Nothing to Lose (Jack Reacher Novels)

This is not the Jack Reacher that put Lee on the map. Hey Lee - - what were you thinking? An awful book for all the reasons (and more) that were stated by previous reviewers.

I won't belabour points that others have made so well. Jack Reacher used to be so cool, but I won't be able to spend any more time with him after this sucker punch.

It was interesting to read so many different takes on this book. Perhaps some of you would be willing to look at some of my realistic futuristic thriller novels such as Pluto 2550 or Adam 2552. Maybe you would love a modern political, men's adventure, romance, thriller unlike no other, which is my top selling novel, The Immortal. If you dare to see a close look at the paranormal or supernatural thrillers, you might enjoy Cast out of Paradise or Kevin and the Dead. An adventure in excitement waits for you. Incidentally, I am the author, Daniel Whittman. All of these novels and more are on amazon.com. If you do not have a kindle, they are available at www.danielwhittman.bravejournal.com or www.danwhittman.com.

I will never read another Child book. This idiocy and abrupt departure from a very successful francise has ruined it for me. The worst part is that this book is BORING.
Now that the Iraq war seems to be going well, I hope Child
is happy that his pathetic attempt to pander to the MoveOn group backfires and he becomes largely forgotten.

Lee Child's creation, Jack Reacher, has earned his legions of fans the hard way - through kicking butt and taking names. He's a surprising combination of loner, warrior, and detective and gifted with a surprising talent for finding trouble.

Thanks to Child's twisted imagination, Reacher has met several diabolical characters in his wanderings. Indeed, these villains are among the best features of these books. But the villain in the twelfth Reacher novel just doesn't rise to the usual level. And this makes for a rather boring Reacher tale.

To be fair, a relatively boring Jack Reacher novel is better than most thrillers. But we must weigh expectations, and they just aren't met here.

This novel follows the usual plot-line. The book starts out with a sinister death, Reacher shows up and gets involved in trying to figure out what is going on. Along the way he breaks some bones and uses his gifted detective's mind to thwart the dastardly villain. Along the way he drinks a lot of coffee and romances a Reacher Girl - a competent, clean, beautiful, no-nonsense woman who shares Reacher's sense of adventure.

In this book, Reacher wanders into the Colorado towns of Hope and Despair. Despair is where the action is. Reacher tries to order a cup of coffee and is set upon by four grown men who want to kick him out of town. Nobody kicks Jack Reacher out of town - they just don't know it yet. Reacher tries to figure out what's going on in the company town - owned by an End Times religious fanatic of a businessman. He does so with the help of Vaughan, a gorgeous cop from Hope who has a dark, painful secret.

What ensues, unfortunately, is a lot of driving around, walking, scaling of walls, and talking. This has to be one of the least action-filled Reacher novels. Yes, it tries to be "about something" by bringing up Iraq, conscientious deserters, and duty, but ultimately the novel fails to satisfy. This book reminds me of when you drive for two hours to your favorite restaurant, craving your favorite dish, only to be told they have a new chef and he doesn't get it just right.

Here's hoping the prolific Child returns to form quickly - Reacher is too good a character to waste.