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There was nothing particularly remarkable about this book as far as thrillers go. It was pretty standard--if a little less bloody than I was expecting.
Basically, Jack Reacher is your standard action hero, from his nomadic lifestyle to his six-foot-burly build and his military background. I got the oddest impression I was reading about Agent Gibbs from NCIS doing his best Tom Cruise or Jason Bourne impression.
The plot was predictable. I had figured out that Emerson or Rodin (the DA) was crooked about a third of the way into the book, and made the Chernov/Charlie connection almost as soon as they mentioned Barr's friend's name. The ending was trite and predictable, in that Reacher isn't tied down to anything and all the ladies fall for him. Child also pretty much gave away his ending--with Reacher clearing Barr's name completely--from the way everyone kept saying what a shame it would be if Barr went free, since he'd already done this sort of thing once before; also, the way Barr asked for Reacher was telling, to me. You don't ask for vengeance to come rain down on your head, you ask for the best, most methodical investigator you know to come fix it when you're wrongly accused.
All of the characters felt flat and two-dimensional. Any attempts at further fleshing out turned into Backstory 101 lessons--Russian thug survives gulags, becomes kingpin; MP with shady past now lives as a professional drifter; bright-eyed DA's daughter goes up against her father to prove something, despite her father warning her off, thus showing her pluck and gumption; journalist who missed out on the story of the century follows a trail to a better story on the word of a shady guy who just invaded her car. All of it seemed rote, if well crafted. In my opinion, though, Lee Child should stop writing Jack Reacher novels for a while and try writing something truly new and innovative. He's got the skill (or the ghostwriter, whichever you prefer to believe) and he shouldn't be wasting it on something that's already been done a thousand times over and with more interesting characters than Jack Reacher.
EDITED TO ADD: Having now seen the movie, I will say that the book did a better job with keeping the plot interesting, although Tom Cruise as Reacher was more believable than the Gibbs/Cruise/Bourne cross of the book.
Basically, Jack Reacher is your standard action hero, from his nomadic lifestyle to his six-foot-burly build and his military background. I got the oddest impression I was reading about Agent Gibbs from NCIS doing his best Tom Cruise or Jason Bourne impression.
The plot was predictable. I had figured out that Emerson or Rodin (the DA) was crooked about a third of the way into the book, and made the Chernov/Charlie connection almost as soon as they mentioned Barr's friend's name. The ending was trite and predictable, in that Reacher isn't tied down to anything and all the ladies fall for him. Child also pretty much gave away his ending--with Reacher clearing Barr's name completely--from the way everyone kept saying what a shame it would be if Barr went free, since he'd already done this sort of thing once before; also, the way Barr asked for Reacher was telling, to me. You don't ask for vengeance to come rain down on your head, you ask for the best, most methodical investigator you know to come fix it when you're wrongly accused.
All of the characters felt flat and two-dimensional. Any attempts at further fleshing out turned into Backstory 101 lessons--Russian thug survives gulags, becomes kingpin; MP with shady past now lives as a professional drifter; bright-eyed DA's daughter goes up against her father to prove something, despite her father warning her off, thus showing her pluck and gumption; journalist who missed out on the story of the century follows a trail to a better story on the word of a shady guy who just invaded her car. All of it seemed rote, if well crafted. In my opinion, though, Lee Child should stop writing Jack Reacher novels for a while and try writing something truly new and innovative. He's got the skill (or the ghostwriter, whichever you prefer to believe) and he shouldn't be wasting it on something that's already been done a thousand times over and with more interesting characters than Jack Reacher.
EDITED TO ADD: Having now seen the movie, I will say that the book did a better job with keeping the plot interesting, although Tom Cruise as Reacher was more believable than the Gibbs/Cruise/Bourne cross of the book.
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
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
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Decent action/mystery book. I'll probably read more Lee Child stuff.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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