Michael O'Brien's Reviews > Bad Luck and Trouble

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.