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Jack Reacher #11
Trouble
Der Ermittler des Thriller-Universums: Jack Reacher auf Rachefeldzug!
Eines Tages liegen auf Jack Reachers Konto 1030 Dollar. Der Mann ohne Telefon und festen Wohnsitz weiß sofort: Seine Vergangenheit hat ihn wieder. Er spürt die Frau auf, die ihm den Notrufcode zugespielt hat: seine Expartnerin aus Army-Zeiten, Frances Neagley. Sie hat schlechte Nachrichten. Calvin Franz, ein Mitglied der einstigen Neunergruppe, wurde grausam ermordet. Und es scheint, als sei Franz nicht der Einzige aus Reachers altem Team, der einem gefährlichen Gegner zum Opfer gefallen ist …
Eines Tages liegen auf Jack Reachers Konto 1030 Dollar. Der Mann ohne Telefon und festen Wohnsitz weiß sofort: Seine Vergangenheit hat ihn wieder. Er spürt die Frau auf, die ihm den Notrufcode zugespielt hat: seine Expartnerin aus Army-Zeiten, Frances Neagley. Sie hat schlechte Nachrichten. Calvin Franz, ein Mitglied der einstigen Neunergruppe, wurde grausam ermordet. Und es scheint, als sei Franz nicht der Einzige aus Reachers altem Team, der einem gefährlichen Gegner zum Opfer gefallen ist …
464 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2007
About the author
Lee Child
312 books31.7k followersLee Child was born October 29th, 1954 in Coventry, England, but spent his formative years in the nearby city of Birmingham. By coincidence he won a scholarship to the same high school that JRR Tolkien had attended. He went to law school in Sheffield, England, and after part-time work in the theater he joined Granada Television in Manchester for what turned out to be an eighteen-year career as a presentation director during British TV's "golden age." During his tenure his company made Brideshead Revisited, The Jewel in the Crown, Prime Suspect, and Cracker. But he was fired in 1995 at the age of 40 as a result of corporate restructuring. Always a voracious reader, he decided to see an opportunity where others might have seen a crisis and bought six dollars' worth of paper and pencils and sat down to write a book, Killing Floor, the first in the Jack Reacher series.
Killing Floor was an immediate success and launched the series which has grown in sales and impact with every new installment. The first Jack Reacher movie, based on the novel One Shot and starring Tom Cruise and Rosamund Pike, was released in December 2012.
Lee has three homes—an apartment in Manhattan, a country house in the south of France, and whatever airplane cabin he happens to be in while traveling between the two. In the US he drives a supercharged Jaguar, which was built in Jaguar's Browns Lane plant, thirty yards from the hospital in which he was born.
Lee spends his spare time reading, listening to music, and watching the Yankees, Aston Villa, or Marseilles soccer. He is married with a grown-up daughter. He is tall and slim, despite an appalling diet and a refusal to exercise.
Killing Floor was an immediate success and launched the series which has grown in sales and impact with every new installment. The first Jack Reacher movie, based on the novel One Shot and starring Tom Cruise and Rosamund Pike, was released in December 2012.
Lee has three homes—an apartment in Manhattan, a country house in the south of France, and whatever airplane cabin he happens to be in while traveling between the two. In the US he drives a supercharged Jaguar, which was built in Jaguar's Browns Lane plant, thirty yards from the hospital in which he was born.
Lee spends his spare time reading, listening to music, and watching the Yankees, Aston Villa, or Marseilles soccer. He is married with a grown-up daughter. He is tall and slim, despite an appalling diet and a refusal to exercise.
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May 13, 2022
Bad Luck and Trouble (Jack Reacher #11), Lee Child
Bad Luck and Trouble, is the eleventh book, in the Jack Reacher series, written by: Lee Child. It was published in 2007, and written in the third person. A man with two broken legs is thrown out of a corporate helicopter from 3,000 feet above the California desert. Seventeen days after that, Reacher is roaming alone with no objectives, no phone, no address, just the clothes, he's wearing and his ATM card, when he sees an anonymous deposit to his bank account. Reacher automatically analyses the amount, using his math obsession and investigative skills. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز سی و یکم سال2016میلادی
عنوان: بدشانسی و دردسر - کتاب یازده - از سری جک ریچر؛ نویسنده: لی چایلد؛ مترجم: محمد عباس آبادی؛ تهران، نشر تندیس، سال1395؛ در557ص؛ شابک9786001822070؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده21م
یازدهمین کتاب، از سری دنباله دار داستانهای «جک ریچر»، به قلم «لی چایلد»، عنوانش «بدشانسی و دردسر» است؛ مجموعه ای که بیش از یکصد میلیون نسخه از آن، به ارزش یک میلیارد دلار، به فروش رفته، و به چهل و پنج زبان زنده ی دنیا نیز، ترجمه شده است؛ «بدشانسی و دردسر»، نخستین بار در سال2007میلادی، به چاپ رسید، و برای «لی چایلد»، نامزدی جایزه ی «آنتونی»، در بخش بهترین رمان سال، و نامزدی جایزه ی بهترین جنایی نویس سال2008میلادی را، به ارمغان آورد
چکیده: در بالا بلندای سه هزار پایی صحرای «کالیفرنیا»، مردی را با دو پای شکسته، از هلیکوپتر، به پایین پرت می‌کنند...؛ و «جک ریچر»، ناگهان در بطن توطئه ای، که برای کشتار دوستان پیشین خویش، ترتیب داده شده، قرار می‌گیرد؛ «ریچر»، نه تلفنی دارد، نه آدرسی، نه هیچ راه دسترسی؛ اما زنی به نام «فرانسیس نیگلی»، از اعضای واحد ارتشی پیشین او، با استفاده از یک پیغام رمزی، که تنها برای هشت عضو برگزیده ی گروهشان، قابل فهم است، پیدایش می‌کند، و او را، در جریان کتار هولناک یکی از افرادشان، می‌گذارد؛ به درازا نمی‌کشد، که آن‌ها از ناپدید شدن دو تن دیگر از دوستانشان نیز، باخبر می‌شوند؛ ولی «ریچر»، تسلیم نمی‌شود، چون در دنیایی پر از بدشانسی، و دردسر، آنگاه که کسی «جک ریچر»، و گروهش را هدف قرار می‌دهد، باید منتظر پیامدهای آن نیز باشد
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 04/07/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 22/02/1401هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Bad Luck and Trouble, is the eleventh book, in the Jack Reacher series, written by: Lee Child. It was published in 2007, and written in the third person. A man with two broken legs is thrown out of a corporate helicopter from 3,000 feet above the California desert. Seventeen days after that, Reacher is roaming alone with no objectives, no phone, no address, just the clothes, he's wearing and his ATM card, when he sees an anonymous deposit to his bank account. Reacher automatically analyses the amount, using his math obsession and investigative skills. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز سی و یکم سال2016میلادی
عنوان: بدشانسی و دردسر - کتاب یازده - از سری جک ریچر؛ نویسنده: لی چایلد؛ مترجم: محمد عباس آبادی؛ تهران، نشر تندیس، سال1395؛ در557ص؛ شابک9786001822070؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده21م
یازدهمین کتاب، از سری دنباله دار داستانهای «جک ریچر»، به قلم «لی چایلد»، عنوانش «بدشانسی و دردسر» است؛ مجموعه ای که بیش از یکصد میلیون نسخه از آن، به ارزش یک میلیارد دلار، به فروش رفته، و به چهل و پنج زبان زنده ی دنیا نیز، ترجمه شده است؛ «بدشانسی و دردسر»، نخستین بار در سال2007میلادی، به چاپ رسید، و برای «لی چایلد»، نامزدی جایزه ی «آنتونی»، در بخش بهترین رمان سال، و نامزدی جایزه ی بهترین جنایی نویس سال2008میلادی را، به ارمغان آورد
چکیده: در بالا بلندای سه هزار پایی صحرای «کالیفرنیا»، مردی را با دو پای شکسته، از هلیکوپتر، به پایین پرت می‌کنند...؛ و «جک ریچر»، ناگهان در بطن توطئه ای، که برای کشتار دوستان پیشین خویش، ترتیب داده شده، قرار می‌گیرد؛ «ریچر»، نه تلفنی دارد، نه آدرسی، نه هیچ راه دسترسی؛ اما زنی به نام «فرانسیس نیگلی»، از اعضای واحد ارتشی پیشین او، با استفاده از یک پیغام رمزی، که تنها برای هشت عضو برگزیده ی گروهشان، قابل فهم است، پیدایش می‌کند، و او را، در جریان کتار هولناک یکی از افرادشان، می‌گذارد؛ به درازا نمی‌کشد، که آن‌ها از ناپدید شدن دو تن دیگر از دوستانشان نیز، باخبر می‌شوند؛ ولی «ریچر»، تسلیم نمی‌شود، چون در دنیایی پر از بدشانسی، و دردسر، آنگاه که کسی «جک ریچر»، و گروهش را هدف قرار می‌دهد، باید منتظر پیامدهای آن نیز باشد
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 04/07/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 22/02/1401هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
January 16, 2022
In this awesome Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, Reacher reunites with some old of his MPs from the Special investigation until to investigate what happen to one of their teammates. Reacher does what he good at. This was another great Lee Child audio listen to!!
