Rating: 
Summary: The Past Collides with the Present
Review: Ex-military cop Jack Reacher is stunned when he sees a ghost. A man he shot, ten years earlier, walking the streets as if nothing happened. How could it be possible? Then Reacher is asked to join an off-the-books mission that the government has set up to rescue an undercover agent, who has fallen into the hands of a vicious man. Quickly, Reacher learns that his new nemesis, Zachary Beck, may be linked to the man Reacher thought was dead. The carefully devised mission initially goes as intended. He finds himself staying in Beck's house, first as a prisoner, and then as a member of Beck's own security force. But before long, the intricate plan starts to crumble, as one criminal after another sets their sights on Reacher. With Beck's innocent family in the house, and a missing agent to locate, Reacher has his work cut out for him. As the house turns into a war zone, Reacher must find a way to persevere. How can he take Beck and his boss down without innocent blood shed? "Persuader" is a uniquely written novel with a likeable main character, despite his violent outbursts and imperfect past. From an intense kidnapping in the first chapter, to the suspenseful climax of the story, Lee Child keeps the tension high.
Rating: 
Summary: The best yet!
Review: I could not put this book down. It is the best Jack Reacher saga yet, and I have read all of them. Yes, Jack is a superhero but he is a human being as well. Don't we all wish we could be a little like Jack Reacher , fair, honest, loyal and brave. I read to escape the cares of the world for a little while and Lee Child is very good at providing that escape.
Rating: 
Summary: First Reacher Novel I've Read--Probably the Last
Review: This was the first Jack Reacher novel I've read. I'm not really sure whether it's the recent discussion of Child and Reacher on the Dorothyl listserv or the fact that the book was sent to me as an ARC and I felt like I had to read it, but I just never warmed up to the character. Or maybe it's because I'm coming to it mid-series (I'm one of those readers who likes to start at the beginning and read in order).
Whatever the case, I can see the point of those who complain that Reacher is something of a superhero. No one could take the constant abuse he does. He swims in the freezing ocean. He beats up steroid-enhanced bad guys. He kills dozens of faceless, cardboard bad guys. The thing I was most bothered by is his cold-bloodedness. Sure, the bad guys in the book are really bad guys, but Reacher could give Richard Stark's Parker a run for his money in the emotionless, steely-determination department. He doesn't seem to care--he's a killing machine--and that got old. I was especially bothered by the way he does away with the main bad guy, who had escaped his wrath ten years previously--with a slowly-inserted, razor-sharp chisel to the head! Yuck! Maybe the guy deserved it (he's drawn as a very, very bad guy in the book), but Reacher shouldn't be enjoying it.
At one point in the book, Reacher quotes Nietzsche--"whatever doesn't destroy us, makes us stronger." I think he needs to review the quote (also Nietzsche?) about how, when you're chasing monsters, you'd better be careful not to become one yourself. I guess it was the whole casualness with which the violence is handled that bothered me about the book, and I'm not someone who shies away from violence or from dark books. I don't think I'll be reading more in this series. A disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: BUY IT; READ IT
Review: The best thing about the last page of Persuader is knowing that Lee Child is working on another Jack Reacher story. Reacher continues to be the bigger than life hero who appears out of nowhere in his never ending travels, and heads off onto a new highway leading to a new adventure at the end of each breath taking suspense filled story. Persuader, the seventh book in the series, is the best yet. Jack Reacher is ex-military, commited to right as he sees it and always a defender of the wronged. He has no address, no luggage, and always manages to find a change of clothes when necessary. He can fight, swim, shoot, use a knife, and generally defend himself any way he needs to at the time. He can break a bad guy's neck and walk on to the next room without looking back. In Persuader, the reader is brought right into the middle of a kidnapping attempt that ends up with Jack Reacher (who else) rescuing the kid being kidnapped and inadvertently killing a cop. Killing a cop seems like a bit much even for Reacher to cope with, but the story soon evolves and we quickly realize that the kidnapping was a staged senario designed to get Reacher on the inside with an organized crime family...not the usual organized crime, however, and the suspense continues to escalate throughout the book. The Persuader is thrilling, suspenseful and a book that can't be put down without a lot of reluctance until the last page is read.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Quite Persuaded
Review: Readers would not go wrong in reading Child's back-list, but Persuader stands on its own, as do all the Jack Reacher novels. That's because Reacher is a character without a lot of baggage-literally. He has no home, no car, no family and not much more than the clothes on his back. No, he's not a derelict scrounging around in the garbage cans, rather he is ex-Military Police who just chooses to travel light and sees where life takes him. Usually that involves an adventure with a lot of shooting bad guys. Belief has to be suspended occasionally because no one could possibly get into as much trouble as Reacher does. Each Reacher novel is set in a new location with a new cast of supporting characters. The first eighteen pages of Persuader have so much action, I was wondering if I was reading the climax instead of the first chapter. Inevitably, the pace has to slow down. There are some moments that drag, but overall it's a page-turning book. One quibble I have with the book, is that the continuity is broken by a back-story that dispersed throughout the present day story. The back-story just did not transition well. I was often lost for several paragraphs until I realized that the scenes took place ten years ago. It would have been better go give the past story it's own page and italicize it so the reader knows it is separate from the main story. Another problem is that the book veers off into the implausible one time too many for me. Being a Lee Child fan I wanted to give Persuader 4 stars because I did enjoy it, but in the end just felt that this was not one of Child's best books.
