Ancheta

Child's 'Reacher' stories are becoming smuttier and stupider as he goes along. I find this unfortunate and I will no longer allow his books around my house where my kids can stumble on them. Reacher is an interesting character - or used to be. In this tale he really shows us his psychotic, murdering nature. No need and a disappointment. Child should be able to do better. He needs to refocus; clean up his visuals and simplify his plots.

This is my first, and probably my last novel by Lee Child unless he has novels that aren't about Jack Reacher. He's almost a cartoon character. He is always right, seems invulnerable, and is formidable that he often faces down 3 or 4 assailents. Four victims of murder and one sheriff are women and all are stunningly beautiful, what are the odds? Lee's writing isn't horrible, but neither is it great. He does keep the action going and the suspense up, so that kept me reading until the end, but it doesn't motivate me to try another Jack Reacher novel.

Lee Child has taken a different approach to his series character, Jack Reacher, the former military cop who now wanders about the United States, earning enough money to get by and carrying no luggage except his portable toothbrush. In The Affair, Child tells us how Reacher got to be Reacher, going back in time to his last case while he was still an Army major. It’s 1997, and the Army is in the midst of covert action in Kosovo, sending Rangers out of the Fort Kelham military base near Carter Crossing, Mississippi on a regular basis. The mission is secret, but the town knows something is going on, because Rangers are in and out of the local bars and stores – indeed, the small town depends on them to keep going. The problem is that there’s been a grotesque murder: a woman has had her throat slit, been drained of blood, and then posed in an alley as if she bled out there. Worse, and unknown to Reacher when he’s assigned to the case, she’s not the first. The Army is concerned that someone on the base committed the murders. It sends an investigator directly to the base to conduct an investigation from the inside, but it also sends Reacher to Carter Crossing under cover, asking him to find out from that perspective just what’s going on. Reacher, who has spent his entire adult life in the Army, has no clothing suitable for an undercover mission. He purchases a shirt, a pair of pants, some underwear – and that famous portable toothbrush – and he’s set to go. Reacher doesn’t buy more than the clothes he wears, leading him to the pattern he observes in all the other books: when a shirt or a pair of pants gets dirty or torn, he simply chucks them and buys new. It’s a lot cheaper than having a wardrobe and a place to keep it, after all. Once in Mississippi, though, the police chief – a stunningly gorgeous woman who used to be a Marine – makes Reacher for an undercover cop almost the second he sets foot on the streets of Carter Crossing. She all but orders him out of town until he comes up with some information she missed, at which point they become a team in most ways, even though they have opposite purposes: she wants the murderer to be on the Army base and not her problem, while Reacher wants to find that the murderer has no relationship to the Army whatsoever. The investigation goes forward in the same, smart way most of Reacher’s cases progress, including the random violence that seems a part of his life. And the random violence is followed by some carefully planned violence in which Reacher’s lightning quick reactions save him from an ugly death, more than once. And Reacher has the romance – or, at least, the hot sex – that he seems to find waiting for him wherever he goes. The origins of superheroes (and Reacher really is a superhero, even if he doesn’t wear tights and a cape) are not always the best tales, but Child has turned out a strong entry in the series with this novel. The reader familiar with Reacher gets the delight of recognition when Reacher does the sort of thing he always does, seeing how this or that habit of his started up. And readers who haven’t encountered Reacher before would find this novel a great place to start. It’s a good story, well told, precisely what a reader hopes to find in a thriller.

in 1997 Jack Reacher was a Major in the military police and assigned to Cater Crossing, Mississippi to by undercover and observe the criminal investigation to a girl who was murdered near a U.S. Ranger base. He's ordered to observe and to avoid publicity.He meets the sheriff, the beautiful Elizabeth Devereaux, who is attempting to investigate the murder of a woman in question but also two other women who were black. All three women were beautiful but only the white woman's death stirred up any concern in rural Mississippi.Devereaux is prevented in running a complete investigation because her power ends at the gate of the military base. Reacher sympathises with her and as they get to know each other, they develop a romantic relationship.Working together to try to solve the murders, the plot moves swiftly with built in humor as Reacher comes up against a group of local hillbillies.The pacing is well done as there are moments of tension spaced with the relationship of Reacher and Devereaux. We are also interested at the attempt of the military to white wash the investigation for political purposes with Reacher's refusal to bend to the attempted cover-up."The Affair" is another well written novel by Lee Child, a master storyteller.