December 12, 2023
You do not mess with the special investigators.
They did and it's time for payback!
ARE YOU READY? I'm all set for THURSDAY DEC 14th SEASON 2 release, woohoo!!😍📺🍿 Three episodes on the first day, then one episode drops every Friday...ugh.
Right now I'm wondering who the actors will be and if they will follow the book. There is a trailer out there but I'm not looking 🙈 for a full surprise effect!
There are a lot of numbers in Bad Luck and Trouble, codes to crack. The first code is from Reacher's ATM balance of $1,030. A 10-30. Reacher loves these things as does his Military Police unit and that's what had him heading to Los Angeles from Portland. There, he met his old Army 110th MP teammate Frances Neagley with grave news that one of them was murdered.
And that's only the beginning.
Terrific cat and mouse. From Los Angeles to Las Vegas and back. Who's the cat or the mouse? 😉 Terrific storytelling, action, and suspense. I love Reacher's no-nonsense style and when they say you don't mess, they mean it! Fantastic conclusion! 4.5⭐
Dick Hill is a terrific narrator, I listened to it my second time around. I'm lucky to have a hard copy as well, found in my library's "discard" shelf. 😘📚
Content warning: dead pet
--- 2015
The review VANISHed. Surprise, surprise
July 15, 2017
4.25/5
Bad Luck and Trouble had me anticipating every single page. This is one of those books that made me want to turn the pages faster so I could see what would happen next, but at the same time, made me so scared just thinking about all the bad things that could possibly happen to the protagonists.
The story started off with a shocking scene where a man was sent free falling 3,000 feet into the empty California desert below. Shortly, in Chicago, a woman learned that her old friend, an ex-army investigator, was dead.
A week later, Reacher was in Portland, Oregon, with little money left. As he checked his bank account balance, he was surprised to find out that his balance was a thousand and thirty dollars larger than it should have been. He was pretty certain that whoever deposited this actual amount of money was trying to send him a message—a radio code, to be exact.
And this is where Reacher and his three old friends from the army’s special investigations unit had teamed up to seek out the truth and the persons behind the murders of their friends. Reacher would stop at nothing until he got justice for these men and he would make anyone responsible for his friends’ deaths pay for what they had done.
‘You do not mess with the special investigators.’
Things became extremely intense near the end of the book. Reacher shocked me with his sudden decision which was fraught with high-stakes risks.
But for this man, failure is definitely not an option.
At this point, I can genuinely say that my excitement meter went off the charts!
In this installment, Reacher showed me the true meaning of ‘badass’. Oh yeah, don’t mess with this man, or else he’ll make you regret the day you were ever born!
By the way, this was another great read in Jack Reacher series. Look no further if you’re a fan of crime mystery/thriller. This one is absolutely for you!
“Reacher?” he said. “We need to talk.”
“So talk,” Reacher said.
“You’re useless.”
“You think?”
“You’ve lost every round so far.”
“Except Saropian.”
“True,” Lamaison said. “And I’m very unhappy about that.”
“But you better get used to it. Because you’re going to lose another six, and then you and I are going to go around and around.”
Bad Luck and Trouble had me anticipating every single page. This is one of those books that made me want to turn the pages faster so I could see what would happen next, but at the same time, made me so scared just thinking about all the bad things that could possibly happen to the protagonists.
The story started off with a shocking scene where a man was sent free falling 3,000 feet into the empty California desert below. Shortly, in Chicago, a woman learned that her old friend, an ex-army investigator, was dead.
A week later, Reacher was in Portland, Oregon, with little money left. As he checked his bank account balance, he was surprised to find out that his balance was a thousand and thirty dollars larger than it should have been. He was pretty certain that whoever deposited this actual amount of money was trying to send him a message—a radio code, to be exact.
And this is where Reacher and his three old friends from the army’s special investigations unit had teamed up to seek out the truth and the persons behind the murders of their friends. Reacher would stop at nothing until he got justice for these men and he would make anyone responsible for his friends’ deaths pay for what they had done.
‘You do not mess with the special investigators.’
Things became extremely intense near the end of the book. Reacher shocked me with his sudden decision which was fraught with high-stakes risks.
But for this man, failure is definitely not an option.
At this point, I can genuinely say that my excitement meter went off the charts!
In this installment, Reacher showed me the true meaning of ‘badass’. Oh yeah, don’t mess with this man, or else he’ll make you regret the day you were ever born!
By the way, this was another great read in Jack Reacher series. Look no further if you’re a fan of crime mystery/thriller. This one is absolutely for you!
“Reacher?” he said. “We need to talk.”
“So talk,” Reacher said.
“You’re useless.”
“You think?”
“You’ve lost every round so far.”
“Except Saropian.”
“True,” Lamaison said. “And I’m very unhappy about that.”
“But you better get used to it. Because you’re going to lose another six, and then you and I are going to go around and around.”
June 25, 2022
You do not mess with the special investigators.
I love listening to this series on audio. The narrator Lee Harding is outstanding. Suits the series in a crazy good way. There were many impressive quotes that had I not been driving, I would have slowed the pace and captured them in words.
He morphed without fuss (of course) into the need of carrying a bank card, and a passport. The first nod in this series to the events of 9/11. Taking all of this into his stride. So now his toothbrush has necessary company.
We hear a lot about Reacher and his ‘type’ if that’s the right word. Coming up with his old crew shows him what others 'have', and what he does not. He is not alarmed or moved by this, but I liked seeing him toss this around in his mind, and with his crew. The comparison of his lifestyle to theirs.
Reacher was a drifter, not a hermit, restless, not dysfunctional. I grabbed onto this, it’s perfect, it’s Reacher all over. I must have a crush I think!
Slippery slope. I carry a spare shirt, pretty soon I'm carrying spare pants. Then I'd need a suitcase. Next thing I know, I've got a house and a car and a savings plan and I'm filling out all kinds of forms.
I really enjoyed this offering with Reacher and his old gang. A man was killed by being pushed out of a chopper. Reacher received a cryptic message via an unexpected bank deposit, in the amount of $1030.00. As is Reacher, he knows his balance, in his head, down to the dollar. Taking in account of course were minutiae such as withdrawal fees and interest earned. This little riddle was just the start of many, I love how we see his number fascination, it was said he had a savant type ability here, I never had thought of it that way, but of course I shouldn’t’ be surprised. I hadn’t realised as much until this book.
