Scan barcode
A review by jhscolloquium
Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Jack Reacher carries only a folding toothbrush and his passport with him. He doesn’t even keep a change of clothing – to press his plain t-shirt and jeans, he places them under the mattress wherever he sleeps for the night. He has no address and no cellular telephone. He knows his funds have dwindled to almost nothing. In Portland, Oregon, – where the Greyhound bus he was riding stopped – he needs cash. He possesses an almost “savant ability with arithmetic.” So, just as he always knows what time it is without looking at a clock, he also knows what his bank balance should be, but still confirms it every time he withdraws cash and has never been surprised to see a different total. Until now. Because there is one thousand and thirty dollars more in his account than there should be.
It is not a random number. “1030” is the radio code used by a military police officer who needs urgent assistance from a colleague. By calling his bank and feeding hints to a helpful customer service representative, Reacher learns the deposit was made in Chicago by Frances L. Neagley. She works for a private security provider in Chicago, Reacher knew her for ten of the thirteen years he served in the U.S. Army’s military police. For two of those years, she was a member of the special investigations unit he led. In fact, he recruited her. She would only deposit that specific sum of money into his bank account for a very particular reason.
When Reacher learns Neagley has traveled to Los Angeles, he flies there, too, and finds Neagley in a Denny’s restaurant just off the 101 in Hollywood.
Neagley gives Reacher an autopsy report, telling him, “Calvin Franz is dead. I think someone threw him out of an airplane.” Reacher’s next mission has begun.
Franz was a military police officer in the Army and a member of Reacher’s unit. Even though the members of the unit haven’t seen each other since it was disbanded, they have never stopped caring about each other. Franz kept their names in a book and talked about his days as a special investigator. So his wife called Neagley to inform her of his death. He was a solo private investigator handling mostly background checks. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department believes he was thrown out of an airplane heading west from Las Vegas. The autopsy report tells a different story.
Neagley convinces Reacher to reassemble their old unit to find the truth about what happened to their former colleague and friend. Reacher personally selected the team that also included Tony Swan, Jorge Sanchez, Stanley Lowrey, Manual Orozco, David O’Donnell, and Karla Dixon. O’Donnell and Neagley were captains, and the rest were majors – “talented journeymen working together, no stars no egos, mutually supportive, and above all ruthlessly and relentlessly effective.” Their mantra? “You do not mess with the special investigators.” Someone failed to get that message. All except Reacher have established residences, jobs, families. Theoretically, they should be easier to locate. But that has not proven to be the case. Something is very wrong, and Neagley convinces Reacher to help her find answers. They owe it to Franz . . . and each other. But they are being followed and watched, their every movement being reported up a chain of command. Are they all in danger? And if so, why?
Methodically, Reacher and Neagley begin following leads. They learn that Lowrey died earlier, but they set out to find the remaining five members of the team. Eventually, O’Donnell and Dixon make their way to Hollywood and assist in an investigation that also takes them to Las Vegas and other parts of the greater Los Angeles area as they learn about the ventures in which Swan, Sanchez, and Orozco became involved in the post-Army days. Their methods are unconventional and, at times, illegal, but inarguably creative, often innovative, and, for the most part, effective.
Meanwhile, in New York City, forty-year-old Azhari Mahmoud has begun making his way west using passports bearing several other Western names. What is his connection, if any, to Franz?
Reacher: Bad Luck and Trouble is a fast-paced, tautly constructed mystery that keeps readers guessing as Reacher and his teammates painstakingly examine the available evidence, struggling to understand why Franz was killed in such a specific and brutal manner. The unit members still function cohesively, anticipating each other’s thoughts and finishing each other’s sentences. They have never lost the skills they honed as part of the special investigations unit, and the other members insist that Reacher again serve as their leader, even though he is reluctant to do so. His physical size and strength are both an asset and a hindrance – he reacts and runs slower than the others, but his intellect and capacity to extrapolate information is unmatched. Still, the clues they locate are inconclusive and, at some junctures, downright confusing. They find themselves stymied more than once and are fallible. They fail to appreciate the significance of some evidence, overlook significant details, and even trust when they should not, their humanity endearing them to readers. Child skillfully brings the missing team members to life which, coupled with the team’s feeling for them, compels readers to become invested in their futures and cheer for Reacher, et al. to find them in time. Alas, there are some heartbreaking moments for Reacher, the surviving team members, and readers as Mahmoud navigates toward his destination and goal, and Reacher and the others manage to unravel what turns out to be a fairly complex and decidedly sinister scheme. The only remaining questions then are whether Reacher and his team can devise and implement evasive maneuvers quickly enough to save Mahmoud’s would be targets . . . and each other.
Originally published in 2007, Reacher: Bad Luck and Trouble is a riveting, action-packed thriller that resonates emotionally as Child showcases how intensely personal the mission is for Reacher. He and his team were “like a family.” As Neagley reminds him, “We had one another’s back. Then. Now and always. It’s a karma thing. Someone killed Franz and we can’t just let it go.” Child deftly and entertainingly proves that what Reacher and the rest of the unit told themselves was and remains true: “You do not mess with the Special Investigators.”
