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Summary: Jack is Back!
Review: I absolutely love Jack Reacher. He is the epitome of laconical, and he's a one-man wrecking team. This book seemed a little slow in the first half, but then the action picks up and is non-stop right up to the end. In the book Jack gets put into a perilous situation simply because he was in the wrong place at the right time, so to speak. He gets pulled in because he offered a helping hand to an attractive woman with a bad leg, and right from that moment he knows that he has to protect her from some evil forces that have her in their major plan. Jack handles the impossible situations with his usual resourcefulness and intelligence. Before the book is done we, the readers, are introduced to the whole para-military culture that is alive and well among extremist groups. There is even a meglamaniac thrown in to add to the suspense (and to the graphicness of the book as well). Jack eventually triumphs over evil, but not before he takes a number of the bad guys down. I love Jack Reacher. Child does a masterful job of portraying him, and Child is certainly my choice for the best modern thriller writer out there.
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Summary: Welcome back Jack.
Review: DIE TRYING is Lee Child's second novel featuring his tough as nails hero, Jack Reacher. Once again Jack is caught up in events that don't concern him. While walking down the street minding his own business, Jack gets scooped up in the kidnapping of a young woman who is more than she seems. I liked that Child switched the narrative from 1st person, in Killing Floor, to 3rd person. It gives the reader a chance to see the problem through several perspectives.What can I say about Jack? He's cool as hell. He certainly has a heart and a conscience but it doesn't stop him from being ruthlessly brutal when the situation calls for it. If Jack Reacher tells you he's going to kill you, start digging your grave. I especially enjoyed the way he dispatched a would be rapist. While about to kill him with a swift and lethal blow, Jack decides that would be too good for him and suffocates him instead. Child can be overly descriptive when it comes to weaponary and shooting. I don't need a page and a half explaining the chemical reaction that occurs when a bullet is fired. That kind of writing is best left to Stephen Hunter, who is a master at it. Another small criticism is in the ending. Jack is left standing on the side of the road with his clothes in tatters and presumably without a dime in his pocket. It made me think of the ending of THE ROAD WARRIOR. After all that occurs in the story would the FBI simply wave goodbye? I don't think so. Still, none of these prevented me from reading a thoroughly enjoyable thriller with an extremely intriguing hero. I look forward to reading more of Jack Reacher's adventures.
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Summary: Rambo Style Action
Review: Die Trying is my first taste of author Lee Child. Hero Jack Reacher, an innocent bystander is thrust into a life and death struggle when he is inadvertently taken hostage along with FBI agent, Holly Johnson. Die Trying is not a serious book, despite the subject matter. Reacher is an implausible former military policeman who is able to single-handedly defeat the hostage takers, raking up an impressive body count along the way. Child has certainly done his research and if you have an interest in the military and the operations of the FBI then aspects of the book will appeal. He is very descriptive when it comes to weaponry and military equipment. The book's story line is pretty straightforward with few unexpected twists. It relies on action to keep you interested, and a 'Rambo' type performance is what you get from Jack Reacher. I would recommend this book to action buffs with an interest in the military and FBI. The story line is ho hum, but if you want a detailed description of what a M16 will do to a human head at 100 yards using 5.56mm calibre bullets designated M855, then look no further than 'Die Trying'. If you're after an action packed, thinking person's book with a slick story line, I suggest you try elsewhere. Something by Gerald Seymour may be of interest. Did I enjoy the book? Appreciating the book for what it was, yes I did. I confess it took me a month of picking it up and putting it down for days on end, but it managed to fill in the time on the ferry trip from Half Moon Bay to downtown Auckland. From my perspective, an average read that was mildly entertaining. Recommended as a filler.
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Summary: Lee Child brings back Jack Reacher....
Review: for his second outing. Child's first novel about the anti-hero, Reacher, "The Killing Floor", was complex and compelling; and hard to put down. Some of his narrative was definitely the work of a "first-time" author. I looked forward to reading about Reacher in series, assuming the plots would stay action-packed, and the writing would improve. "Die Trying", the sequel, does not disappoint. It is a fast-paced read sketched out along the same lines as Child's first novel, but in a "Montana militia" setting. Child's writing style, unfortunately, has not improved. He mimics the contrivances of the first novel: coincidental involvement of Reacher in a major crime, the necessary female entanglement, the incredible string of violence that finally leads up to Reacher being able to exit to continue his poor man's tour around the country. That's OK, but there is also a ton of repetitive writing - from the detailed description of every weapon Reacher touches or sees in the book, to the numerous times his captors should have done him in, only to see him elude them, but ultimately lose his freedom (but not his life) instead. Child is also guilty of having his characters repeat phrases over and over, and this appears to be a problem of bad editing. Despite these broad areas of criticism, I gotta admit that its incredibly hard to put a Jack Reacher novel down. Reacher is resourceful and the author succeeds in capturing your attention with every twist of plot. So...on to Tripwire, the 3rd in the series!