Neagley hustles and arranges a meeting (don’t you just love how good she is) and quickly it becomes apparent that they need to become their old unit, pronto. Child is adept at showing rather than telling, and as we hear of old friends being killed, we hear of their families, the teams commitment to each other and the way they worked well together. We investigate, we prepare, we execute. We find them, we take them down, and then we piss on their ancestors’ graves.
Having trouble establishing contact with the remaining crew, I loved how they did eventually surface, in Reacher type stealth. And to understand Reacher was not the only brilliant one, they each complimented the crew in general. In combat scenes we see how Neagley would take a certain side of a room, or take a stance in a certain way to off set Reacher, to make it work better. It was natural and I loved this. They had each other’s back, they all had a rhythm which still flowed many years down the track. Also, Reacher isn’t the fastest or most nimble, and they admit they are not who they used to be.
I really liked this one, and as always, the characters do it for me, and Lee Child did it again with introducing them all seamlessly, like the old friends they were.
I liked Reacher’s relationship with Dixon, and her invite to New York. Reacher in the final scene makes a very firm statement about his answers to such questions and this nature rings true and firm.
The humour, dead pan, the one liner king. Now they broke my toothbrush, I don't own anything.
This is the next series Prime is using as the basis of their next instalment. I can see why. The reestablishment of a bunch of super cool characters are a supreme choice!
I love listening to this series on audio. The narrator Lee Harding is outstanding. Suits the series in a crazy good way. There were many impressive quotes that had I not been driving, I would have slowed the pace and captured them in words.
He morphed without fuss (of course) into the need of carrying a bank card, and a passport. The first nod in this series to the events of 9/11. Taking all of this into his stride. So now his toothbrush has necessary company.
We hear a lot about Reacher and his ‘type’ if that’s the right word. Coming up with his old crew shows him what others 'have', and what he does not. He is not alarmed or moved by this, but I liked seeing him toss this around in his mind, and with his crew. The comparison of his lifestyle to theirs.
Reacher was a drifter, not a hermit, restless, not dysfunctional. I grabbed onto this, it’s perfect, it’s Reacher all over. I must have a crush I think!
Slippery slope. I carry a spare shirt, pretty soon I'm carrying spare pants. Then I'd need a suitcase. Next thing I know, I've got a house and a car and a savings plan and I'm filling out all kinds of forms.
I really enjoyed this offering with Reacher and his old gang. A man was killed by being pushed out of a chopper. Reacher received a cryptic message via an unexpected bank deposit, in the amount of $1030.00. As is Reacher, he knows his balance, in his head, down to the dollar. Taking in account of course were minutiae such as withdrawal fees and interest earned. This little riddle was just the start of many, I love how we see his number fascination, it was said he had a savant type ability here, I never had thought of it that way, but of course I shouldn’t’ be surprised. I hadn’t realised as much until this book.
Neagley hustles and arranges a meeting (don’t you just love how good she is) and quickly it becomes apparent that they need to become their old unit, pronto. Child is adept at showing rather than telling, and as we hear of old friends being killed, we hear of their families, the teams commitment to each other and the way they worked well together. We investigate, we prepare, we execute. We find them, we take them down, and then we piss on their ancestors’ graves.
Having trouble establishing contact with the remaining crew, I loved how they did eventually surface, in Reacher type stealth. And to understand Reacher was not the only brilliant one, they each complimented the crew in general. In combat scenes we see how Neagley would take a certain side of a room, or take a stance in a certain way to off set Reacher, to make it work better. It was natural and I loved this. They had each other’s back, they all had a rhythm which still flowed many years down the track. Also, Reacher isn’t the fastest or most nimble, and they admit they are not who they used to be.
I really liked this one, and as always, the characters do it for me, and Lee Child did it again with introducing them all seamlessly, like the old friends they were.
I liked Reacher’s relationship with Dixon, and her invite to New York. Reacher in the final scene makes a very firm statement about his answers to such questions and this nature rings true and firm.
The humour, dead pan, the one liner king. Now they broke my toothbrush, I don't own anything.
This is the next series Prime is using as the basis of their next instalment. I can see why. The reestablishment of a bunch of super cool characters are a supreme choice!
May 14, 2023
This is the second Jack Reacher novel I've read as part of stack of them given to me for Christmas by a family member. Like the previous one, Jack Reacher #10, this one, #11 was a fun ride of mystery solving, action, intrigue, and adventure. As such, I'm rating it 4-stars, albeit with some caveats that some may dismiss as nitpicking. [Warning: there may be spoilers to follow].
The plot opens with Reacher in Portland --- with nothing but the clothes on his back, no permanent home, not even a cellphone, living off grid as much as anyone in 2007 America could probably do --- with little to do other than to check his steadily diminishing bank account. In so doing, that seemingly mundane task sets off the chain of events of "Bad Luck and Trouble".
Reacher, over time, discovers that 4 members of his Army MP unit "the special investigators" -- an ad hoc assembly of the Army's best combination of investigators, sleuths, spooks, and bad asses -- are turning up dead or missing.
Reacher manages to regain contact the remnant of those not yet terminated from this life, and they proceed to find out who's hunting them and why --- and to take their revenge.
It makes for a good ride in southern CA and LV that think most readers will enjoy.
Now for the nitpicking. If not interested, then read no further, but these things I found annoying --- both as a retired military officer and as a professional helicopter pilot.
The first is Reacher's background. Child, the author, has Reacher achieving the Army rank of major; then due to his rough edges and insubordination, getting busted down to captain; then due to their need for his special skills, re-promoted back to major. Can't happen. Once promoted as a commissioned officer, the only way to be demoted is by a general court-martial --- in which case, the book gets thrown ---- reduction to lowest rank in the military (E-1); forfeiture of all pay and allowances; prison; and dismissal from the service with a dishonorable discharge. There's some exception --- like with temporary commissions, but not applicable here. However, even if Reacher could be demoted, said demotion would be accompanied with the adverse service record entries (something like a letter of reprimand, letter of admonition, etc), effectively ending his career by making him unpromotable. Such would likely keep Reacher from being promoted ---- and, since it's an up or out system, Reacher would probably be discharged 2-3 years after his demotion. And the US Army's huge --- highly unlikely that anyone would be so valuable in the rank of major or captain, that the Army brass wouldn't be able to find someone of similar specialties to replace Reacher --- the military's that way --- made, as much as possible, not to be dependent upon any one single man to do the mission. But the promotion-demotion-promotion thing is, I understand, a literary device by the author to portray his character, Reacher, as a man strongly independent, single-minded, dedicated, willing to defy authority, and extremely good at what he does.
The next nitpicking thing is the helicopter in the plot, the Bell 222. Not a large helicopter, it has Reacher hiding out in its cabin for the bad guys to board it with 2 hostages. Even at night, I just don't find it believable that a giant of a man like Reacher could be hide there, and not be seen --- not many places to hide. The other issue is the way the bad guys use the Bell 222 to dispose of their victims--- by having it do a high hover several thousands of feet above the desert --- at night. I am, by the way, a commercial helicopter pilot by profession. A hover, even low, is a highly visual maneuver --- that gets more demanding with the less visual reference. Hovering over a dark desert over 3,000 feet in the air at night --- to be honest --- is setting up the conditions for spatial disorientation --- and, if disoriented too much with that low airspeed, and high rate of descent --- for vortex ring state, a condition that's gotten pilots and their passengers killed. I think it would a stupid pilot doing something like described in the book. Had I been the technical consultant, I'd have recommended a larger helicopter with sliding doors --- instead of the 222's car-type doors --- that would make the action sequences involving a helicopter more realistic and believable. Like one from the Huey family of helos --- like the Bell 412 --- or an S76, or AW139 (the one I now fly. :) ) And, instead of the high hover, have the helicopter at a low airspeed --- like 40-60 kts --- with the cabin door open, with the bad guys doing their dirty work that way.
