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A review by sauvageloup
The Sentinel: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child, Andrew Child
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A perfectly enjoyable Jack Reacher book, nice and fresh with Andrew Child's influence
Pros:
- the usual snappy, brief writing which gets the point across and carries the story neatly. Very readable. The usual quota of righteous ass-kicking.
- the plot is the best part, complex enough to keep you guessing whilst still being easy enough to follow. The cyber crime was an original take and a good idea and there was increased intrigue with the Russians and all.
- the political bit about the election was interesting and a little surprising to see. Glad they weighed in on and showed how easily 'false news' could be spread, nice to see a book with their reach raising awareness of how people can be influenced.
- the side characters were fun, Fisher, Rule, Sands, Rutherford, etc. They all had character and Rutherford had some spine and principals too, which was nice.
- a bit of angst near the end of Reacher getting stuck underground.
- as a writer, I'm impressed by how active Reacher is in chasing leads and effecting change, and how the case unfolds around him as we find out more. There's good foreshadowing and it all holds together nicely, pointing to a good plan. Wish I could do mine so neatly lol.
Cons:
- slightly disappointed that finally Reacher showed a slight weakness with claustrophobia and it wasn't really focused on, nor was he supported by Fisher, though he rescues her. Would've been nice to have someone help him for once.
- also I do find that Reacher tends to ask these quick fire questions and people respond with quick, concise, informative replies. They don't talk like normal people, there's no deliberation or personality to the regular folks he deals with, which feels a bit unreal but necessary to not make the book too long I suppose.
- there's also a lot of list descriptions which were a bit unnecessary. Laying out the scene before a fight is one thing but listing 'brown chair, flowery bed sheet, mug of coffee, desk, etc.' is a bit tiresome.
- I did get a bit muddled with the whole Fisher is Natasha and Diana Smith is Klustermann's daughter. I thought Natasha was the name of Klustermann's daughter. So I did get confused a bit with that reveal at the end, but it was otherwise good
overall a very solid read and fun. I look forward to the next one.
Pros:
- the usual snappy, brief writing which gets the point across and carries the story neatly. Very readable. The usual quota of righteous ass-kicking.
- the plot is the best part, complex enough to keep you guessing whilst still being easy enough to follow. The cyber crime was an original take and a good idea and there was increased intrigue with the Russians and all.
- the political bit about the election was interesting and a little surprising to see. Glad they weighed in on and showed how easily 'false news' could be spread, nice to see a book with their reach raising awareness of how people can be influenced.
- the side characters were fun, Fisher, Rule, Sands, Rutherford, etc. They all had character and Rutherford had some spine and principals too, which was nice.
- a bit of angst near the end of Reacher getting stuck underground.
- as a writer, I'm impressed by how active Reacher is in chasing leads and effecting change, and how the case unfolds around him as we find out more. There's good foreshadowing and it all holds together nicely, pointing to a good plan. Wish I could do mine so neatly lol.
Cons:
- slightly disappointed that finally Reacher showed a slight weakness with claustrophobia and it wasn't really focused on, nor was he supported by Fisher, though he rescues her. Would've been nice to have someone help him for once.
- also I do find that Reacher tends to ask these quick fire questions and people respond with quick, concise, informative replies. They don't talk like normal people, there's no deliberation or personality to the regular folks he deals with, which feels a bit unreal but necessary to not make the book too long I suppose.
- there's also a lot of list descriptions which were a bit unnecessary. Laying out the scene before a fight is one thing but listing 'brown chair, flowery bed sheet, mug of coffee, desk, etc.' is a bit tiresome.
overall a very solid read and fun. I look forward to the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Torture