Rating: 
Summary: "Never Killed a Man that Didn't Need Killing"
Review: In today's world of political correctness and relativism, it is not hard to understand the popularity of the world of Lee Childs' Jack Reacher series of mystery-thrillers - a world in which black is black, white is white, and justice is meted out with wild west-style efficiency and brutality. "Echo Burning", the 5th in the series, just may be the best of the bunch. As with all of Childs' Reacher novels, there is nothing fancy about the plot: bad guys are up to no good, and former military cop/current drifter Jack Reacher steps in to set the record straight. In "Echo", we find Reacher hitching across the desolate southwest plains in the furnace that is summer in Texas. He's picked up by Carmen Greer, a lovely but troubled Latina who's married into a locally powerful family of ranchers. Carmen spins a tail of spousal abuse and discrimination, about to get worse with her husband's imminent release from prison following an IRS scam. She begs Reacher to intervene on her behalf, and, after initial hesitation, he agrees to stick around long enough to check out Greer's story. What follows is a fast-paced tale involving local politics, illegal immigrants, and long-buried family skeletons. As usual, while serving as judge, jury, and executioner, the stoic Reacher makes Clint Eastwood's "man-without-a-name" look positively loquacious by comparison. And as always, Childs' prose is tight, efficient, and compelling, never failing to keep the pages turning. While Reacher's brand of frontier justice may be unrealistic, it leaves this reader yearning for the clarity and purity of Childs' notions of good and evil. Pure adrenaline, pure entertainment - read it!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome, great, exciting, fantasitic. Read this book!
Review: I loved everything about this book, and was sorry to see it end. The characters are great, storyline exciting, Jack Reacher is one of my favorite heros. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Rating: 
Summary: Reacher, the Good Samaritan
Review: Ex-Army M.P. Jack Reacher is thumbing a ride to make a hasty escape from a small south Texas town when he is picked up by a young attractive Hispanic woman driving a big white Cadillac. The woman, Carmen Greer had been cruising the locale picking up rough and tumble looking men to coax them to protect her from her husband, Sloop. At 6 feet 5 inches and 250 pounds, Reacher certainly fit the bill.Carmen Greer had married into an old monied Texas family with a sprawling ranch outside of Pecos in oppressively hot and dusty Echo county. She had married Sloop, the eldest son, after becoming pregnant. The spousal abuse started soon after. Unfortunately due to the racism of the Greer family against "beaners" or Mexicans and the lax laws in that part of the state, Carmen's cries went unheeded. Reacher initially refused his assistance especially after he was asked to kill Sloop Greer. His posture however softened after meeting Carmen's vivacious six year old flaxen haired daughter Ellie. Reacher posing as a ranch hand looking for work at the Greer's Red House Ranch, instantaneously sized up the situation. Unknown to Reacher was that the family was concurrently being surveyed and stalked by two groups of three individuals with unknown motives. As Reacher became more deeply involved in this passion play he became aware that there was a plethora of secrets and lies surrounding the inhabitants of Echo county. Lee Child, while intriguing me with the exploits of his hero Reacher, never convinces me that Reacher was influenced enough to actually give a darn about Carmen Greer's dilemma. I however will march forward to the next novel in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Is Carman Lying or Not?
Review: That's what Reacher needs to find out. Reacher is thumbing his way through Texas in the middle of a real heatwave. He is picked up by a young Mexican woman and his life changes direction. She has quite the story to tell him about her life with an old Texas family, and Reacher believes her - even when no one else does. She also has a vary smart little girl that Reacher realizes that he has to protect along with her mother. This book really shows what life can be like for people of other races (especially Mexicans) in the heart of redneck Texas in the "back of beyond". Chid is a talented writer and his plots and characterizations are masterful. I didn't find that this book was as much "edge-of-your-seat" suspense as the previous ones, but I found the plot more complex and that made up for it. Lucky for this poor woman who is really at the end of her tether, she manages to get Reacher into her car and once he's there, and understands the extent of her suffering, he knows he's going to stick around to help her and her daughter. Child writes absorbing and finely crafted thrillers, and if you haven't discovered him yet, then you have a treat in store.
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