanced by a fast paced plot and great attention to detail. Lee Child always manages to throw a few good twists and turns in there, too. We also learn some very interesting facts about Reacher's mother. Reacher is a little more human, a little less cold vigilante in this one, which I liked.
Unlike other crime/thriller series, you don't have to read the Reacher books in the order they were written. Since this one is a flashback, it could also work well as a point of departure in the series, which is pretty clever.
The story has plenty of far-fetched scenarios that could be lifted out of a Steven Seagal movie, but it's balanced by a fast paced plot and great attention to detail. Lee Child always manages to throw a few good twists and turns in there, too. We also learn some very interesting facts about Reacher's mother. Reacher is a little more human, a little less cold vigilante in this one, which I liked.
Unlike other crime/thriller series, you don't have to read the Reacher books in the order they were written. Since this one is a flashback, it could also work well as a point of departure in the series, which is pretty clever.
Another Reacher case to get me all fired up.
The usual tangles, slightly anarchic investigation and of course a bit of under the sheets interest.
The usual tangles, slightly anarchic investigation and of course a bit of under the sheets interest.
tense
medium-paced
Some parts fun, but most parts boring.
This was only the second Reacher book I've read, and I think it was a mistake to read this so early. I don't think I was invested in the character enough to really be curious about his past. I found the military setting to be a little restrictive and didn't feel that plot moved quickly enough. I'm sure I would have enjoyed this more had I read the series in the order it was written.
We sat down to discuss this author more thoroughly in a special episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-116-spotlight-on-lee-child
We sat down to discuss this author more thoroughly in a special episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-116-spotlight-on-lee-child
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
slow-paced
Decent army mystery, wish it was a bit shorter of book as it seemed to drag on.