This is the 16th book in a series of Jack Reacher novels. It's another awesome volume, adding to the allure of Reacher, giving us deeper knowledge of who he is, why he does things, or not.The story is told from a looking back perspective to 1997, but quickly turns to "now" feeling, though it's 1997 in the story. You are transported to March of 1997 quite easily and it's hard to put the book down, it's very engaging.I particularly like the last paragraph. This is who Reacher is. He is this way, (he just is.) The short story "The Second Son" by Lee Child came out previous to this book, as an e-book only. It's the youngest version of Reacher in print, which fleshes him out more, and with this current novel, it's a complete "prior" of what he is today (well, in books, that is) ... especially if you have also read the short story that is in print (in Fresh Blood 3, for instance where I read it) "James Penney's New Identity" by Lee Child.I couldn't put the book down until I was finished. It's a one-day read in bed delight for Reacher Creatures.

One of Child's best, as Reacher is sent to monitor the investigation of a murder that might be connected to a U S. Ranger base.Lots of political machinations occur when the prime suspect turns out to be the son of an influential U. S. Senator. Reacher puts together a great supporting cast to blow away the political "Fogr of War" and create an appropriate finale.

I enjoyed that novel more than some of other recent books from Reacher series. The reason is that as much as like Reacher character, it is becoming more and more difficult to push yourself to believe in any sense of reality regarding Reacher character. This novel avoids this issue since we deal with younger Reacher, right before he left the army.

If you are a well versed Jack Reacher fan, this book is pivotal to the character.I was left with very new and mixed emotions of the character.A great story that brings multiple characters of the series into perspective, this also clearly explains the personality traits of Jack Reacher

I don't usually read action-packed murder mysteries but this was very compelling. I liked the writers style, subtle humor, attention to detail, short hard hitting sentences, characterizations. My first Lee Child novel, but I will be reading more. Jack Reacher, the protagonist, is a man to be reckoned with!

I don't care much for Child. His writing is mostly crap. But here he gives Reacher's back story and it has some interest. Not entirely convincing about why he leaves the army.

An excellent fast mystery, surprisingly still as good as the others, even at 16. Some nice references to Blind Blake, even if you couldn't get all his songs on a cassette - even a double CD only cherry picks the repetoire..

Did not want to put this one down. By far my favorite Reacher among the last few. As usual you don't really know who the good guys are or who are the bad. Don;t know if the military is covering up or who or what is on the level. At the end though you know how Reacher became the Reacher we have read for the past several years.

I am really disappointed with this installment of the Jack Reacher series. Reacher is one of my favorite characters, and I'm used to him defending someone who needs protection, kicking butt and solving a mystery. There was no real mystery here and I was appalled at how easily he killed people.The book didn't paint a good picture of the army. ******SPOILER ALERT******* Even the honest soldiers like Reacher and his chain of command were willing to either go along with a cover up or kill the bad apples that created the need for the cover up with no emotional reaction or thought to other options. ****END OF SPOILER****Felt like Child wrote in a lot of sex to make up for the lack of story. And how could/why would Reacher sleep with someone he suspected was a murderer while he was still investigating? I hope Reacher is back to his old self in the next book and the story is back on point.

'Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.' (page 137)I think this was one of the best in the series... or maybe it was because of the lag between the last book of Child's I read and this one that made me appreciate Reacher so much more. There are no other characters quite like him out there, and I've been looking. Calm, cool and collected... and doesn't take any guff from anyone.While it is set chronologically before the rest of the series, I think you should still probably read them in order of publication so you'll have a full appreciation of Reacher.I don't normally note quotes but some in this book just seem represent the entire Reacher saga: 'Which means you have to hit each of them one time only. Because that's the minimum. You can't hit a guy less than once.' (page 190)I kinda wish I hadn't read this series yet so I could go read it now and enjoy it all over again for the first time.Can I explain what the story is about, or why it's so good? Nope... all I can say is that it's typical Reacher written in Child's usual style and the justice-by-toe-of-boot makes me smile.

