Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: I love the Reacher series by Lee Child, and this is probably my second favorite book of his that I have read so far. Interesting characters and plot twists the whole way through keep you wanting to read more and more.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic - Like Spenser with real cojones
Review: I loved this book. Lee Child has obviously studied the genre and come up with his own brand of tight, economical prose and interwoven plot design. The characters (mostly) ring true, the story moves along, and the book is easy to read yet thought-provoking. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Reacher as good as he gets
Review: Great Jack Reacher novel, at least if you like this wandering commitment-phopic ex-Army MP. Starts in a motel in Texas from which our hero barely escapes with his sole possession (his toothbrush) and rocks along fast to the end. Like previous Reacher novels, it is filled with annoying inaccuracies. There are two Echo Texas towns not one. And neither is south of Pecos. Also, no member of the Army transfers every six months as Child would have you believe. But, just factor all these out and enjoy the ride; it's a good one.
Rating:
Summary: Echo Burning continues the tradition of good stuff
Review: Jack Reacher is still going strong in this recent thriller titled Echo Burning. As the novel opens, Reacher has a problem. Beyond the fact that he is West Texas with daytime temperatures soaring over a hundred, a number of local police are gathering at his motel. A loud mouth drunk had poked Reacher once too many times the night before and had his knuckle snapped. Unfortunately, beyond being a drunken idiot the man in question is one of the local cops. So as the posse checks with the motel manager, Reacher makes good on his escape out a back window. But, he soon finds that maybe he should have taken his chances with the cops.
Hitchhiking and wondering if he can get away fast enough, he is picked up by a lovely Hispanic woman driving a white Cadillac. She has the air conditioning on high providing a bit of relief from the oppressive heat outside. He accepts her offer of a lift and soon Carmen Greer begins to ask him increasingly pointed questions about his past. Eventually, she explains that she needs her husband killed. She made a mistake marrying a man that brought her home to his rich family in Texas. She says that he abused her and has beaten her repeatedly and the only reason she isn't dead is because he is a federal minimum-security prison for tax problems. But, in just a couple of days he is due to be released and she knows the beatings will start again. She can't turn to his family because they are racists and certainly won't help her. Instead, she has using every penny she has to fuel her Cadillac as she crisscrosses the area trying to find a man to kill her husband. She offers everything she has, including her body, and still Reacher turns her down. He tries to explain to her that he just can't kill someone in cold blood like that. But, he does offer to come to the house and sort of hang around and maybe have a talk with her husband about things. Reacher hopes to persuade the man the wisdom of keeping his hands off his wife. Soon Reacher discovers that the family is as bad as Carmen said they were, but she also left out a lot of pieces. What seems to be a domestic violence case snowballs into issues with an execution team, The Border Patrol and politics in a small rural county. The character development and strong action that are hallmarks of the series continues in this recent offering. This novel, fifth in the series, is another highly enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: Jack Reacher is a fascinating anti-hero
Review: I have heard a lot of praise about Lee Child's Jack Reacher series so I picked up this book at the library, not realizing it was number 5 of the series. What I found was a tough, no nonsense complex character who gets to the bottom of whatever issue he is involved with. In this case, hitchhiking out of town to avoid some unpleasantness with a local cop, he is picked up by a woman named Carmen literally looking for help. She convinces him that she has been abused by a husband who will shortly be released from jail and asks Reacher to kill him. Reacher will not agree to be an assassin but does stay around her husband's Texas ranch to see what is happening for himself. The husband's family is really obnoxious and the farm hands think they will teach Reacher a lesson but are much the worse for the experience as Reacher beats them senseless. Carmen refuses to leave her husband because he told her that he will keep their 6 year old daughter.
Meanwhile, trained assassins are at work tracking down and killing Carmen's husband's lawyer and best friend. Watchers are also keeping tabs on Carmen and her daughter. When Carmen's husband is killed the first night after his release, she is taken into custody for the murder. Reacher tries to help but she refuses his help now and the DA says she confessed. According to the DA all she has told Reacher has been lies--or has it? While there are some interesting twists in this story, the ending is somewhat predictable. I did enjoy the show-down in the desert where Reacher cleverly sets up the scene so the bad guys think they are outnumbered. While they are not out-numbered, they are definitely out-strategized. From other reviews here, it seems I started with an entry into the series that perhaps wasn't one of the Child's best. But the Reacher character is definitely an interesting one and I will read more of this series.
Rating:
Summary: Deep in the heart of Texas ...
Review: This is the first time I have been introduced to Jack Reacher and I have to say I am an instant fan :) He's one tough guy with a conscience and a philosphy. He's a big hero and yet doesn't want to bask in that. Jack gets picked up by a lovely hispanic lady looking for a hitman and offering sex as a trade, what follows is multitudes of lies and deceptions and I was quite surprised by the ending. Jack is a pretty deep character and I love the way in which he went about solving the mystery, his steps were logical and intelligent and unlike other mysteries clues didn't seem to fall at his feet, he had to work for them. I found it a pleasurable and fast read.
Rating: 
Summary: Quite an unbelievable story.........
Review: The story in this one is too far-fetched for me.....why would a guy go to that length to protect someone he hardly knows? And there are definitely privacy act issues here....he gets into everyone's business, and the DA, lawyers, sheriffs--everyone tells him all about their clients. Get real!
Rating:
Summary: Solid material
Review: Another excellent book by Lee Child, who has quietly become my favorite author. A great plot, superb writing, and nothing extraneous. Child is the best, and this is another winner.
Rating:
Summary: Needed just a bit of editing
Review: I have read all of Lee Child's Jack Reacher books, and enjoyed them immensely. He has a knack for complex plotting, and I enjoy Reacher's superhero powers - if I want to read about flawed people stumbling through life, I'll read nonfiction. As a Brit, Child handles the American idiom well, with just the odd clunker here or there (i.e. we Yanks call the "moving stairs" escalators, and when we say "mean" we mean cruel, not cheap).
Still, a good editor would have advised Child to change this book's setting. There is nothing wrong with a thriller set on an isolated Texas ranch, but Child inexplicably makes the ranch a crumbling wreck (the owners are supposedly rich, but if they never display their wealth, the description lacks meaning and resonance). Consequently, when the ranch's arrogant owners get their comeuppance, the reader is cheated of a how-the-mighty-have-fallen thrill - these folks seemed pathetic and worn-out from the get-go. There is no reason why this tale could not have been set in an opulent oilman's mansion, and been a far more satisfying tale as a result.
Get a good editor, Lee.
Rating:
Summary: Texas-Sized Adventure
Review: Lee Child's 'Echo Burning' succeeds in giving main character Jack Reacher's fans what they're always looking for - a great, fun read. Child's fans know that anytime they pick up a new Reacher novel, they can expect: 1 - Great action
2 - A tightly wound plot
3 - A feeling of suspense, knowing that Reacher is going to kick someone's butt at least a couple of times in the book...it's just a matter of when and how hard. 'Echo Burning' finds Reacher hitchhiking in West Texas. He's picked up by a woman who definitely needs help. Her abusive husband (whom she helped send to prison) is coming home soon, and not to treat her with tender loving care. The husband's family (who hates the woman because she is Mexican) is also anxious for his return and is, of course, on his side. But is the woman telling Reacher the truth? Is there more to the story than what she's telling? 'Echo Burning' is not a great story, but it's good. Child's description of the West Texas heat and atmosphere get a little old and repetitive, but you can overlook that. As mysteries go, 'Echo Burning' is not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
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