The Hard Way (Jack Reacher, No. 10
by Lee Child
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Book Summary Information
Author: Lee ChildEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-03-27
ISBN: 0440241030
Number of pages: 512
Publisher: Dell
Book Reviews of The Hard Way (Jack Reacher, No. 10
Book Review: Not brilliant but entertaining
Summary: 3 Stars
PLOT: The former Military Police, loner and larger than life guy, Jack Reacher, is back. This time he sits in a café in New York City where he becomes a witness without knowing. A day later he is hired to solve the kidnapping of the wife and stepdaughter of Edward Lane, ex-army officer and now the boss of a gang of private mercenaries. Even if Lane has the money to pay and the firepower to kill any kidnapper he has not the right guys to do the detective part of the job. Unfortunately the more Reacher finds out the more he feels that something about whole the case is completely wrong. And he starts to dislike Lane and his posse of Special Forces veterans. So he wonders why he wants to solve the case - for Lane, for the victims or for his own sake? What starts as a kidnapping in New York ends up in a deadly gunfight in the British countryside more than 3,000 miles away.
How could anybody not like Jack Reacher? Tall, strong, big, clever, invincible and independent. (This time Lee Child even put Reacher's CV on the first page!) Just the kind of guy you need when you got a problem. As always it is fun to see Reacher unravel tiny bits of evidence and draw conclusions out of minor details and seemingly unimportant or unrelated events. Therefore he comes to conclusions quicker than any other man alive.
Since as in real life most riddles and crimes take time to solve, the pace is (positively) agonizing slow. From the pace and Reacher's solid but slow process the book reminds me of "The Enemy" except there are a lot less dead ends during his investigation. In general the reader knows only as much as Reacher does - or less since he prefers to demonstrate his knowledge instead of simply telling it to anybody.
Unfortunately the conclusion behind the kidnapping is guessable long before the end. Also the quick and easy gunfight showdown is a bit disappointing since one could expect tougher resistance from highly trained man.
Even if this is not a page turner that will keep you glued to your seat it still is an enjoyable book, quite well written and a fast read. In comparison to Lee Child's last book "One Shot" the initial plot may not be as fascinating at first glance but on the other side the turn of events and the solution are a lot better, there are no unbelievable freakish bad guy characters and there are less flaws. Overall a clear vote for "The Hard Way".
For those not acquainted with the Jack Reacher character I would recommend to read "The Enemy" first and then read the rest of the books as they were published. But this is only to get to know the character better - it is not needed to understand or to enjoy this book.
Again this new book is not on the same level as Lee Child's best work ("Die Trying", "The Visitor"/"Running Blind", "Without Fail" or even "The Enemy"). But hey - if you already know and like Reacher then you cannot afford not to read this one anyway. And as usual I sure can hardly wait for the next Jack Reacher book to be released in paperback...
Summary of The Hard Way (Jack Reacher, No. 10
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.
From the Hardcover edition.
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