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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
These are undeniably "pulp" thrillers, but there's a certain cleverness about the writing that makes these books fun to read. I love the Reacher books and demolish them in a weekend.
After a couple Jack Reacher books that were pretty weak, this one was a return to form. Interesting story that kept the pages turning, but I knew who the bad guy was pretty early on, so that twist wasn't really a surprise. I think Lee Child could have thrown the reader off the scent a little more.
I'm going with 3.5 stars on this one. There's only one reason I can't nudge it up to 4 stars, which I'll explain at the end of the review (with plenty of advance warning.)
Jack Reacher novels fall into two categories. One is the big city, ABO, non-stop action, heavy violence thriller such as Gone Tomorrow. The other is the small town, slower-paced, watching and waiting type---more mystery than thriller. 61 Hours is in the second category, although it does get pretty exciting later on. I'm cool with both kinds, but the adrenaline junkies probably prefer the action-packed ones.
A bus accident leaves Jack stranded in the fictional town of Bolton, South Dakota in the dead of winter. Brrrrrr! Cold and getting colder. Snow and ice and wind...and more snow. And of course, the town has problems only Jack can fix. Murders in town, a mysterious abandoned military site a few miles away, a biker in the local prison, and a midget called Plato down in Mexico all combine to give Reacher's solving skills a workout.
Less action, but a lot of fun stuff here. I loved the interaction between Jack and the voice on the phone in Washington. Also the discovery of the original purpose behind the military site. Very cool and creepy. And there's a new angle on the old drug running plot element which caught me off guard and then made me laugh at the end with its final effects on the town. We also get to learn a little more about Jack's childhood, thanks to a certain snooper.
This concludes the spoiler-free portion of my review.
***********WARNING! STOP READING NOW TO AVOID SPOILERS!**************
SPOILERS COMING.....
The inconclusive ending was frustrating and unsatisfying, so I can't go up to four stars. I don't mind not knowing everything, but we should at least get to find out how Jack escaped from the explosion and see him exiting town with another successful problem taken care of. The last we see of him, he's trying to get out before the flare hits the fuel, and we're left hanging until October. No fair! I think Child made a tactical error with this ending, but I guess now it's all about selling more books more often.
Jack Reacher novels fall into two categories. One is the big city, ABO, non-stop action, heavy violence thriller such as Gone Tomorrow. The other is the small town, slower-paced, watching and waiting type---more mystery than thriller. 61 Hours is in the second category, although it does get pretty exciting later on. I'm cool with both kinds, but the adrenaline junkies probably prefer the action-packed ones.
A bus accident leaves Jack stranded in the fictional town of Bolton, South Dakota in the dead of winter. Brrrrrr! Cold and getting colder. Snow and ice and wind...and more snow. And of course, the town has problems only Jack can fix. Murders in town, a mysterious abandoned military site a few miles away, a biker in the local prison, and a midget called Plato down in Mexico all combine to give Reacher's solving skills a workout.
Less action, but a lot of fun stuff here. I loved the interaction between Jack and the voice on the phone in Washington. Also the discovery of the original purpose behind the military site. Very cool and creepy. And there's a new angle on the old drug running plot element which caught me off guard and then made me laugh at the end with its final effects on the town. We also get to learn a little more about Jack's childhood, thanks to a certain snooper.
This concludes the spoiler-free portion of my review.
***********WARNING! STOP READING NOW TO AVOID SPOILERS!**************
SPOILERS COMING.....
The inconclusive ending was frustrating and unsatisfying, so I can't go up to four stars. I don't mind not knowing everything, but we should at least get to find out how Jack escaped from the explosion and see him exiting town with another successful problem taken care of. The last we see of him, he's trying to get out before the flare hits the fuel, and we're left hanging until October. No fair! I think Child made a tactical error with this ending, but I guess now it's all about selling more books more often.
This book leaves us hanging as to what exactly happened to Jack at the end of the book! This adventure took place in Bolton, SD in a bitter cold winter.... I'm sure I will find him somewhere warm in the next book!
This instalment was a bit light on the action and more focused on Jack as a character. Which is alright every once in a while as a change of pace.
This received 4/5 stars because of a rare occurrence - Jack Reacher does not have sex with the strong female lead! Seriously, it gets a little repetitive and boring for an (frankly) intimidating/scary individual with no fixed address and only the clothes on his back to have sex in every book.
Revived my interest in the series! Not formulaic. Learn more about Jack Reacher's past.
It has maybe my favorite scene of the series, with Reacher more vulnerable and defeated, but other than that pretty much same old, with a sub-par finale.
As much as I love Jack Reacher this one just didn't do it for me. I mean... when I can figure out "whodunit" approximately 150 pages before Reacher then I'm not that impressed.
It was my first Lee child and first Reacher.... It was kinda slow but after few chapters i was little impressed but if u have read [a:Steig Larsson|6903303|Steig Larsson|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg], its slow...
But a good story I enjoyed it :)
But a good story I enjoyed it :)