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The Hard Way (Jack Reacher Novels)
Books: CookBooks: Julia Child: Item 7
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The Hard Way (Jack Reacher Novels)by Lee Child
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58 of 74 people found the following review helpful: Depressingly Good, May 21, 2006 Reviewer:J. A. KONRATH "author of the Lt. Jacqueline 'Jack' Daniels series" (Chicago, IL USA) - I have a dirty little secret: Every time a new Lee Child book comes out, I secretly hope it will be lousy. Most series that have lasted for ten or more books have a few clunkers in them. When I read those clunkers, I think to myself, "A-ha! I knew they were only human!" and spend a good week or two feeling smug and superior. But so far, the only feeling the Reacher books have stirred in my cold heart is envy. THE HARD WAY is no exception. Once again, Child drops his loner hero into the middle of a very bad situation, and once again Reacher uses a combination of wits and violence to unravel an ever-twisting plot. THE HARD WAY contains more than its fair share of action, suspense, surprises, and sex. It also contains some damn fine writing. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, and hated for it to end. If you're a reader, you'll love it. If you're a writer, it won't make you feel good about your own work. Not even a tiny bit.
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In bestseller Child's 10th novel to feature ex-army MP Jack Reacher (after 2005's One Shot), a sidewalk cafe encounter in New York City plunges Reacher into one of his most challenging—and thoroughly engrossing—adventures to date. Acting out of "reflex and professional curiosity" (and the promise of a generous fee), Reacher agrees to help sinister ex-army officer Edward Lane, whose posse of six Special Forces veterans are even more ominous than he, track down his kidnapped daughter and trophy wife. Since the kidnapping of wife number one five years earlier ended in her death, Lane cautions Reacher that he will not brook police interference ("You break your word, I'll put your eyes out"). From Lane's quarters in the West Side's venerable Dakota apartment building to the shady sections of SoHo and Greenwich Village, the author's atmospheric descriptions make Manhattan a leading player, with menace lurking at every intersection. The inevitable showdown, on a farm outside a tiny English village, ranks as one of Child's most thrilling finales. (May)
Copyright © Reed business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Child's last two Jack Reacher novels (One Shot, 2005, and The Enemy, 2004) have emphasized procedural detail rather than the high-octane action that gave the series its identity. There's still plenty of procedure, but this time the gearshift is back in overdrive: "Reacher, alone in the dark. Armed and dangerous. Coming back." Former military cop Reacher does his level best not to come back: he lives off the grid (no address, no belongings), but his instincts keep driving him toward solving other people's problems, the kind that won't stay solved without violence. Here, he's having an espresso in Greenwich Village when a man walks across the street, gets in a car, and drives away. It happens every day, but it's not always a kidnapper picking up the ransom. Soon Reacher is involved in helping a ruthless mercenary find his wife and stepdaughter before the kidnappers tie up loose ends. There's a lot more to it than that, though, and it takes three-fourths of the novel before Reacher figures out who the bad guys are. Like all the best thrillers, this one is about more than pace: yes, the narrative propels you forward with a locomotive's thrust, but Child never loses sight of the small detail or the human fabric--not unlike Reacher in the dark, armed and dangerous, intent on the action in front of him but always aware of the sights and sounds to his sides and behind him. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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