The new Reacher thriller for 2012, which takes place shortly after the end of Worth Dying For.
Lee Child is one of the world's leading thriller writers. His novels consistently achieve the number one slot in hardback and paperback on bestsellers lists on both sides of the Atlantic, and are translated into over forty languages. His debut novel, Killing Floor, was written after he was made redundant from his television job in Manchester, and introduced his much-admired maverick hero, the former military cop Jack Reacher.He won the prestigious Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2011 prize with 61 Hours. Born in Coventry, he now lives in America. Visit www.jackreacher.co.uk
In Child's latest Reacher novel, his ex-army hero is hitchhiking to Virginia, battered but unbowed, when he's picked up by a car carrying three men and a woman. Much of the book takes place in that car, with the always-suspicious Reacher doing a lot of sleuthing into the backgrounds of his mysterious fellow passengers. His suspicions are, of course, well founded. The four are connected to at least one murder. Before too long, Reacher has switched vehicles, now driving with a beautiful FBI agent and following his former companions into the heart of a seemingly inscrutable conspiracy. Some listeners may find the road trip a little meandering and the arbitrary death of a likeable character off-putting, but none should have any complaints about narrator Dick Hill's vigorous, sardonic performance in this audio edition. His reading is perfectly tuned to Child's hardboiled prose, and the narrator maintains an energy level that's high enough to carry the listener past some of the book's slower passages. Of special note is Hill's ability to pick just the right word to linger on, nicely capturing Reacher's attitude, be it one of distrust, sarcasm, anger, or, in rare instances, warmth. A Delacorte hardcover. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
In Child's 17th Jack Reacher thriller, which picks up the action from Worth Dying For (after a detour in the prequel The Affair) our loner hero is hitchhiking east to Virginia. Unsurprisingly for series readers, Jack's ride turns out to be not just a ride, but a car the state police, the FBI and the CIA are seeking, with occupants who are involved in a cold-blooded killing. To survive, Jack must use his wits more than ever. His statistical knowledge, analytical thinking, and insight into human behavior help him dig deep into a multilayered puzzle well before the need for an all-out physical confrontation builds to a heart-racing climax. VERDICT Fans will devour this volume quickly and long for the next Reacher novel. Readers who enjoy character-driven thrillers such as Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne books will be intrigued by this series. [See Prepub Alert, 3/12/12; Jack Reacher, the film adaptation of Child's first novel, One Shot, starring Tom Cruise, will be released Dec. 21, 2012-Ed.]-Susan Carr, Edwardsville P.L., IL (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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