At any rate, this books is action/ adventure --- and it's fiction. So, notwithstanding my nitpicks, I grade this on a curve to 4-stars --- good fun that those enjoying this type of book will also enjoy.
The plot opens with Reacher in Portland --- with nothing but the clothes on his back, no permanent home, not even a cellphone, living off grid as much as anyone in 2007 America could probably do --- with little to do other than to check his steadily diminishing bank account. In so doing, that seemingly mundane task sets off the chain of events of "Bad Luck and Trouble".
Reacher, over time, discovers that 4 members of his Army MP unit "the special investigators" -- an ad hoc assembly of the Army's best combination of investigators, sleuths, spooks, and bad asses -- are turning up dead or missing.
Reacher manages to regain contact the remnant of those not yet terminated from this life, and they proceed to find out who's hunting them and why --- and to take their revenge.
It makes for a good ride in southern CA and LV that think most readers will enjoy.
Now for the nitpicking. If not interested, then read no further, but these things I found annoying --- both as a retired military officer and as a professional helicopter pilot.
The first is Reacher's background. Child, the author, has Reacher achieving the Army rank of major; then due to his rough edges and insubordination, getting busted down to captain; then due to their need for his special skills, re-promoted back to major. Can't happen. Once promoted as a commissioned officer, the only way to be demoted is by a general court-martial --- in which case, the book gets thrown ---- reduction to lowest rank in the military (E-1); forfeiture of all pay and allowances; prison; and dismissal from the service with a dishonorable discharge. There's some exception --- like with temporary commissions, but not applicable here. However, even if Reacher could be demoted, said demotion would be accompanied with the adverse service record entries (something like a letter of reprimand, letter of admonition, etc), effectively ending his career by making him unpromotable. Such would likely keep Reacher from being promoted ---- and, since it's an up or out system, Reacher would probably be discharged 2-3 years after his demotion. And the US Army's huge --- highly unlikely that anyone would be so valuable in the rank of major or captain, that the Army brass wouldn't be able to find someone of similar specialties to replace Reacher --- the military's that way --- made, as much as possible, not to be dependent upon any one single man to do the mission. But the promotion-demotion-promotion thing is, I understand, a literary device by the author to portray his character, Reacher, as a man strongly independent, single-minded, dedicated, willing to defy authority, and extremely good at what he does.
The next nitpicking thing is the helicopter in the plot, the Bell 222. Not a large helicopter, it has Reacher hiding out in its cabin for the bad guys to board it with 2 hostages. Even at night, I just don't find it believable that a giant of a man like Reacher could be hide there, and not be seen --- not many places to hide. The other issue is the way the bad guys use the Bell 222 to dispose of their victims--- by having it do a high hover several thousands of feet above the desert --- at night. I am, by the way, a commercial helicopter pilot by profession. A hover, even low, is a highly visual maneuver --- that gets more demanding with the less visual reference. Hovering over a dark desert over 3,000 feet in the air at night --- to be honest --- is setting up the conditions for spatial disorientation --- and, if disoriented too much with that low airspeed, and high rate of descent --- for vortex ring state, a condition that's gotten pilots and their passengers killed. I think it would a stupid pilot doing something like described in the book. Had I been the technical consultant, I'd have recommended a larger helicopter with sliding doors --- instead of the 222's car-type doors --- that would make the action sequences involving a helicopter more realistic and believable. Like one from the Huey family of helos --- like the Bell 412 --- or an S76, or AW139 (the one I now fly. :) ) And, instead of the high hover, have the helicopter at a low airspeed --- like 40-60 kts --- with the cabin door open, with the bad guys doing their dirty work that way.
At any rate, this books is action/ adventure --- and it's fiction. So, notwithstanding my nitpicks, I grade this on a curve to 4-stars --- good fun that those enjoying this type of book will also enjoy.
November 7, 2020
The eleventh entry in the Jack Reacher series opens with a man being thrown out of a helicopter three thousand feet over the California desert. Shortly thereafter, Jack Reacher receives a rather innovative call for help from Frances Neagley, who was once a member of an elite Army team headed by Reacher. The eight-member team was very skilled and very close, but they gradually lost touch as they all left the military and transitioned into civilian life.
Post-Army, most of the team members have become private investigators or have joined security teams of one kind or another. But now one of them is dead and several others are missing. Reacher and Neagley team up in an attempt to locate the rest of the team and to discover what kind of trouble they might have gotten into. One thing is for sure, though, nobody messes with Reacher's team without paying a very high price.
The hunt will take the surviving members of the team from California to Las Vegas and back and will pull them deep into a terrorist conspiracy that has severely compromised national security. Reacher is in fine form and it's fun to see him working with the rest of this team. The conspiracy unfolds very slowly at first and then explodes into a major crisis in which Reacher will have to make some very tough choices. All in all, another very satisfying page-turner in a great series.
Post-Army, most of the team members have become private investigators or have joined security teams of one kind or another. But now one of them is dead and several others are missing. Reacher and Neagley team up in an attempt to locate the rest of the team and to discover what kind of trouble they might have gotten into. One thing is for sure, though, nobody messes with Reacher's team without paying a very high price.
The hunt will take the surviving members of the team from California to Las Vegas and back and will pull them deep into a terrorist conspiracy that has severely compromised national security. Reacher is in fine form and it's fun to see him working with the rest of this team. The conspiracy unfolds very slowly at first and then explodes into a major crisis in which Reacher will have to make some very tough choices. All in all, another very satisfying page-turner in a great series.
March 5, 2008
Dear god, the sentences get shorter and shorter as this series goes on, and Reacher gets more and more tremendous!! I love the way he tells us so much with so little to go on, and the way that he's always one step ahead - and the reader loves it! (well, I do) I like the author's style but I can imagine it can annoy - but I fell in love with Reacher when he was younger and sassier (weren't we all) and have remained faithful eevr since. Some of the other books have been poor on plot, but this one's good - though I think the author's chickening out of anything too gory or heart-breaking for the reader as time goes on. I like the plots where Reacher has to contend with a hostile character, not just a criminal setting.
May 21, 2021
"Hard luck and trouble is my only friend -
I've been on my own since I was ten.
Born under a bad sign -
Been down since I begin to crawl . . . "
-- "Born Under a Bad Sign" by Albert King, Stax Records (1967)
I can't believe it's been nearly three full years since I last cracked open a Jack Reacher action/drama from the long-running series via author Child, so delved into my past reviews for a possible reason. Well, I'm guessing it was because I noted that the previous novel The Hard Way felt overlong with just a so-so story and a few plot developments that arrived straight out of left field. Fortunately, things are back on track with Bad Luck and Trouble. This time Reacher unexpectedly reunites with three mustered-out but still-savvy members of his old U.S. Army unit, the 110th Military Police (their unofficial motto: "You do not mess with the special investigators"), after another one of them is found brutally murdered from being thrown out of a helicopter high above the Southern California desert. I liked the unique teamwork aspect of this narrative - since Reacher often works solo and/or with the help of maybe just one other character in his past books - and things popped along at a good tempo. (One minor but notable misstep - maybe because the author is British? - was his describing the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, who are investigating said murder, like it was a some podunk or insignificant little agency manned by Deputy Barney Fife-types. It is actually the largest police force, per both manpower and coverage area, in California.) Still, the storyline worked more often than not - I liked the slow-burn dread of the one villain arriving by the climax - and there was a certain joy reading about Reacher seeking righteous vengeance for his colleague.
I've been on my own since I was ten.