Jack Reacher is true to form. Exciting to the last page!

OK, this isn't the best in Lee Child's Reacher series, but it's still a good read. The pace is fast, the writing is straightforward, and the story is fairly well-constructed. Since it covered the period when Reacher was still an MP, it was interesting to fill in the blanks on some of his earlier history.

I try not to play the spoiler in reviewing novels, but suffice to say that the ending was a bit unsatisfying. The loose ends of the story were tied up sufficiently well, but some of the details in how we reached that point were a little incredible. I liked most of the characters, particularly the sheriff and Munro, the other MP, but others (like the Army higher-ups) weren't developed very well. Some of Reacher's rare violent actions took place with zero blowback, which I found to be somewhat unbelievable.

If you're a fan of the Reacher series, you'll probably like this well enough. If you're new to Lee Child, I'd recommend starting elsewhere. This is a good book that unfortunately is judged against previous efforts that were considerably better. And I still can't believe Tom Cruise portrayed Reacher in a film.....

Another jack reacher story. It's junk food but fun. What else can be said?

This is the darkest Jack Reacher novel to date (IMHO).

Nevertheless if you like Reacher novels, you gonna enjoy this one - true prequel to the series.

Finally, now we know why Jack Reacher left the army. Read an ARC copy this weekend. Still can not fathom Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher.

Lee Child's is back on his game with this. His recent previous ones I found a bit disappointing. I little too cold and dispassionate. This one keeps you guessing and has more emotional depth.

This on not one of my favorite Reacher books. I liked the fact that it was first person (I generally seem to prefer the first person Reacher books) and it gave Reacher plenty of opportunities to "be Reacher" (i.e., beat the living daylights out of one or more antagonists). And I liked seeing the evolution of Reacher's character into the wanderer that we've read about over the last fifteen books (well, fourteen if you exclude the one novel set back when he was still in the Army). I guess that the problem I had was that The Affair was, in many ways, more of a standard murder mystery. The "who" was essentially given away early in the story. There were also very few characters to inhabit the story around Reacher; most of his interactions were with characters who were never really fleshed out as people. And Reacher was never in any real danger in the story. He was just trying to investigate and clean up a mess, but he wasn't fighting for his own life. Oh, well. I'm still a Lee Child and Reacher fan.

Now, after reading this prequel book, I know how the Jack Reacher story began. The book is set in 1997 and most of the action takes place in a small town in Mississippi. Reacher (an Army Major who is an MP) is sent on an army secret mission to determine whether or not the killing of a local woman in the small town of Carter Crossing was done by a local or by someone from the nearby base. And Reacher finds himself in a real hornet's nest with more than just this one young woman dead. He knows that secrets are being kept and it takes all his skill and training to get to the bottom of it all. And on the way he meets the local Sheriff. With her help and with the help of another Army MP Major, they manage to take care of business in the typical Jack Reacher way. I love Child's laconic and laid back style of writing. He gets a lot said in an economical use of words, and the technique is very effective. No one can build suspense like he can. His Jack Reacher creation is iconic and unforgettable.

