Reviews
Better than i expected, but it still reads like a British guy's idea of what America might be like.
Just some pulp fiction to read in bed that'll help you fall asleep quicker.
goodness gracious jack reacher is hot
A really quite brilliant book. The last 200-250 pages are absolutely incredible as more plot twists unfold and the action ramps up. Imagine Jack Reacher as James Bond but with less tech and not working for anybody but himself. Fantastic read. Arguably the best action story I've read so far. On to the remaining 20-odd Reacher books 👌🏼
A page turner (mostly) that had me hooked. But in the end too graphic, one dimensional and vengeance-based for me. Although to be fair, I probably knew most of that going in. If you want an action movie in book form, this is it.
A good thriller from Lee Child introducing Jack Reacher but somewhere it lacks the punch. The storyline is little predictive. I feel that successive Jack Reacher novels are more polished than this. Anyways it is still a goodread and you will enjoy it.
3 Stars I wanted something undemanding to read with my husband. We had watched the movie a while ago, but I had not read any of the books. I realize that the movie was based on one of the later books but decided to start with the first of the series. It was an engaging enough story but not particularly unique from other action/thriller books. It followed the basic formula of ex military badass guy is in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up entangled in a big political plot. Entertaining but not outstanding. I was annoyed that there were really only two female characters in the story and both end up being damsels in distress. It made it worse that the main female was supposed to be a very smart, competent cop but quickly downgrades to being helpless and hormone controlled. It was definitely evident that this was the author's first novel. The writing was choppy at times, and the dialogue was painful. Any long conversations that the characters had usually consisted of short, one-off sentences followed by "he said." I found myself literally cringing at times by the lack of any talking description other than "said." For example: "Did you have any trouble in the army?" he said. "No more than you did in Boston," I said. He was surprised. "What do you mean by that?" he said. "You did twenty years in Boston," I said. And that is how the majority of the dialogue in the book was. Sometimes there was a couple of pages straight of staccato sentences all followed by he said. Hopefully that is something the author improved upon as the series progressed. Bad dialogue aside, I did mostly enjoy the book. It wasn't mindblowing, but then I don't really expect action/thrillers to blow my mind. They are just something nice to read when I want something lighter but am not in the mood for chick lit. I would also mention that some of the descriptions of the fight scenes and bodies are a bit gruesome, so I would avoid this if you are squeamish. RATING FACTORS: Ease of Reading: 4 Stars Writing Style: 3 Stars Characters and Character Development: 2 Stars Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars Level of Captivation: 3 Stars Originality: 2 Stars
Great book, a lot of murders though.
An action-packed Jack Reacher novel. You know what you are getting.
Twice as long as it could have been and I felt like the relationship between Reacher and Rosco really got in the way sometimes but a solid adventure all the same
My parents have been trying to get me into Reacher books for a while now. It was worth it! Pure entertainment.
I agree with another reviewer that this reads like an 80s action movie. Lots of action, not that memorable. Meh.
A bit ridiculous and American. Reads like a Matt Damon movie, or Tom Cruise it turns out. I don't plan on continuing with this particular franchise.
Pretty fun and seemed well researched with an unusual hook. The action and general pacing seemed about right, and I liked that the prose weren’t entirely sterile, even if it was over-the-top at some points. It would have been easily a higher rating for me but for the dialogue and some pretty heavy coincidences that made it hard to suspend disbelief. Reacher himself was alright, and he gets enough things wrong during the course of the mystery that he doesn’t feel super human or anything, but the secondary characters feel less satisfying despite being more than a foil (mostly). I could see the series getting better or worse. Might try more. Not sure yet.
My first Jack Reacher book. Brutal but totally exciting.
Desperate on break and didn't have a book to read.
I can see why Jack Reacher is such a popular character, but so far, I prefer Repairman Jack.
This is the first Jack Reacher. Craig and I listened to it on the way to somewhere - I don't remember where. We both agreed that Lee Child really didn't have a firm view on who he wanted this character to be. He was just a baby Jack. He's changed in the later books. Almost glad I didn't start with this first book, because I might not have continued the series.
A nice enough palette cleanser.