Thanks to Penguin Random House for a paperback copy of the book in conjunction with the Tandem Collective Global Readalong.
It is not a random number. “1030” is the radio code used by a military police officer who needs urgent assistance from a colleague. By calling his bank and feeding hints to a helpful customer service representative, Reacher learns the deposit was made in Chicago by Frances L. Neagley. She works for a private security provider in Chicago, Reacher knew her for ten of the thirteen years he served in the U.S. Army’s military police. For two of those years, she was a member of the special investigations unit he led. In fact, he recruited her. She would only deposit that specific sum of money into his bank account for a very particular reason.
When Reacher learns Neagley has traveled to Los Angeles, he flies there, too, and finds Neagley in a Denny’s restaurant just off the 101 in Hollywood.
Neagley gives Reacher an autopsy report, telling him, “Calvin Franz is dead. I think someone threw him out of an airplane.” Reacher’s next mission has begun.
Franz was a military police officer in the Army and a member of Reacher’s unit. Even though the members of the unit haven’t seen each other since it was disbanded, they have never stopped caring about each other. Franz kept their names in a book and talked about his days as a special investigator. So his wife called Neagley to inform her of his death. He was a solo private investigator handling mostly background checks. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department believes he was thrown out of an airplane heading west from Las Vegas. The autopsy report tells a different story.
Neagley convinces Reacher to reassemble their old unit to find the truth about what happened to their former colleague and friend. Reacher personally selected the team that also included Tony Swan, Jorge Sanchez, Stanley Lowrey, Manual Orozco, David O’Donnell, and Karla Dixon. O’Donnell and Neagley were captains, and the rest were majors – “talented journeymen working together, no stars no egos, mutually supportive, and above all ruthlessly and relentlessly effective.” Their mantra? “You do not mess with the special investigators.” Someone failed to get that message. All except Reacher have established residences, jobs, families. Theoretically, they should be easier to locate. But that has not proven to be the case. Something is very wrong, and Neagley convinces Reacher to help her find answers. They owe it to Franz . . . and each other. But they are being followed and watched, their every movement being reported up a chain of command. Are they all in danger? And if so, why?
Methodically, Reacher and Neagley begin following leads. They learn that Lowrey died earlier, but they set out to find the remaining five members of the team. Eventually, O’Donnell and Dixon make their way to Hollywood and assist in an investigation that also takes them to Las Vegas and other parts of the greater Los Angeles area as they learn about the ventures in which Swan, Sanchez, and Orozco became involved in the post-Army days. Their methods are unconventional and, at times, illegal, but inarguably creative, often innovative, and, for the most part, effective.
Meanwhile, in New York City, forty-year-old Azhari Mahmoud has begun making his way west using passports bearing several other Western names. What is his connection, if any, to Franz?
Reacher: Bad Luck and Trouble is a fast-paced, tautly constructed mystery that keeps readers guessing as Reacher and his teammates painstakingly examine the available evidence, struggling to understand why Franz was killed in such a specific and brutal manner. The unit members still function cohesively, anticipating each other’s thoughts and finishing each other’s sentences. They have never lost the skills they honed as part of the special investigations unit, and the other members insist that Reacher again serve as their leader, even though he is reluctant to do so. His physical size and strength are both an asset and a hindrance – he reacts and runs slower than the others, but his intellect and capacity to extrapolate information is unmatched. Still, the clues they locate are inconclusive and, at some junctures, downright confusing. They find themselves stymied more than once and are fallible. They fail to appreciate the significance of some evidence, overlook significant details, and even trust when they should not, their humanity endearing them to readers. Child skillfully brings the missing team members to life which, coupled with the team’s feeling for them, compels readers to become invested in their futures and cheer for Reacher, et al. to find them in time. Alas, there are some heartbreaking moments for Reacher, the surviving team members, and readers as Mahmoud navigates toward his destination and goal, and Reacher and the others manage to unravel what turns out to be a fairly complex and decidedly sinister scheme. The only remaining questions then are whether Reacher and his team can devise and implement evasive maneuvers quickly enough to save Mahmoud’s would be targets . . . and each other.
Originally published in 2007, Reacher: Bad Luck and Trouble is a riveting, action-packed thriller that resonates emotionally as Child showcases how intensely personal the mission is for Reacher. He and his team were “like a family.” As Neagley reminds him, “We had one another’s back. Then. Now and always. It’s a karma thing. Someone killed Franz and we can’t just let it go.” Child deftly and entertainingly proves that what Reacher and the rest of the unit told themselves was and remains true: “You do not mess with the Special Investigators.”
Thanks to Penguin Random House for a paperback copy of the book in conjunction with the Tandem Collective Global Readalong.