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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved the setting and the countdown. While the ‘who’ was pretty clear to me from the beginning, I enjoyed seeing Reacher once again get mixed up in a small town’s troubles.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Two-day brain candy with the book's plot taking place over less than four days in real time. Jack Reacher arrived in Bolton, South Dakota in a bus accident and helps the local PD crack a case with help of the current head of the 110th. Quick, light read. Pleasantly surprised he didn't bed anyone, and love how the ending was left over, although we all know Reacher always survives.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Great story, surprising end. The book counts down to an event, and that event is important, but the rest of the story us so good and exciting and tense that it almost loses significance. I look forward to more Reacher books from Child, they're always worth reading.
One of the most atmospheric books in the series, 61 Hours places Reacher in a freezing South Dakota town, protecting a witness from a dangerous cartel. The countdown structure adds a unique tension, making every moment feel urgent. The ending is a shocking cliffhanger, which leads directly into the next book, making it one of the best-connected entries in the series. A definite favourite so far!
There presumably comes a time when, having written about the same guy for some 14 books (when 61 Hours was published) that a formula would become apparent to the ardent fan.
It certainly did with James Patterson, who was already treading water when London Bridges finally pulled the plug on what had started off as a great thriller series.
But not with Lee Child and Jack Reacher.
Not yet.
Aware that the character is well established, introductory paragraphs have long since fallen by the wayside — but also aware that a new reader could dive in at any stage, each book finds new ways and new places to introduce to the hero.
Something that, in this episode, actually made me smile.
Yes, I knew how he was going to be described, but man it was lovely to read.
The other credit that Child deserves is how each adventure is different, albeit within the same tight premise of Reacher being in a place he never planned on being, doing a thing he never planned on doing.
Like a fine wine, or in Reacher's case a good beer, yes you know what you're going to get, but each bottle is subtly different with fresh notes and a slightly different taste.
To further mutilate an already tortured analogy, 61 Hours is a particularly cold beer with a clean crisp finish.
For this journey, Reacher finds himself in South Dakota in the depths of winter. And before long he's helping the local police protect a witness and find the mole.
All standard stuff for the man with no luggage.
And all this showcases Child's skill as a thriller writer.
One tense moment (the initial bus crash), leads to a more tense one (the police situation), leads to a more tense...
You get the idea.
But the skill, and the joy for the reader, is the pace at which this all unfolds.
The story builds slowly, takes hold of you gently, and just when you think you'll put the book down for a bit you realise you can't because you're hooked.
And it's not just the narrative that takes hold — the descriptions of the freezing conditions are so intense, so effective, that every time I stepped out into the cold, winter weather of the real world I was pleasantly with how warm it was given not half an hour before I was attempting to drive through frozen snow in sub-zero conditions.
On one occasion I genuinely wondered why Reacher was struggling so much because the roads seemed to actually be quite clear...
Child has given the world one of the most endearing characters of the modern age, and time spent with Reacher is always time well spent.
My one regret is not reading this particular volume the day it was published, as the stunning ending would have had more impact at that point.
It certainly did with James Patterson, who was already treading water when London Bridges finally pulled the plug on what had started off as a great thriller series.
But not with Lee Child and Jack Reacher.
Not yet.
Aware that the character is well established, introductory paragraphs have long since fallen by the wayside — but also aware that a new reader could dive in at any stage, each book finds new ways and new places to introduce to the hero.
Something that, in this episode, actually made me smile.
Yes, I knew how he was going to be described, but man it was lovely to read.
The other credit that Child deserves is how each adventure is different, albeit within the same tight premise of Reacher being in a place he never planned on being, doing a thing he never planned on doing.
Like a fine wine, or in Reacher's case a good beer, yes you know what you're going to get, but each bottle is subtly different with fresh notes and a slightly different taste.
To further mutilate an already tortured analogy, 61 Hours is a particularly cold beer with a clean crisp finish.
For this journey, Reacher finds himself in South Dakota in the depths of winter. And before long he's helping the local police protect a witness and find the mole.
All standard stuff for the man with no luggage.
And all this showcases Child's skill as a thriller writer.
One tense moment (the initial bus crash), leads to a more tense one (the police situation), leads to a more tense...
You get the idea.
But the skill, and the joy for the reader, is the pace at which this all unfolds.
The story builds slowly, takes hold of you gently, and just when you think you'll put the book down for a bit you realise you can't because you're hooked.
And it's not just the narrative that takes hold — the descriptions of the freezing conditions are so intense, so effective, that every time I stepped out into the cold, winter weather of the real world I was pleasantly with how warm it was given not half an hour before I was attempting to drive through frozen snow in sub-zero conditions.
On one occasion I genuinely wondered why Reacher was struggling so much because the roads seemed to actually be quite clear...
Child has given the world one of the most endearing characters of the modern age, and time spent with Reacher is always time well spent.
My one regret is not reading this particular volume the day it was published, as the stunning ending would have had more impact at that point.