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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Something is out of kilter here. It is all very well to have the Reacher tropes in place. Back of beyond check Damsel in distress check Reacher hitting people hard check. But when rivals (and see enough on my FB page) are coming up behind you start to become tempted by the competition. And some of them are very worthy of my attention. Everyone is allowed one mistake.
Many thanks to Random House/Delacorte Press for providing an ARC of this title. I was very disappointed in this story, which is the first time I've had to say that about a Jack Reacher novel. Here's why:
The storyline is very good, and keeping with current events. Reacher happens upon a world of drugs and political assassination attempts, enlists the aid of a currently involved undercover FBI agent, and off we go. The settings were fine, interesting, and provided good tension at points.
The fatal flaw: Moving the narration from third person omniscient to first person (Jack's voice). First, the "distance" that third person creates in a narrative is part and parcel to the distance Reacher creates in his life, his arm's length association with the world that is just in his DNA, and allows him instant reaction times and immediate insights into situations. Second, the writing in first person was just not aligned with Reacher's character; it felt like a young nephew had inhabited his body. And it felt so totally off, I was dismayed the entire way through.
Please Andrew Child, please go back to the original formula in future endeavors - you will be truer to this magnificent character than you could ever be with this new effort.
The storyline is very good, and keeping with current events. Reacher happens upon a world of drugs and political assassination attempts, enlists the aid of a currently involved undercover FBI agent, and off we go. The settings were fine, interesting, and provided good tension at points.
The fatal flaw: Moving the narration from third person omniscient to first person (Jack's voice). First, the "distance" that third person creates in a narrative is part and parcel to the distance Reacher creates in his life, his arm's length association with the world that is just in his DNA, and allows him instant reaction times and immediate insights into situations. Second, the writing in first person was just not aligned with Reacher's character; it felt like a young nephew had inhabited his body. And it felt so totally off, I was dismayed the entire way through.
Please Andrew Child, please go back to the original formula in future endeavors - you will be truer to this magnificent character than you could ever be with this new effort.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
In Better Off Dead, Reacher is fast and aggressive, and the book is enjoyable from page 1. This is WAY better than The Sentinel. I was a little irritated after the first chapter because I thought I could see where the book was going for the next 70 pages but I was wrong and it was great. The fight scenes are tremendous. I don't like the big reveal and thought Reacher was too obsessed with small details and that he made a lot of dumb decisions. He's still smart but his IQ seems a few points lower. It takes him longer to figure out things.
I am happy I bought and read the book. The "good old days" have returned, even if they're a little different. I was hesitant about continuing the series after The Sentinel, but I will definitely keep reading these now.
I am happy I bought and read the book. The "good old days" have returned, even if they're a little different. I was hesitant about continuing the series after The Sentinel, but I will definitely keep reading these now.
Just poor writing … and I cannot forgive a contemporary novel where the author lacks the imagination to include things that affect us on a daily basis: Covid.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No