Review: Lee Child "The Hard Way" (Reacher #10)

Publisher: Delacorte Press

 

ISBN: 9780385336697

 

My rating: 5/5

 

 

In Lee Child’s astonishing new thriller, ex–military cop Reacher sees more than most people would...and because of that, he’s thrust into an explosive situation that’s about to blow up in his face. For the only way to find the truth—and save two innocent lives—is to do it the way Jack Reacher does it best: the hard way….

Jack Reacher was alone, the way he liked it, soaking up the hot, electric New York City night, watching a man cross the street to a parked Mercedes and drive it away. The car contained one million dollars in ransom money. And Edward Lane, the man who paid it, will pay even more to get his family back. Lane runs a highly illegal soldiers-for-hire operation. He will use any amount of money and any tool to find his beautiful wife and child. And then he’ll turn Jack Reacher loose with a vengeance—because Reacher is the best man hunter in the world.

On the trail of a vicious kidnapper, Reacher is learning the chilling secrets of his employer’s past…and of a horrific drama in the heart of a nasty little war. He’s beginning to realize that Edward Lane is hiding something. Something dirty. Something big. But Reacher also knows this: he’s already in way too deep to stop now. (www.leechild.com)

 

My rating:

 

Only one word comes to mind after just finishing this story: BRILLIANT. It's one of those stories when you come to the end you breathe out a satisfying "wow" and you're tempted to grab the next Reacher novel.

 

Jack Reacher is in New York City minding his own business when he watches a man walk across the street and drive away in a Mercedes. And that's the start of his next crime to solve. A kidnap of a wife and daughter ... or so it seems.

 

This story has so many twists and turns it makes you dizzy. The crime is being solved with cleverness and less brutality. And Reacher is getting a human side - he's making mistakes. 

 

As I said, it's a page turner and I loved it! Fully recommend it.

 

PS - As much as I like Dick Hill as a narrator (he's REALLY good), his near perfect voice/speech of a person with a handicap was over the top. I couldn't understand a word. It was frustrating at times!

 

Lee Child - One Shot (Reacher #9)

Publisher: Bantam Books

ISBN: 9780440423010

My rating: 4.5/5


Jack Reacher is working on his tan with a Norwegian blonde on the beach in Miami. The weather is hot and he is so cool you could skate on him. But he doesn’t like to stick around. He likes to be on the move. He was in the machine his whole life. Then the machine coughed and spat him out. Now he takes it easy. He’s not looking for trouble. But sometimes trouble looks for Reacher.
A lone gunman hides in a parking garage and shoots into a crowd in a public plaza in a small Indiana city. Five random people die in a senseless massacre. The shooter leaves a perfect trail behind him and the police quickly track him down. His name is James Barr. It’s a watertight case. After his arrest, James Barr refuses to talk. Then, to his lawyer, he utters a single phrase: “Get Jack Reacher for me.” But Reacher’s already on his way. What could connect this obvious psychopath with our wandering ex-army cop?
By the time Reacher hits town, Barr’s been beaten badly enough to forget everything about the day in question. So Reacher begins to piece together the wealth of evidence; he does the math and comes to a few conclusions of his own. (LeeChild.com)


My thoughts

What can I say .... I admit, I saw the movie on the flight back to Australia. I succumbed. *sigh*

So #9 was on top of my TBR list when I got home and I hesitated not wanting to read it, because the previous story had been confusing and I didn't like the movie at all.

Thank goodness I like routine; I picked up the book on the top and started reading. I struggled through the first few pages, because I couldn't get rid of the image of Tom Cruise's face in my head. Frustrating! But then, it was page after page after page ... and quite a few early mornings.

The story starts when a sniper shoots five random people. With forensic evidence so obvious, it's within a very short time that police arrest James Barr. He's silent only requesting for them to get Jack Reacher.

It's a great book, it's interesting, fast paced and very intricate with all the characters, yet easy to follow. The plot is slightly far fetched, but hey, it's a fiction book! All characters clear and well developed.

Okay - here my two cents about the movie. Having worked in the film industry (though only for a brief period of time) I am aware that a script needs to be cut down, but this one was cut way too much - in the end nothing, or little, made sense. I've heard Tom Cruise took on the role because it was his company producing the movie. Shame on him to be selfish and ruining the movie and any further movies. This movie deserved better! *rant off*

Lee Child - Without Fail

Publisher: Jove Books

ISBN:  978-0515144314

My rating: 5/5

Reacher is approached by a Secret Service agent who makes a highly unusual request. "I want to hire you to assassinate the Vice President of the United States," she says. She's the newly appointed head of the VP's security detail and wants Reacher to try and penetrate her team's shield, testing its efficacy against a genuine attack. Reacher has the skills and the stealth, and he's totally anonymous - how better to check security? What she doesn't tell Reacher is that a very determined and deadly team of assassins already has the VP in its sights. These men are skilled killers, but they've overlooked one key element - the presence of the equally lethal Reacher. (leechild.com)

 

 

My rating

O-M-G ... what a rollercoaster ride. Loved it! Though in a way short on action, it's a page turner from start to end.

Joe Reacher's ex-girlfriend, M.E. Froelich from the Secret Service asks Jack Reacher for help. Help in form of trying to kill the Vice-President Brook Armstrong. And he delivers - he finds the weak points in the protection of the VP.

Only then he learns that the threat is actually real and the hunt for the bad guy begins.

Mix a little bit of romance, yes, Reacher in a suit (!) and a twist I didn't see coming and you have a good book. Ok, IMO the bed-hopping gets a bit too much for me!

But most interestingly, add another character: Francis Neagley, a colleague from Reacher's Army days. She is a great character and let's hope that she will be back in any future stories! Or even her own?