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Summary: Jack Reacher
Review: Another great book from the Jack Reacher series. I have read all Lee Child's books and so far have liked them all. He doesn't give away the plot so it can go in any direction, usually not where you expect. I still like the Killing Floor the best but the rest are really good too. I will continue to buy his books. If anyone needs a good read Child's the way to go.
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Summary: Good, not great
Review: My first Lee Child book. Jack Reacher is a great character and the bad guys are nicely drawn. The first part of the book was a very good read. But then Child gets bogged down. No one just shoots a gun in this book -- Child has to describe the inner workings of the gun and then what gravity and the earth's shape do to the trajectory. Where child can you use one sentence, he writes a paragraph. Where on paragraph will do he writes a page.
As others have said the same language used over and over is bothersome.
This book needed a good edit. It could have been 40 pages shorter and a much better read. It's too bad because Child is a good storyteller.
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Summary: What a Guy!
Review: This is my second Jack Reacher adventure. What an adventure too. These books are preposterous and such good fun! The place where Reacher crawls thru a mine fissure is chilling! I couldnt sit still. Perhaps it worked on my own fears. Jack Reacher is a tall hunk, a cross between John Wayne and Sylvester Stallone. I know he will fix everything in the end. What a guy! The world is still safe! On to the next one..........
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Summary: "YES------ITS GOOD"
Review: Yes, this book is good, read Killing Floor and now this one. I think Die Trying is the better of the two. Jack Reacher is thrown in the back of a panel truck with woman he does not know and by three men he does not know. The woman is being kidnapped and Reacher is along for the ride, and what a ride. From Chicago to wherever it is rough. The story is scary as it could very well be true. If you like a fast paced book with lots of action you will like this. The army and the FBI play politics and that I do not like. Reacher is very good in the mountains. I think you will enjoy reading about the rifle firing at 1000 yards, what a surprise. How did Reacher miss??????? Holly Johnson was something else too. Even with a hurt knee she could take on two or more. Just to much to talk about it all---have to read it.
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Summary: First class
Review: Here Child steps out of his guy-daydream stage in Killing Floor into Die Trying, a top-notch sequel better than the original. No longer in the first person, Child offers up three (if not more) parallel plotlines that collide here there everywhere so quickly that almost no one could predict it. Though the final fifty pages are rushed and a little tedious to read, much of it is inventive and a fun read. Bottom line: Don't be fooled by Killing Floor's weak points. Die Trying more than makes up for them.
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Summary: Jack Reacher takes on the right wing militia.
Review: Holly Johnson is a spunky FBI agent who is suddenly snatched off a Chicago street while picking up her dry cleaning. She also happens to be the daughter of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Jack Reacher just happens to be in the neighborhood and he is kidnapped along with Holly. Do the bad guys immediately kill him just as they kill almost everyone else they get their hands on? Of course not! "Die Trying" has an absurd plot, but it is still fun to read. It deals with a right wing militia based in (where else?) Montana, led by a disgusting villain named Beau Borken. Borken wants to set up his own country, since the United States has become such a corrupt and unfriendly place. Kidnapping Holly Johnson is just one facet of his master plan to lash back out the United States government. Borken and his henchmen do not take Jack Reacher's skills into consideration when they decide not to kill him on the spot. What can Reacher do? He can evaluate and shoot any weapon, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of trajectory and bullet speed. He is a tremendous marksman. He can kill anyone with his bare hands in a matter of seconds. Reacher can almost always anticipate what the bad guys are planning and he generally comes up with a great plan to stop them. On top of all this, he is fearless, compassionate, intuitive and loyal. "Die Trying" is extremely violent, even within the conventions of this genre. Not only is the body count very high, but the people who die do not go gently into that good night. They often die agonizing and gruesome deaths. Beau Borken is a hissable villain, although he is so obviously insane that it is hard to imagine why anyone would listen to him. As usual, Jack is a man of few words and much action. He rarely changes clothes or bathes, his hygiene being of no consequence, as usual. He kills people right and left, often with his bare hands. In the midst of all the carnage, he finds the time and opportunity to squeeze some romance into his life. "Die Trying" is fast moving, action-packed and absurd. The plot has numerous twists and turns that make no sense, and the characters are stereotypes. It is a typical macho fairy tale from Lee Child. If you like escapist fare of this kind, and you don't mind the formulaic plot and characters, you might get a kick out of "Die Trying".
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