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tense
fast-paced
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm ready to declare that Jack Reacher novels are just not my thing. I chose this installment as my second date with the franchise since it's the one adapted for the upcoming Jack Reacher movie with the very un-Reacher-like Mr. Cruise in the title role. Like the first novel, there's a good hook of a shocking crime in a small town (in this case, a mass shooting in Indiana with an air-tight case against the apparent suspect - who claims innocence), followed by the appearance of Reacher to conduct an investigation that reveals a more complicated plot. And pulpy violence. The story didn't keep me engaged, and the resolution left me cold. I'm actually looking forward to the movie, though (despite the improbability of Cruise as Reacher), as it stands to be the rare instance of an adaptation that improves upon the original, and features the always entertaining Werner Herzog in a key role.
Once it got going I couldn't put it down - read the first couple of chapters on Wednesday, read the rest of the book yesterday.
As good as James Patterson used to be.
As good as James Patterson used to be.
My rating : 3.5 (I wish we could do half stars)
This is the book my book club picked for June. It isn't a book I would normally have picked up on my own, but I actually really liked it. Yay for book clubs helping us broaden our horizons.
Once I got past the first 20 or so pages, this book really started picking up for me. It's just a fun, quick paced mystery that kept me thinking. My only complaint is that the descriptions sometimes got long-winded and actually seemed forced and pointless. I got to where I skimmed over those paragraphs, and I was able to enjoy the story. I haven't seen the movie, but my sister said it's nothing like the book.
This is the book my book club picked for June. It isn't a book I would normally have picked up on my own, but I actually really liked it. Yay for book clubs helping us broaden our horizons.
Once I got past the first 20 or so pages, this book really started picking up for me. It's just a fun, quick paced mystery that kept me thinking. My only complaint is that the descriptions sometimes got long-winded and actually seemed forced and pointless. I got to where I skimmed over those paragraphs, and I was able to enjoy the story. I haven't seen the movie, but my sister said it's nothing like the book.
Very good book! I now understand the anger from devoted fans towards Lee Child'sother Jack Reacher book, A Wanted Man. That installment of the book was quite terrible compared to this book. I read this one in done day and it held my interest from first page to last. Great read - I'm looking forward to more books in this series.
The stilted writing really didn't vibe with me, unfortunately.
Enjoyable but a little hard to be excited about since this is the book that the movie is based on and I remembered most of the plot.
Best Jack Reacher book so far. I skipped one, The Enemy (2004), because the library didn't have it.
Reacher goes to an Indiana city where a sniper has killed five people. Reacher knew the guy a long time ago when they were both in the Army. This plot was (marginally) more believable than some of the others, and there was a lot less description of guns and ammo, which is a relief. There's a little too much detail about walking around the center of the city — streets, buildings — and sometimes that gets draggy. Reacher walks a lot because he doesn't have a car.
I still really have a love/hate relationship with these books. I like spending time with Reacher because he's not an alcoholic and he respects women. He's a pleasant hard-boiled detective type (although not a detective). He's not so much solving a mystery (or a murder) as working a puzzle, and the puzzle always requires more legwork than brainwork (although Reacher's no dummy!). I liked the description of a lawyer getting her solo practice started, and of the shooting range in Kentucky and what the owner talked about. In a Reacher book there are scenes or clusters of scenes that are nicely fleshed out and very absorbing. And the ending is bang-up satisfying.
This is definitely escapist reading, though. I still need work a bit to suspend disbelief here.
.
Reacher goes to an Indiana city where a sniper has killed five people. Reacher knew the guy a long time ago when they were both in the Army. This plot was (marginally) more believable than some of the others, and there was a lot less description of guns and ammo, which is a relief. There's a little too much detail about walking around the center of the city — streets, buildings — and sometimes that gets draggy. Reacher walks a lot because he doesn't have a car.
I still really have a love/hate relationship with these books. I like spending time with Reacher because he's not an alcoholic and he respects women. He's a pleasant hard-boiled detective type (although not a detective). He's not so much solving a mystery (or a murder) as working a puzzle, and the puzzle always requires more legwork than brainwork (although Reacher's no dummy!). I liked the description of a lawyer getting her solo practice started, and of the shooting range in Kentucky and what the owner talked about. In a Reacher book there are scenes or clusters of scenes that are nicely fleshed out and very absorbing. And the ending is bang-up satisfying.
This is definitely escapist reading, though. I still need work a bit to suspend disbelief here.
.
Solid Reacher. Different enough from the film to make it worth the read (not that it's not worth the read otherwise, just that it's not a beat-for-beat retread). Really loving this series, can't wait to read the next one!