Born under a bad sign -
Been down since I begin to crawl . . . "
-- "Born Under a Bad Sign" by Albert King, Stax Records (1967)
I can't believe it's been nearly three full years since I last cracked open a Jack Reacher action/drama from the long-running series via author Child, so delved into my past reviews for a possible reason. Well, I'm guessing it was because I noted that the previous novel The Hard Way felt overlong with just a so-so story and a few plot developments that arrived straight out of left field. Fortunately, things are back on track with Bad Luck and Trouble. This time Reacher unexpectedly reunites with three mustered-out but still-savvy members of his old U.S. Army unit, the 110th Military Police (their unofficial motto: "You do not mess with the special investigators"), after another one of them is found brutally murdered from being thrown out of a helicopter high above the Southern California desert. I liked the unique teamwork aspect of this narrative - since Reacher often works solo and/or with the help of maybe just one other character in his past books - and things popped along at a good tempo. (One minor but notable misstep - maybe because the author is British? - was his describing the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, who are investigating said murder, like it was a some podunk or insignificant little agency manned by Deputy Barney Fife-types. It is actually the largest police force, per both manpower and coverage area, in California.) Still, the storyline worked more often than not - I liked the slow-burn dread of the one villain arriving by the climax - and there was a certain joy reading about Reacher seeking righteous vengeance for his colleague.
December 12, 2019
Probably one of the best of the Reacher series I've read so far. They tend to (in my opinion of course) run hot and cold. I have several on my "currently reading shelf" right now that I've completed but simply haven't gotten around to reviewing..yet.
Here while Reacher (as opposed to Jack. Everyone simply calls/called him Reacher, even his parents) is drawn into a murderous situation when it comes to his attention that someone is killing off his old team from Army Special Investigations. It seems "someone" had been contacting them with pleas for help "as from another one of the team members". Jack would also have been sent a "sucker plea" except no one can ever find him.
Aside from the long running problems of the series ([Jack] Reacher is huge [well over 6 feet] and hitch-hikes looking like a giant homeless guy. Dirty clothes he wears until he throws them away and replaces them, unshaven and unbathed until he stays in a motel room again and puts on his new clothes from Dollar General, Army Surplus or wherever. ) The book gives us a look at the interaction of Reacher and his team, where they have all ended up and so on.
So, good action, nice story and no bogging down with Child's personal views on...well everything. So, pretty good book. Enjoy.
Here while Reacher (as opposed to Jack. Everyone simply calls/called him Reacher, even his parents) is drawn into a murderous situation when it comes to his attention that someone is killing off his old team from Army Special Investigations. It seems "someone" had been contacting them with pleas for help "as from another one of the team members". Jack would also have been sent a "sucker plea" except no one can ever find him.
Aside from the long running problems of the series ([Jack] Reacher is huge [well over 6 feet] and hitch-hikes looking like a giant homeless guy. Dirty clothes he wears until he throws them away and replaces them, unshaven and unbathed until he stays in a motel room again and puts on his new clothes from Dollar General, Army Surplus or wherever. ) The book gives us a look at the interaction of Reacher and his team, where they have all ended up and so on.
So, good action, nice story and no bogging down with Child's personal views on...well everything. So, pretty good book. Enjoy.
April 17, 2013
You don't mess with the special investigators...and you sure as hell don't step on Reacher's toothbrush.
This is Lee Child's 11th Reacher thriller. I've read them all, and I believe it is fair to say, that no other writer has captivated this reader like Mr. Child. What is it about Reacher? In a class by himself? Of course. There're are lots of hard-as-nails protagonists out there, from Mike Hammer to Travis McGee to Harry Bosch, but for me, Jack Reacher is not only the toughest, but also my favorite.
The New York Times claims that Lee Child is "The best thriller writer of the moment." I think this is true, but an understatement. Who is a better thriller writer than Child?
As for Bad Luck and Trouble, I particularly liked knowing a bit more about his old elite MP military unit. Instead of utilizing a prequel, the time frame is the present. Someone has been killing off members of his old unit. After the army, they all had gone on to new careers.
As a writer myself, I wondered if the men and women of his elite unit had been created in the past, or came phoenix-like out of the ashes of Lee Child's imagination as he wrote the book? Doesn't really matter though, does it? Child certainly makes it seem like the eight members of the unit already existed long before Killing Floor, which was Child's first Reacher novel, and where this reader feels the new Reacher reader should start. See my review of Killing Floor on Amazon.
His book "The Enemy," although chronologically the first, was about when he was a major in the army. It brought in his brother and his mother, but was maybe my least favorite. Why is it my least favorite? It wasn't the Reacher we now know and love, but did offer insight into how he got that way.
In "Bad Luck" he had left behind the army years ago, had transitioned from Major Jack Reacher to the man we now know, but the guys and girls in his unit got to see the man not as he used to be, their commander, a major in the army, but the man whose possessions now amounted to a folding toothbrush, a passport, the clothes on his back, and a ATM card. While the rest of the gang had gone on to various degrees of fame, fortune and failure, Reacher had remained the same. A loner, a drifter, truly leaving do trail. I don't know why I'm always surprised when he puts the 9mm up to the guy's head and pulls the trigger, or how he hears the unmistakable sound of a magazine clicking home. This one was high on mystery, high on thrills and suspense. Highly recommended.
This is Lee Child's 11th Reacher thriller. I've read them all, and I believe it is fair to say, that no other writer has captivated this reader like Mr. Child. What is it about Reacher? In a class by himself? Of course. There're are lots of hard-as-nails protagonists out there, from Mike Hammer to Travis McGee to Harry Bosch, but for me, Jack Reacher is not only the toughest, but also my favorite.
The New York Times claims that Lee Child is "The best thriller writer of the moment." I think this is true, but an understatement. Who is a better thriller writer than Child?
As for Bad Luck and Trouble, I particularly liked knowing a bit more about his old elite MP military unit. Instead of utilizing a prequel, the time frame is the present. Someone has been killing off members of his old unit. After the army, they all had gone on to new careers.
As a writer myself, I wondered if the men and women of his elite unit had been created in the past, or came phoenix-like out of the ashes of Lee Child's imagination as he wrote the book? Doesn't really matter though, does it? Child certainly makes it seem like the eight members of the unit already existed long before Killing Floor, which was Child's first Reacher novel, and where this reader feels the new Reacher reader should start. See my review of Killing Floor on Amazon.
His book "The Enemy," although chronologically the first, was about when he was a major in the army. It brought in his brother and his mother, but was maybe my least favorite. Why is it my least favorite? It wasn't the Reacher we now know and love, but did offer insight into how he got that way.
In "Bad Luck" he had left behind the army years ago, had transitioned from Major Jack Reacher to the man we now know, but the guys and girls in his unit got to see the man not as he used to be, their commander, a major in the army, but the man whose possessions now amounted to a folding toothbrush, a passport, the clothes on his back, and a ATM card. While the rest of the gang had gone on to various degrees of fame, fortune and failure, Reacher had remained the same. A loner, a drifter, truly leaving do trail. I don't know why I'm always surprised when he puts the 9mm up to the guy's head and pulls the trigger, or how he hears the unmistakable sound of a magazine clicking home. This one was high on mystery, high on thrills and suspense. Highly recommended.
June 5, 2018
I'm less impressed with the repetitiveness of Reacher as I finish up this entire series. 3 of 10 stars
November 24, 2023
Reacher Buch#11 wird bald Reacher Staffel#2, daher zur Vorbereitung, diesmal in der korrekten Reihenfolge.
Reacher musste nach 9/11 einge Anpassungen an die Bank- und Datenwelt machen. Er findet eines Tages 1030$ mehr auf seinem Konto als eigentlich darauf ein sollten. Könnte hinter der Summe auch eine Nachricht aus der Vergangenheit liegen. Ein Hilferuf aus seinem alten Team?
Gewohnte Mischung und Stil von Child, der mit Jack Reacher einen Charakter geschaffen hat, der in inzwischen fast 30+ Büchern auftaucht. Kurz dachte ich an den Begriff Ikone, ohne die religiöse Konnotation. Wer die Serie kennt, weiß was man erwartet, Militärgeheimnisse, Ermittlungen auf eigene Faust, Morde, Waffen und Jack Reacher, der unbesiegbare Rächer, der eigentlich ein eigenbrödlericher Vagabund ist. Allerdings mit Militärspezialausbildung.
