Jack Reacher, Book 29
From the Publisher:
The gripping new Jack Reacher thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child
Reacher had no idea where he was. No idea how he had gotten there. But someone must have brought him. And shackled him. And whoever had done those things was going to rue the day. That was for damn sure.
Jack Reacher wakes up alone, in the dark, handcuffed to a makeshift bed. His right arm has suffered some major damage. His few possessions are gone. He has no memory of getting there.
The last thing Reacher can recall is the car he hitched a ride in getting run off the road. The driver was killed.
His captors assume Reacher was the driver’s accomplice and patch up his wounds as they plan to make him talk.
A plan that will backfire spectacularly . . .“This 29th installment of the Jack Reacher series is the first one primarily written by Andrew Child, Lee’s brother. The plot is structured like a game of three-card monte; Reacher knows he can’t trust anyone, but he can’t figure out which player is the mastermind. It’s entertaining enough, but the story feels basic compared to Reacher’s previous complex and complicated adventures. A series downshifts to simpler and less thrilling storytelling.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The twenty-ninth Jack Reacher novel (and the fifth to be credited to Lee and his brother Andrew) has perhaps the most kick-ass opening of all the Reachers . . . Explosively violent and written in the familiar unadorned prose that drives the reader through the story, the book is sure to appeal to the Reacher series’ many fans.”–Booklist
“Lee Child hands the Jack Reacher franchise over to his brother, Andrew, with this solid series entry . . . Though the plot is too busy by half, Reacher fans old and new will be perfectly satisfied by the familiar bone-crunching and world-saving in this fast-paced adventure. The series is in good hands.”–Publishers Weekly
The good news is that I was drawn into the story on page one. The bad news is that if you aren’t familiar with this series, you may not be. There is an excerpt on the Amazon page of the beginning of the book so take a look!
I loved the Lee Child series; it was a must read for me. A never miss. But when Lee decided to step back, he asked his brother, then known as Andrew Grant, to take over the series. Why not keep it in the family, a much better alternative than what Lee originally wanted, which was to kill off Jack Reacher (I’m not pulling this out of thin air; I’ve met Lee on several occasions and he talked about this more than once at conferences.) But I didn’t love the first book of the collaboration, and I hated the one that followed. I stopped reading. Then the last book, The Secret, got great reviews, so I tried again, and I loved it. This time I’m squarely back into “eh” territory.
The usual Reacher components are here; his unfailing sense of right and wrong and his determination on the side of right, no matter what. A rogue female law enforcement officer, who he sleeps with. Lots of fighting, occasional torture, the usual brutality and violence. But the ending felt forced and abrupt, and even worse, I’m not sure I bought it.
Then there are the little things, like Reacher with amnesia, which I just found odd. The fact he never changes his clothes in this book, despite discussing his unusual predilection for not owning anything besides the clothes on his back, a weapon when needed, and his trusty toothbrush. His FBI friend, who keeps saying don’t call me again but keeps answering every call. Too many bad guys which meant not enough character development. I didn’t really get any sense of who these people were besides the obvious interest of all bad guys, money.
I didn’t love this book, and I wanted to. I even put it down about a third of the way in for a day, then went back to it. I’m not sorry I finished it, but I expected more. Lee’s name is still on these books, but he has said that Andrew is writing on his own now. I believe they kick around the plot, but Andrew is doing the heavy lifting here. I will undoubtedly read the next book, but if I don’t feel it is a big improvement, I may give up one of my favorite series again. Only time will tell – so many books, so little time!
10/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
IN TOO DEEP by Lee Child & Andrew Child. Delacorte Press (October 22, 2024). ISBN: 978-0593725801. 336p.
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