The Hard Way (Jack Reacher, No. 10
by Lee Child
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Book Reviews of The Hard Way (Jack Reacher, No. 10
Book Review: Expected Fireworks
Summary: 2 Stars
Seeing Lee Child's name in every single bookstore gave me the impression this guy is incredible.
A friend let me borrow this book. My first Lee Child. Perhaps my view is somewhat distorted due to the fact that I started at No. 10 and not No. 1, nor have I read additional Lee Child books.
The beginning had me into the story straight away I'll give Mr Child that. But I kept expecting fireworks, amazing "wow how's he gonna get outta this one?!" plots and, in hearing some of my girlfriends talk about how spunky Jack Reacher is, a MORE likeable guy than what was actually on the page. But no. I found the plot average, not that engrossing, and it was only the last 50 pages where I held on to my seat cause the ride was awesome. To have to wait until the end to get the awesome parts was a waste of my time. I'll forget this one immediately and won't bother reading another Child.
Average.
Average.
Average.
Kids books are more engrossing.
Book Review: solid mystery title
Summary: 4 Stars
It is very refreshing to read a mystery book that is well written and well thought-out and not just a generic toughguy slapped onto a page and published. Lee Child's Reacher is an ex-military police officer and he uses his training to solve mysteries and help people in his civilian life. This is a great concept and doesn't delve into the oft-used "special forces" soldier concept.
This book finds Reacher looking for a mercenary's kidnapped wife. Since the merc is not being as helpful as possible, Jack has to do things "The Hard Way".
Like the previous Reacher novel I have read, the plot in this one is a bit slow-paced, but so well constructed that you hardly even notice it.
The characters are all well drawn and seem to develop nicely over the course of the novel.
If you are looking for a nice detective novel, with a helping of danger, this will definatly fit the bill.
Book Review: What a fun read
Summary: 5 Stars
If you haven't read any of the Reacher books, then this is a good one to start with. As the story opens, we join Reacher as he's doing what he loves best, drinking coffee. Then someone joins him asking him what he saw the night before. That simple question puts Reacher in the middle of something he doesn't want to be in. After a while, he gets involved with some people who were all in the Military, and were special forces. It seems that the leader of this crew has a wife and she's kidnapped. It's up to Reacher to sort out everything and come to a shocking truth that leads to a violent ending. There's just one way for Reacher to solve this, the only way he knows how, the hard way. I don't want to say to much more than that.
This is such a great and easy read. The Hard Way has outstanding plot twists and turns. I HIGHLY suggest this, you won't be sorry.
Book Review: Wanted to give 4.5 stars
Summary: 4 Stars
I read this because it was recommended to me by Amazon after I bought a book by Michael Connelly. This was better. The two have very similar styles. Both have very plot driven, very economical writing styles. Child's is even smoother and you find yourself frequently marvelling at little gems of description of people or things that are concise and yet perfectly capture the person or object in question. Also, Child seems to have just a little more aphoristic sort of content than Connelly. Anyway, this was a very quick read. I think I guessed part of the main twist of the story but not all. The story struck the right balance between the extremes of thrillers, too simple and impossibly byzantine.Book Review: One of the best in this style.
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm fan of both detective and special forces type stories, and this book pleased me on both fronts. I liked it a lot more then the Rainbow Six books which feel tactically accurate but are populated with empty characters. The characters in The Hard Way are sufficiently believable and the story kept me guessing. Some have pointed out various holes in the plot, etc, but for me the test is not how well it stands up to a literal comparison with real life, but how well it holds my attention. I had no difficulty "suspending disbelief" and thoroughly enjoying it. I would have liked a slightly different ending, but Jack Reacher, like the Lone Ranger, always has another episode to prepare for :-)