Nothing to Lose (Jack Reacher, No. 12)
by Lee Child
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Book Reviews of Nothing to Lose (Jack Reacher, No. 12)
Book Review: Yikes! Reacher is a liberal!
Summary: 3 Stars
Nothing to lose started out great, typical Reacher standing up against the bad guys. I was so disappointed when the story took a nose dive and Child started espousing liberal talking points through Reacher. I kept hoping it would change, but it didn't. It ruined Reacher for me, he always took care of business and if there was evil he destroyed it, much like the US is doing in Iraq. We are destroying evil so it won't grow and fester and destroy our world.
I was also disappointed in the fact that Child made Thurman a "Born Again End Times Christian" Oh for pete sake! Child has read some of the Bible, heard some things and misinterpreted some other things which for some reason made him feel he had to take a swipe at Christianity. This is the 2nd book I have read in the last 3 months that has depicted conservative Christians as being evil, manipulative, greedy etc. etc. The Islamists are killing and destroying their own people, but never a negative word about them from a liberal's mouth. I am disappointed that Child has fallen into this trap of spouting off about something he really has no knowledge of. A Red Cow?? I wonder where he got that little piece of info? Strange.
He got his digs in as intended, but it did sadden me and took away the enjoyment I usually get from his books. I will probably try the next one, but if he continues throwing in liberal politics I may say good bye to Jack.
One last thing, the tension that is normally in one of his books just wasn't there. Instead of fighting really evil people on a personal level, Reacher was fighting our own government's policies because he disagreed. He was obnoxious in this outing and not his normal self. It was almost silly and he seemed immature.
Where did Jack go and who is that taking his place?
Book Review: Crackling writing makes this a standout in the genre
Summary: 5 Stars
In this latest Jack Reacher thriller, the ex-military loner finds himself caught between Hope and Despair. Colorado, that is. Two rural towns named by pioneers for an optical illusion that makes the Rockies appear near from Hope and far from Despair.
Hitchhiking west from Hope, on his meandering way to San Diego, Reacher encounters no traffic heading to Despair and walks the whole 17 miles. Only to be clapped into jail as a vagrant after refusing to leave town and smacking down a couple of menacing deputies. Despair is not a hospitable place.
But Jack Reacher is not a biddable man. And now he's curious.
Planning his next trip with a bit more care and the help of Hope's attractive young deputy, Vaughan, Reacher slips through the desert at night, circling the huge scrap recycling plant that gives the company town its reason for being. Not only is the place vast, it's enclosed with state-of-the-art unscalable walls and down the road is a ship-shape military police post.
But it's on his stealthy way back through the desert that he stumbles - literally - over the emaciated corpse of a young man, ratcheting up the stakes. Teaming up with Hope's deputy, who has issues of her own, Reacher ferrets out Despair's secrets - missing young men, the plant owner's nightly flights, over-the-top security, strange illnesses - with a mixture of mayhem, slick thinking, and stealth.
Non-stop action, dark, dry humor and a slightly prickly romance keep the pages turning. Child's prose is fast, fluid and crisp and the plot, while a bit outlandish, is no less believable for that. Reacher, a military personality with a lot of rules for himself, amazing skills, no possessions and footloose habits, is terrific fun, as always.
Book Review: KINDA LIKED IT--KINDA DIDN'T
Summary: 3 Stars
Well, I did get what I call my "Reacher fix," but it would be deemed my LEAST favorite of the Reacher series. (I've read them all--I plan to read them all over again too.) In this latest book, I kept scratching my head trying to figure out just why Reacher even got remotely involved in the town of Despair's mess. The reasons given in the book just seemed too contrived, and really rather pointless to me. In previous Reacher books, the reasons for his involvement in various situations were quite clear to the reader; they were personal, or due to unavoidable circumstances, or in defense of others, for the most part.
I did not mind the stuff about Iraq, war, deserters, etc., but I feel that in this regard, the story really bogged down, many times, which is SOOO unusual for a Reacher book.
Also, here's another thing that bothered me in this book, that has not in the past---I know and accept that Reacher is a love'em and leave'em type of "rambling" man, but this time, his sexual encounters with the female police officer, Vaughan, just left me feeling kinda cold. Did the book even mention her FIRST name for goodness sakes??? I don't remember, but I know I haven't quite felt this way about Reacher's romantic encounters in other books. It was kinda disappointing and unfulfilling for me. Did any of the female Reacher fans feel this way?
I cannot conceive of Lee Child ever writing a truly bad Reacher book or any other book/character for that matter. I'm just wondering where Reacher's character goes from here--better places with more plausible conflicts/situations than was presented in this book. Nevertheless, believe me, that wherever the next Reacher book leads, I will definitely follow!!
Book Review: "Nothing to Lose" not much to gain
Summary: 2 Stars
Jack Reacher decides to walk across the United States. When he gets to the crossroads of Hope and Despair, Colorado, he goes to Despair. While there, he stops at a restaurant for coffee. Everyone is antagonistic to him, even the waitress ignores him, then sheriff deputies come and escort him out of town. He's told, they don't like strangers.
In Hope, he learns that Despair is a company town run by an autocrat, Jeremy Thermond. As a former Marine, Reacher doesn't like to be told what to do and sneaks back to Despair at night. He finds Thermond's factory and checks it out and on the return trip he stumbles over a body of a young man.
Back in Hope, he meets Lucy Anderson at his motel. She has also been forced to leave Despair. She tells him her husband is missing but it isn't the body he found.
There are times when the slow moving plot is too absurd. At one point, Reacher is in a bar fight and inflicts such damage that the men need treatment for things such as a broken nose, a broken arm, and a concussion. However, he walks out of the bar with hardly a scratch. Another time he is returning to Despair again, this time with Officer Vaughan of Hope and two hundred to three hundred people from Despair block the highway chanting "Out! Out! Out! This is improbable other than if it was in the dawn of the dead.
The story is just not exciting. The yo yo effect of Reacher going back and forth between Hope and Despair gets tiring. The characters are not likable. In fact, Despair is unfriendly. They think of nothing but themselves. If God was looking down at Despair, he would have turned the townspeople into Salt.
Reacher should have taken a lesson from the Bible.
Book Review: It's not as great as the others in the series
Summary: 4 Stars
I love Jack Reacher. Many others do too. That is apparent when you read that ALL of the Jack Reacher books have been optioned to become motion pictures. That in itself is an amazing fact, that's for darn sure.
But...this latest offering of Lee Child isn't as taut as most of the Reacher books have been, and certainly not as exciting as the book before where Reacher and his old friends united and had a ball fighting together.
There is a short distance between Hope and Despair. Literally and figuratively. In this case, there are 2 towns side by side. Hope, a happy little town, and Despair, a dark sort of company town. Jack Reacher goes into Despair to have a cup of coffee and they don't serve him. Come on folks, give him a cup of Joe and let him go on his way!! But NO! They make trouble for Reacher, and when Reacher is pushed, he pushes back really hard.
He is taken out of Despair and into Hope, where Reacher finds an ally in Vaughn, a lady cop. The two start an uneasy friendship, then team together to see what the mystery Despair is hiding.
Personally, I don't like my reading pleasure have political and religious messages interspersed with my reading, and I have to say there is quite a bit on the Mid-East War, and of some radical forms of religion, and healthcare. Whether or not to agree or disagree, it just didn't feel as comfortable as the other stories have been and certainly more violent than previous books. I love this series and don't want a platform for Child's personal beliefs, however we may agree or disagree. Will I keep reading Jack Reacher books, you better believe it. But, I hope Child doesn't start using this series as a political platform.