Ich bin Fan der Serie und habe auch dieses Buch verschlungen.
4 1/4 Sterne
Reacher musste nach 9/11 einge Anpassungen an die Bank- und Datenwelt machen. Er findet eines Tages 1030$ mehr auf seinem Konto als eigentlich darauf ein sollten. Könnte hinter der Summe auch eine Nachricht aus der Vergangenheit liegen. Ein Hilferuf aus seinem alten Team?
Gewohnte Mischung und Stil von Child, der mit Jack Reacher einen Charakter geschaffen hat, der in inzwischen fast 30+ Büchern auftaucht. Kurz dachte ich an den Begriff Ikone, ohne die religiöse Konnotation. Wer die Serie kennt, weiß was man erwartet, Militärgeheimnisse, Ermittlungen auf eigene Faust, Morde, Waffen und Jack Reacher, der unbesiegbare Rächer, der eigentlich ein eigenbrödlericher Vagabund ist. Allerdings mit Militärspezialausbildung.
Ich bin Fan der Serie und habe auch dieses Buch verschlungen.
4 1/4 Sterne
June 14, 2022
Book eleven in the Jack Reacher series and another fab adventure novel.
Was nice to see a little bit of his vulnerable side when he was worried about what the others thought of his lifestyle and clothes.
Jack absolutely is my favorite man in the paperback world.
Five stars.
Was nice to see a little bit of his vulnerable side when he was worried about what the others thought of his lifestyle and clothes.
Jack absolutely is my favorite man in the paperback world.
Five stars.
January 25, 2014
I hadn't read Reacher in quite some time, so this was my next in the series that I was up to that I had lying around. Well actually it was on a book shelf. :) Nothing like reading "that great beach read", when my neck of the woods was in single digits! Another action-packed, petal to the metal, cinematic feel getaway with our favorite loner, Jack.
**maybe why I hadn't picked one up in awhile - when I heard that height challenged Cruise was going to play Reacher on the big screen - still pisses me off! :)
**maybe why I hadn't picked one up in awhile - when I heard that height challenged Cruise was going to play Reacher on the big screen - still pisses me off! :)
March 22, 2019
My Rating: 4.2/5
Just like every Jack Reacher novel, this one was simple but efficient. The pacing dipped down in the middle portions but they got back on track at the end. Predictable to a point but still, I couldn't predict some of the final chapters. So a typical Reacher novel. Fun and exciting deserving of a four star even though you'd forget all about it in a week. But C'mon, isn't that the point of these books??
Oh and they are rebooting the Jack Reacher media franchise into TV series! That's exciting news! So we can get like... at least.... twenty seasons!
Just like every Jack Reacher novel, this one was simple but efficient. The pacing dipped down in the middle portions but they got back on track at the end. Predictable to a point but still, I couldn't predict some of the final chapters. So a typical Reacher novel. Fun and exciting deserving of a four star even though you'd forget all about it in a week. But C'mon, isn't that the point of these books??
Oh and they are rebooting the Jack Reacher media franchise into TV series! That's exciting news! So we can get like... at least.... twenty seasons!
March 25, 2020
Jack Reacher book 11: 'The Special Investigators' are going MIA… so Reacher and the remainder of his old team pursue Reacher style investigation and justice. A sI said about the previous book, this series has lost its way with not really any long-term character development or long form storytelling it's a struggle to care, you know Reacher's going to win. 3 out of 12.
March 6, 2024
Reacher’s old teammates from his Special Investigator days figure prominently in this story. It’s interesting seeing him interacting as part of a cohesive team rather than as a solo one man army. Season 2 of the tv show was based off this novel and it is different enough to surprise and shock readers that have only watched the show before cracking open the book.
November 20, 2023
Trubba Not*
Review of the Random House Audio audiobook edition (2007) narrated by Dick Hill and released shortly after the Delacorte Press hardcover (2007).
This was just a quick re-read/re-listen to an early Reacher in advance of the next season of the TV series adaptation. This is somewhat hybrid Reacher as he is called away from his vagrant wanderings across America to help out the ex-members of his old Army MP unit who are being mysteriously killed off for an unknown reason. So there is an added mystery element which you don't always get in the Reacher novels.
Actor Alan Ritchson holds up a copy of the book “Bad Luck and Trouble” which was adapted for the 2nd season of the Reacher TV series in which he stars as the lead character. Image sourced from Small-Screen.Co.Uk.
This book reminded me that the early Reacher was also somewhat obsessive about numbers. Those sorts of character traits such as the radio in his head, the alarm clock in his head etc. were often dropped in the later books, but continuation series writer Andrew Child has been gradually bringing some of them back in the later books. The tagline 'Reacher said nothing' & its derivatives and Reacher's toothbrush get a solid number of mentions in this early Reacher outing.
Footnote
* With 'Trouble' in the title I couldn't resist using the Riddley Walker catchphrase "Trubba Not" (RiddleySpeak for "I don't want/won't make any trouble").
Reacher Statistics
'Reacher said nothing' = 14
'Neagley said nothing' = 7
'Nobody said anything' = 1
'Dean said nothing' = 1
'Berenson said nothing' = 1
Toothbrush mentions = 2 🦷🪥😁
Trivia and Link
The trailer for Season 2 of “Reacher”, which will be streamed on Amazon Prime starting on December 15, 2023, can be seen here.
Review of the Random House Audio audiobook edition (2007) narrated by Dick Hill and released shortly after the Delacorte Press hardcover (2007).
“You made a will?” she asked.
“No point,” Reacher said. “Now they broke my toothbrush, I don’t own anything.”
“How does that feel?”
“Bad. I liked that toothbrush. It’s been with me a long time.”
This was just a quick re-read/re-listen to an early Reacher in advance of the next season of the TV series adaptation. This is somewhat hybrid Reacher as he is called away from his vagrant wanderings across America to help out the ex-members of his old Army MP unit who are being mysteriously killed off for an unknown reason. So there is an added mystery element which you don't always get in the Reacher novels.
Actor Alan Ritchson holds up a copy of the book “Bad Luck and Trouble” which was adapted for the 2nd season of the Reacher TV series in which he stars as the lead character. Image sourced from Small-Screen.Co.Uk.
This book reminded me that the early Reacher was also somewhat obsessive about numbers. Those sorts of character traits such as the radio in his head, the alarm clock in his head etc. were often dropped in the later books, but continuation series writer Andrew Child has been gradually bringing some of them back in the later books. The tagline 'Reacher said nothing' & its derivatives and Reacher's toothbrush get a solid number of mentions in this early Reacher outing.
Footnote
* With 'Trouble' in the title I couldn't resist using the Riddley Walker catchphrase "Trubba Not" (RiddleySpeak for "I don't want/won't make any trouble").
Reacher Statistics
'Reacher said nothing' = 14
'Neagley said nothing' = 7
'Nobody said anything' = 1
'Dean said nothing' = 1
'Berenson said nothing' = 1
Toothbrush mentions = 2 🦷🪥😁
Trivia and Link
The trailer for Season 2 of “Reacher”, which will be streamed on Amazon Prime starting on December 15, 2023, can be seen here.
April 15, 2018
Bad Luck and Trouble might be one one of my favourite Reacher stories so far. However, I do write my reviews (or in the case of this series) my random thoughts right after finishing a book so I am still on a high after finishing this one.
I think I enjoyed it because we see Reacher working with his old army pals, and the return of Neagley who I also love. I felt we saw more depth to Reacher here, and it’s always a more interesting dynamic seeing him with people from his past as opposed to new people he has just met in the story. There’s lots of emotion infused throughout the writing here, and characterisation is strong throughout.
