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A review by saareman
Better Off Dead by Lee Child, Andrew Child
3.0
December 7, 2021 Update
Trailer is up for the Reacher TV series (February 4, 2022). You will believe again in Reacher.
First Person Reacher
Review of the Random House Audio audiobook edition (October 2021) narrated by Scott Brick, released simultaneously with the hardcover edition.
Better Off Dead is now the 2nd collaboration of brothers Lee and Andrew Child in a phased-in retirement and handover of the franchise between them. As in last year's [b:The Sentinel|51053653|The Sentinel (Jack Reacher, #25)|Lee Child|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1599244453l/51053653._SY75_.jpg|75519816], there are aspects of the very early and the ongoing Reacher which are recycled as if in order to convey to the audience that the character is still in steady hands. These are such early things as the 'radio-in-Reacher's-head' from which he can call up any music that he ever heard, esp. old blues and R'n'B. The ongoing touchstones are the carrying of only an expired passport as ID, an ATM card and a toothbrush. Another is the almost mantra-like recitation of the protagonist's standard laconic response to a situation: "Reacher said nothing."
The franchise is also certain to see a boost of interest from the upcoming 2022 Amazon Prime TV series for which the first season is apparently based on the first book [b:Killing Floor|78129|Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, #1)|Lee Child|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1399313258l/78129._SY75_.jpg|4511038] (1997).
Actor Alan Ritchson will play Jack Reacher in Amazon Prime's upcoming TV-streaming-series. Image sourced from Geek Vibes Nation.
The main shock is the book's opening scene about which nothing can be said. The plot then proceeds in flashback in order to get to that point and then further. The other major change is that the book is told in first-person rather than the standard third-person viewpoint. This drops the tag-line 'Reacher said nothing' for its alternatives such as 'I said nothing.'
Better Off Dead does hit all of its marks, but there is a somehow a lack of character insights and situation humour which I think is what really keeps the regular audience engaged. I found it to be too much of the rote Reacher with the vigilante handing out punishment to the villains and overcoming all overwhelming odds, regardless of how unrealistic they were. The main plot of the villains was also somewhat confusing with one key player not even making a physical appearance.
In the end, Reacher's wandering journey to the West Coast continues and even if this current outing is a bit of a holding pattern, the fans are sure to stick with the saga.
Statistics
'Reacher said nothing' count = 0
Alternative ('I didn't respond', 'I said nothing', 'I didn't reply', etc,) count = 17
Toothbrush mentions = 1
Other Reviews
Review at Crime Fiction Lover by Paul Burke, October 26, 2021.
Review at Shelf Awareness by Paul Dinh-McCrillis, October 26, 2021.
Trivia and Links
There is an interview with Andrew and Lee Child about Better Off Dead at Shelf Awareness October 26, 2021.
From [b:The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives|49203398|The Writer's Library The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives|Nancy Pearl|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1588038545l/49203398._SX50_.jpg|73236167] (Sept. 2020) by Nancy Pearl & Jeff Schwager. Here is a (perhaps surprising) excerpt from their discussion with [a:Amor Towles|4536964|Amor Towles|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1472937967p2/4536964.jpg]:
Trailer is up for the Reacher TV series (February 4, 2022). You will believe again in Reacher.
First Person Reacher
Review of the Random House Audio audiobook edition (October 2021) narrated by Scott Brick, released simultaneously with the hardcover edition.
Better Off Dead is now the 2nd collaboration of brothers Lee and Andrew Child in a phased-in retirement and handover of the franchise between them. As in last year's [b:The Sentinel|51053653|The Sentinel (Jack Reacher, #25)|Lee Child|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1599244453l/51053653._SY75_.jpg|75519816], there are aspects of the very early and the ongoing Reacher which are recycled as if in order to convey to the audience that the character is still in steady hands. These are such early things as the 'radio-in-Reacher's-head' from which he can call up any music that he ever heard, esp. old blues and R'n'B. The ongoing touchstones are the carrying of only an expired passport as ID, an ATM card and a toothbrush. Another is the almost mantra-like recitation of the protagonist's standard laconic response to a situation: "Reacher said nothing."
The franchise is also certain to see a boost of interest from the upcoming 2022 Amazon Prime TV series for which the first season is apparently based on the first book [b:Killing Floor|78129|Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, #1)|Lee Child|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1399313258l/78129._SY75_.jpg|4511038] (1997).
Actor Alan Ritchson will play Jack Reacher in Amazon Prime's upcoming TV-streaming-series. Image sourced from Geek Vibes Nation.
The main shock is the book's opening scene about which nothing can be said. The plot then proceeds in flashback in order to get to that point and then further. The other major change is that the book is told in first-person rather than the standard third-person viewpoint. This drops the tag-line 'Reacher said nothing' for its alternatives such as 'I said nothing.'
Better Off Dead does hit all of its marks, but there is a somehow a lack of character insights and situation humour which I think is what really keeps the regular audience engaged. I found it to be too much of the rote Reacher with the vigilante handing out punishment to the villains and overcoming all overwhelming odds, regardless of how unrealistic they were. The main plot of the villains was also somewhat confusing with one key player not even making a physical appearance.
In the end, Reacher's wandering journey to the West Coast continues and even if this current outing is a bit of a holding pattern, the fans are sure to stick with the saga.
Statistics
'Reacher said nothing' count = 0
Alternative ('I didn't respond', 'I said nothing', 'I didn't reply', etc,) count = 17
Toothbrush mentions = 1
Other Reviews
Review at Crime Fiction Lover by Paul Burke, October 26, 2021.
Review at Shelf Awareness by Paul Dinh-McCrillis, October 26, 2021.
Trivia and Links
There is an interview with Andrew and Lee Child about Better Off Dead at Shelf Awareness October 26, 2021.
From [b:The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives|49203398|The Writer's Library The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives|Nancy Pearl|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1588038545l/49203398._SX50_.jpg|73236167] (Sept. 2020) by Nancy Pearl & Jeff Schwager. Here is a (perhaps surprising) excerpt from their discussion with [a:Amor Towles|4536964|Amor Towles|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1472937967p2/4536964.jpg]:
Nancy: Do you read Lee Child?
Amor: I know Lee. I had never read his books until I met him, but now I read them whenever they come out. I think some of the decisions he makes are ingenious.
Jeff: Have you read the Parker books by Donald Westlake [writing as Richard Stark]?
Amor: I think the Parker books are an extraordinary series.
Jeff: They feel like a big influence on Reacher, right down to the name. Both Reacher and Parker have a singular focus on the task in front of them.
Amor: But Parker is amoral. Reacher is just dangerous.
Jeff: Right. Reacher doesn't have a conventional morality, but he has his own morality. Parker will do anything he has to do to achieve his goal.
Amor: But to your point, Westlake's staccato style with its great twists at the end of the paragraphs, and his mesmerizing central character - these attributes are clearly shared by the Reacher books.