Well, all of you Reacher Creatures* - do you have your copy of Lee Child's latest book - The Affair - yet? It releases today!I don't bother reading the flyleaf or any pre-pub reviews - I just want to dive in and experience the latest Jack Reacher book (#16) without any inkling of what's going to happen. So....for those of you who feel the same, you may want to stop right here. But I'll tell you this before you leave - it's good, darn good, really darn good. You definitely won't be disappointed.For those of you who can't resist a little peek... keep reading. Lee Child takes us back to the beginning of the end of Reacher's military career. Yes, we get to see into Reacher's past and have his back story filled in. How and why did he leave the army? Where and why did he start travelling so light?"I remember the date, of course. It was Tuesday, the eleventh of March, 1997, and it was the last day I walked into that place as a legal employee of the people who built it.""There was a lot more to leaving the service than getting a job. There were houses, and cars, and clothes. There were a hundred strange, unknown details, like the customs of a remote foreign tribe, glimpsed only in passing, and never fully understood."Reacher is sent to Carter Crossing, Mississippi, to be a second pair of eyes for the Army when a local woman is found with her throat slit. Everything points to a Ranger on the elite training base just outside of town. But the deeper Reacher digs, the more dirt he turns up. There's been more than one death and everyone from the Pentagon to the Army and the local sheriff seem to have their own agenda and their own idea of who to blame....Lee Child has created a character that appeals to all readers, men and women. He's the quintessential hard boiled hero. No backing down, his own set of morals and tough as nails. He has a firm moral compass, carefully delineated lines on what's right and wrong, but has no problem using questionable methods to get to the bottom of things. He's big, strong, smart and....well.... kinda sexy too. We get to see a much more personal side of Reacher in The Affair.The plot is multi-layered and intricate, keeping me guessing until the end.The dialogue is short, sharp and witty. Really, all I can say is that I absolutely loved it. And, I'm a little in love with Reacher too."The sun was out, and the air was warm. There were miles behind me and miles ahead, and plenty of time on the clock. I had no ambitions and very few needs. I would be OK whatever came next." "I picked a road at random, and I put one foot on the curb and one in the trafic lane, and I stuck out my thumb."And this reader cannot wait to see where Reacher lands next.* I'm not sure where this phrase originated, but thanks to Jess for passing it on!

When an unshaven and civilian shod Reacher is sent south to investigate a politically sensitive murder at an army base with too many secrets, you know what's bound to happen. All hell's going to break loose, and of course it does. It's 1997 and Reacher's career is about to end. Don't miss it.

This one was just okay.

It's the long ballyhooed story that explains why Reacher left the Army. Reacher is dispatched to Mississippi to investigate a murder, with the understanding that what he finds out may be so sensitive that the Army may want to keep a lid on it. What seems like a single murder becomes a case of serial killing. Adding to the confusion are cover-ups which lead to other killings.

Novels about serial killers often rely on salacious examinations of the abnormal psychology of the perpetrator. That's not a bad thing. In fact, it's probably the sine qua non of a good novel of that type. But here we get never get up close and personal with the killer. We see the end results of what the murderer has done, but unlike most Reacher novels, we never stand in the presence of the evil in such a way that when Reacher comes down on the perps in typical Biblical fashion, we feel that it's warranted. The killers and conspirators seem hapless rather than diabolical, so when Reacher finally murders them in cold blood (yes, not even in self-defense, in some cases), we end up directing our opprobrium toward Reacher himself, and not his victims. And that's not why you read a Reacher book. For Reacher's over-the-top brand of violence to work, you need to feel that the bad guy is a monster that needs killing.

The book group I'm in hops wildly from genre to genre - that's the second-best thing about it, the best being the people - and so we tackle books I would never normally read, like this one.I was expecting something in the Tom Clancy line, but this was quite a bit better than I expected - even though the solution to the murder mystery is telegraphed quite early in the novel, which makes the introduction of a lengthy read herring in its second half rather annoying. Jack Reacher is an engaging character, and the milieu of the novel is well-drawn - although I knocked off half a star for Reacher's readiness to act as executioner as well as judge and jury. He's the human equivalent of a drone strike.

Probably my least favorite Reacher novel, but it was interesting to see the case that caused him to leave the Army. Some parts of it seemed very unlike the character that we have come to know and love; in other parts you could see the beginning of habits that would appear in later books.

Love all the Jack Reacher books but this was on of the best. It takes place while he is still in the Army and gives you more of the background reasons he becomes a "civilian". Well done Lee Child. But as an aside how could you think Tom Cruise even remotely resembles Jack Reacher. Shame on you.

Reacher, Reacher, Reacher! It's always a delicious treat to put down all other reading and stay glued to a new Reacher novel. Here he tells of the 1987 events which forced him from his work in the military police, and it's just as much fun as the "current" storyline.

This is a fast moving investigation into what looks like an army cover up of the murder of a young woman. This is the prequel to the series.
Reacher is sent undercover, into a small Southern town, to investigate the murder and to keep the Pentagon officials informed of what's going on, so a lid can be kept on things. Even then, Reacher didn't like to toe the line.
The story has a few twists in its resolution.