I felt that the plot was interesting and thought-provoking with enough to keep me eager to turn the pages however it was Reacher and the characters he was on this journey with that kept me gripped throughout. I actually finished this book with a bit of a lump in my throat. I don’t know why, I spent two days with these characters and I guess I just didn’t want to leave them behind. Only two other series of books has this happened in, the ending of every Harry Bosch novel and Harry Potter when he returns home for the summer and waves everyone goodbye. This to me is a sign of how much I love this series and how much I love Reacher. Just amazing.
I think I enjoyed it because we see Reacher working with his old army pals, and the return of Neagley who I also love. I felt we saw more depth to Reacher here, and it’s always a more interesting dynamic seeing him with people from his past as opposed to new people he has just met in the story. There’s lots of emotion infused throughout the writing here, and characterisation is strong throughout.
I felt that the plot was interesting and thought-provoking with enough to keep me eager to turn the pages however it was Reacher and the characters he was on this journey with that kept me gripped throughout. I actually finished this book with a bit of a lump in my throat. I don’t know why, I spent two days with these characters and I guess I just didn’t want to leave them behind. Only two other series of books has this happened in, the ending of every Harry Bosch novel and Harry Potter when he returns home for the summer and waves everyone goodbye. This to me is a sign of how much I love this series and how much I love Reacher. Just amazing.
October 21, 2012
This one might be the worst of the series.
There were a lot of huge plot holes, and I had a hard time following why the protagonist would deliberately do so many incredibly stupid things, that are (in theory at least) out of character for him.
The plot "twists" were so obvious that I was literally rolling my eyes and waiting 50+ pages for them to finally come around. In one particular case, it was nearly the length of the entire novel.
Usually in Reacher novels, the pacing is such that you get a decent mix of interesting action sequences interspersed with "detective" bits and the occasional romance scene. In this one, that pacing goes out the window and most of it is "detective", which sucks when the protagonist and his cohorts are missing obvious clues and stumbling around like idiots.
The villains in this novel aren't much better than the protagonists. They just keep on making idiotic mistakes that seem inconceivable given their prior records of being clever and careful.
In summary, if you are fan of the Reacher series, but don't tolerate a lot of idiocy in your pulp fiction, you may want to skip this one.
There were a lot of huge plot holes, and I had a hard time following why the protagonist would deliberately do so many incredibly stupid things, that are (in theory at least) out of character for him.
The plot "twists" were so obvious that I was literally rolling my eyes and waiting 50+ pages for them to finally come around. In one particular case, it was nearly the length of the entire novel.
Usually in Reacher novels, the pacing is such that you get a decent mix of interesting action sequences interspersed with "detective" bits and the occasional romance scene. In this one, that pacing goes out the window and most of it is "detective", which sucks when the protagonist and his cohorts are missing obvious clues and stumbling around like idiots.
The villains in this novel aren't much better than the protagonists. They just keep on making idiotic mistakes that seem inconceivable given their prior records of being clever and careful.
In summary, if you are fan of the Reacher series, but don't tolerate a lot of idiocy in your pulp fiction, you may want to skip this one.
January 29, 2019
Number 11 in the Jack Reacher series.
Yet again another action packed thriller from Lee Child.
For once, this time, Jack is not a one man show. When Jack gets word from an ex colleague, Frances Neagley, that one of his old team mates, who lives in L.A., is in dire trouble Jack doesn’t think twice. When Jack gets to L.A. he finds out that what used to be his elite team of eight is now down to four. Two confirmed dead and two that could be dead. The other four, including Jack, get together to discover the truth and if revenge is necessary they will be the ones to dish it out.
These are not the kind of people you want to upset.
Someone, or someone’s, are going to be very sorry.
As elite a group as they are they are up against some well organised vicious killers. To survive, the team will have to re-discover all the survival instincts that were once famous for.
Needless to say this is a page turner.
Highly recommended.
Yet again another action packed thriller from Lee Child.
For once, this time, Jack is not a one man show. When Jack gets word from an ex colleague, Frances Neagley, that one of his old team mates, who lives in L.A., is in dire trouble Jack doesn’t think twice. When Jack gets to L.A. he finds out that what used to be his elite team of eight is now down to four. Two confirmed dead and two that could be dead. The other four, including Jack, get together to discover the truth and if revenge is necessary they will be the ones to dish it out.
These are not the kind of people you want to upset.
Someone, or someone’s, are going to be very sorry.
As elite a group as they are they are up against some well organised vicious killers. To survive, the team will have to re-discover all the survival instincts that were once famous for.
Needless to say this is a page turner.
Highly recommended.
September 20, 2024
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Here’s me raising a white flag and giving up on this book. Now, y’all know me. I don’t like books which are very slow paced. The plot was great, and so was the writing. The characters are lovable and I will definitely always keep them in mind however… WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG. WHY IS THE PLOT TAKING SO LONG!
Like, I’ve been thinking lately why I can’t get back into reading and it’s cause of this! It’s cause i know that as soon as I pick this book up, I will not feel happy enough to read it. Anyway, I highly recommend this for people who don’t mind slow paced action, however for me, this is a no no. Great author though!
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Here’s me raising a white flag and giving up on this book. Now, y’all know me. I don’t like books which are very slow paced. The plot was great, and so was the writing. The characters are lovable and I will definitely always keep them in mind however… WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG. WHY IS THE PLOT TAKING SO LONG!
Like, I’ve been thinking lately why I can’t get back into reading and it’s cause of this! It’s cause i know that as soon as I pick this book up, I will not feel happy enough to read it. Anyway, I highly recommend this for people who don’t mind slow paced action, however for me, this is a no no. Great author though!
(oT-T)尸
January 23, 2024
Special investigators? They don't play around!
This book got me seriously pumped.
Reacher? Total badass. Seriously, don't mess with him or you'll be regretting your existence!
If you're into crime mysteries and thrillers, this Jack Reacher installment is a must-read. No kidding!
N.B : Just read the book first if you are going to see the Tv Show Jack Reacher S02. That way you will enjoy the book and the show more!
This book got me seriously pumped.
Reacher? Total badass. Seriously, don't mess with him or you'll be regretting your existence!
If you're into crime mysteries and thrillers, this Jack Reacher installment is a must-read. No kidding!
N.B : Just read the book first if you are going to see the Tv Show Jack Reacher S02. That way you will enjoy the book and the show more!
June 22, 2024
Изгледахме и сезона направен по тази част, доволно ни хареса.
Попресолили са обаче малко манджата в него, а книгата е по-стегната и доста по-мрачна - точно по мой вкус!
Попресолили са обаче малко манджата в него, а книгата е по-стегната и доста по-мрачна - точно по мой вкус!
March 13, 2024
Once there’d been eight of them...military cops Reacher had molded into an elite unit. Suddenly, four of them are dead, killed by person or persons unknown, and Jack Reacher is out to repay the evil deed. “You don’t mess with the Special Investigators' . The army was a thing of the past, but in Reacher’s philosophy loyalty is timeless... imperishable. “There are dead men walking.” "You don’t throw my friends out of helicopters and live to tell the tale.” For vengeance to go forward there are questions that must be answered. Such as, why are they being hunted so many years after they’ve stopped making enemies? A blood-soaked chess game begins with gambits, and deadly traps. Reacher's own hunt takes him from California to Las Vegas. He knows that they've make mistakes, corrected them, edged closer to the answers they need in order to satisfy the "code" they continue to live by. between the hunt Reacher rekindles sort of rekindles an old love affair. At last Jack sees a frightening conspiracy beginning to take shape and suggesting that much more is at stake than any of them could have imagined. A point of no return is approaching, and soon Reacher, who is nothing if not code-driven, will face a mind-bending choice...perhaps his most excruciating one yet. The lives of friends... the lives of innocents...the lives of thousands. Which one and how can he pick? Like all Jack Reacher stories it's a tightly plotted...fast-paced...page-turner.