Rating:
Summary: Child only gets better
Review: Lee Child only gets better and better and I couldn't read Persuader" fast enough. When are we going to see this action character on the Big Screen? Please Lee, tell us you are working on a movie deal?!?
Rating:
Summary: Jack Reacher tries to settle an old score.
Review: In his seventh Jack Reacher novel, "Persuader," Lee Child breaks no new ground. Reacher is still a macho, intelligent and compassionate individual. He is a combination of brains and brawn, a thinking man's fighting machine. Reacher has an encyclopedic knowledge of weaponry and he rarely forgets a face or lets go of an old grudge. While in Boston, Reacher sees something that makes his blood run cold. In front of his eyes is a dead man walking. Reacher had killed a villain named Quinn ten years earlier. Not only had he shot Quinn in the head, but he also saw the body fall off a cliff. Now, Reacher spots Quinn getting into a chauffeured limousine near Symphony Hall, and that presents Reacher with a big problem. How did his nemesis escape death after being shot in the head and then falling off a cliff? More to the point, how can Reacher just go about his business, knowing that his old enemy is alive and well? Reacher decides to get to Quinn by infiltrating the illegal organization of Zachary Beck, one of Quinn's associates. In the process, Reacher hooks up with federal agents who agree to work with him. They are hoping that Reacher can help them find a female agent who disappeared after going undercover to track Beck's activities. "Persuader" features one nifty villain, a giant named Paulie who is hopped up on steroids. Punching Paulie is like attacking a brick wall. There is no character development in "Persuader" and none is needed. The book works because Lee Child delivers what the reader wants and expects. As in the old westerns, Jack Reacher is the lone gunman who rides into town to get rid of the bad guys. In a chaotic and unpredictable world, it is nice to know that there is a man who is unafraid of danger and who cannot rest until he gets the job done.
Rating:
Summary: Best Reacher book yet
Review: Newest installment in the Jack Reacher series. The book opens with ex-military police officer Reacher saving a young man from an apparent kidnapping. But the kidnapping attempt is a set up to get Reacher into the boy's family home, where his father, Zachary Beck, a rug importer (and who knows what else he's importing,) is under investigation by the FBI. A female agent is missing, there are steroid overloaded bodyguards hanging around the house, and Reacher finds out that an old enemy, Quinn, long thought dead, is alive and involved. Reacher wants Quinn, and agrees to help the FBI with their investigation. Intriguing characters, interesting setting and twisty story make this the best Reacher book yet. Don't miss it.
Rating:
Summary: WOW - What an adventure!!!
Review: Mr. Child starts this book out with what appears to be a kidnapping and the killing of a cop. Is this the real story, I am not going to tell you here. I want you to read for yourself.
This book for me was one of those that had my stomach in knots and had me turning the pages one right after the next. Full of suspense and undercover type assignments in the present and also something that happened ten years ago. This is the seventh book in the Jack Reacher Series. If you have not read one of his books before, I don't know that it would make a difference as any history that you need to know is told throughout the book. You might not get some of his quirks like only having one change of clothes, but I don't know that that is a necessary fact that you would have to know to get enjoyment from this book. This is written in first person and in my opinion very well done. Persuader is an action packed and on the edge of your seat thriller. It makes for a very quick and fun read. All I can say after reading it is WOW! I love the good guy that does bad things to see that justice prevails. I also like the fact that Jack is a little dark at times and that comes from his background which you learn in bits and pieces from his other books in the series. I do enjoy the Jack Reacher character and also the wonderful storytelling ability of Lee Child. I can't wait for the next release in this series that has the name of Next Best Enemy.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Reacher Adventure
Review: While out stolling the streets, Reacher spots a man, (presumed dead ten years ago) Quinn getting into a car. Jack uses his ex-army contacts to trace the number plate, and ends up with the DEA on his case. Reacher agrees to work with Federal Agents, to infiltrate into the Beck family. Beck a Rug dealer is under investigation as a suspected drug dealer working with Quinn. Reacher's motives are more personal however. He wants to get Quinn. This book is a non-stop edgy thriller and the best Reacher novel to date!
| 