September 27, 2013
Instead of sleeping, I read this instead. Then I had trouble getting to sleep. I was still pumped up from Jack Reacher kicking ass! Even worse, I had the next book in the series whispering, "Read me."
February 23, 2019
3-stars
This book starts off well, with a terrifying action sequence, and Neagley's clever call-for-help to Reacher. The prose then quickly gets bogged down in excessive descriptions, dull dialogue, and endless repetition of discussions and actions. This continues through the first 1/3 of the book, then improves somewhat.
... in my rarely humble opinion ...
Reacher books are much better when he has one "partner" to share action and dialogue. On his own, Reacher can be pedantic and dull. Here he has three partners, and the dialogue becomes over-complicated and repetitive in places.
Also, there are many plot holes and some unlikely behaviours.
The climax starts well, then becomes quite predictable and a bit dull.
All-in-all, one of the worst Reachers.
Notes and quotes:
I do enjoy the variety of smash-downs Child provides for Reacher:
The guy fell sideways, slowly, like a bulldozed tree.
I very much disliked the early group attack on the guy following them BEFORE they determined who he was. This seems very unlikely for Reacher and Neagley.
Dull, gratuitous sex scene here. Very unconvincing.
Two nice observations:
He was two blocks west of Hollywood and Vine, which was where the bad stuff had traditionally been. Now the bad stuff seemed to have migrated, which was usually the way. Law enforcement never really won. It just shoved stuff around, a block here, a block there.
They stood in the lot, saying nothing. Doing nothing. Just crackling and trembling and twitching with suppressed rage. It was a given that soldiers contemplate death. They live with it, they accept it. They expect it. Some of them even want it. But deep down they want it to be fair. Me against him, may the best man win. They want it to be noble. Win or lose, they want it to arrive with significance.
A coded message for Neagley
Jimi Hendrix, Axis: Bold as Love, sixth track
“‘Little Wing,’” he said. O’Donnell shrugged. Neagley looked blank.
“I know the song,” Reacher said.
“Please don’t sing it,” Neagley said.
Full size image
Two peeks into Reacher's solitude, O'Donnell says to Reacher:
“So like I said, what are you running from?”
“From being like people, I guess.... From being different than I used to be.”
He realized he was intensely proud of his old buddies. But simultaneously puzzled by them. When he had quit the army he had been fully aware that what faced him was the beginning of the rest of his life, but he had seen ahead no further than one day at a time. He had made no plans and formed no visions. The others had.
The assassin's gun, Daewoo DP-51
Full size image
Bell 222
Full size image
A plausible weakness for Reacher, who is too-often a super-hero:
Normally he would have been in severe distress. He hated confinement. Claustrophobia was as close as he ever came to fear.
--
Maybe Child was distracted by pre-production of the first Reacher movie?
This book starts off well, with a terrifying action sequence, and Neagley's clever call-for-help to Reacher. The prose then quickly gets bogged down in excessive descriptions, dull dialogue, and endless repetition of discussions and actions. This continues through the first 1/3 of the book, then improves somewhat.
... in my rarely humble opinion ...
Reacher books are much better when he has one "partner" to share action and dialogue. On his own, Reacher can be pedantic and dull. Here he has three partners, and the dialogue becomes over-complicated and repetitive in places.
Also, there are many plot holes and some unlikely behaviours.
The climax starts well, then becomes quite predictable and a bit dull.
All-in-all, one of the worst Reachers.
Notes and quotes:
I do enjoy the variety of smash-downs Child provides for Reacher:
The guy fell sideways, slowly, like a bulldozed tree.
I very much disliked the early group attack on the guy following them BEFORE they determined who he was. This seems very unlikely for Reacher and Neagley.
Dull, gratuitous sex scene here. Very unconvincing.
Two nice observations:
He was two blocks west of Hollywood and Vine, which was where the bad stuff had traditionally been. Now the bad stuff seemed to have migrated, which was usually the way. Law enforcement never really won. It just shoved stuff around, a block here, a block there.
They stood in the lot, saying nothing. Doing nothing. Just crackling and trembling and twitching with suppressed rage. It was a given that soldiers contemplate death. They live with it, they accept it. They expect it. Some of them even want it. But deep down they want it to be fair. Me against him, may the best man win. They want it to be noble. Win or lose, they want it to arrive with significance.
A coded message for Neagley
Jimi Hendrix, Axis: Bold as Love, sixth track
“‘Little Wing,’” he said. O’Donnell shrugged. Neagley looked blank.
“I know the song,” Reacher said.
“Please don’t sing it,” Neagley said.
Full size image
Two peeks into Reacher's solitude, O'Donnell says to Reacher:
“So like I said, what are you running from?”
“From being like people, I guess.... From being different than I used to be.”
He realized he was intensely proud of his old buddies. But simultaneously puzzled by them. When he had quit the army he had been fully aware that what faced him was the beginning of the rest of his life, but he had seen ahead no further than one day at a time. He had made no plans and formed no visions. The others had.
The assassin's gun, Daewoo DP-51
Full size image
Bell 222
Full size image
A plausible weakness for Reacher, who is too-often a super-hero:
Normally he would have been in severe distress. He hated confinement. Claustrophobia was as close as he ever came to fear.
--
Maybe Child was distracted by pre-production of the first Reacher movie?
May 19, 2022
**Season 2 of #ReacherOnPrime will be based on this book. Filming will begin this fall, 2022.**
The theme of this thriller is "You do not mess with the special investigators," which are Reacher's elite group of 6 men and 2 women from old army days. Reacher gets an emergency signal from Neagley and goes out to California where he learns that one of their old team has been murdered and 3 others are missing. The remaining 4 gather together to figure out what is going on and form a plan to stop them from taking their vengeance on 'the dead men walking.'
I only gave this book 3 stars because about halfway through the story I was getting irritated that they were so clueless about what was really going on. You could see it from a mile away. And Reacher, who notices everything, didn't notice they were being tailed by TWO different cars!! Come on! Even they began to think: "We're old, we're slow and we're rusty." Thankfully, the story really picked up again after that and the last part of the book was quite exciting. So maybe I'd give it 3.5 stars??
The theme of this thriller is "You do not mess with the special investigators," which are Reacher's elite group of 6 men and 2 women from old army days. Reacher gets an emergency signal from Neagley and goes out to California where he learns that one of their old team has been murdered and 3 others are missing. The remaining 4 gather together to figure out what is going on and form a plan to stop them from taking their vengeance on 'the dead men walking.'
I only gave this book 3 stars because about halfway through the story I was getting irritated that they were so clueless about what was really going on. You could see it from a mile away. And Reacher, who notices everything, didn't notice they were being tailed by TWO different cars!! Come on! Even they began to think: "We're old, we're slow and we're rusty." Thankfully, the story really picked up again after that and the last part of the book was quite exciting. So maybe I'd give it 3.5 stars??
January 12, 2022
Un roman bun de actiune in care Jack Reacher este la fel de eficient si infailibil. La fel ca in celelalte carti din serie, protagonistului ii reusesc toate pastrandu-si totodata si carisma cu care ne-a obisnuit.
Ca o particularitate amuzanta, in primul capitol, cititorului ii este relevat codul pin de la cardul lui Reacher: 8197. Totusi, ipotetic vorbind, cei care s-ar incumeta sa-l foloseasca, nu ar gasi mare lucru - asta pentru ca toata averea lui Reacher este o periuta de dinti pliabila. Va recomand aceasta carte si intreaga serie ce il are ca erou pe Jack Reacher.
Ca o particularitate amuzanta, in primul capitol, cititorului ii este relevat codul pin de la cardul lui Reacher: 8197. Totusi, ipotetic vorbind, cei care s-ar incumeta sa-l foloseasca, nu ar gasi mare lucru - asta pentru ca toata averea lui Reacher este o periuta de dinti pliabila. Va recomand aceasta carte si intreaga serie ce il are ca erou pe Jack Reacher.
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