Rating: 
Summary: If you can go for long periods without breathing...
Review: .....THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU. Jack Reacher is a hero for the ages! Meet him in Lee Child's THE KILLING FLOOR and get to see his sensitive (and still deadly side) in DIE TRYING. I can not wait for TRIPWIRE (to be released in May 1999) which once again features this memorable character.
Rating: 
Summary: Not recommended.
Review: I'm sorry I bought this book. And at hard cover price too! Child can write readable script, but he needs vigourous editing and re-writes. This turned out to be the worst kind of macho fantasy, "Die Hard", super-heroism without the welcome relief of humor that movie script provided. The male version of Romance novel. Although the initial coincidence was blatant, I could get past that, and some of the predictable elements too. It was the endless logic contradictions that ruined it beyond redemption. I'd like to think it was carelessness, but I suspect Child just doesn't have respect for his readers' intelligence. Such a clever bit with the FBI agents choosing chairs in a hot conference room. Come on, the FBI may have had budget cuts, but they wouldn't have installed window blinds? All those scenes in the truck in which it is set up that it is pitch black, but the two main characters can still see each other in detail? Anyway, this got to be too much by page 156. The frustration got to be greater than the fun of finding all the plot holes. Wish I could get my money back.
Rating: 
Summary: After a dynamite opening novel, Child fails to deliver.
Review: Die Trying never really gets anywhere. The first 1/3 of the book is set up quite well, yet from there the books drift further and further from reality. This whole Montana thing is really quite stupid. The last 100 pages were especially painful. I thought Child's first book, Killing Floor, was truly outstanding. The book was original and extremely well written. Die Trying is a far cry from the quality of Killing Floor. I was not gripping my chair reading Die Trying. In fact, a good judge of a book for me is if I enjoy finishing the book, wish there was more, or find it painful to finish. I found Die Trying painful to finish. I really didn't care what happened b/c the plot was really dumb. Reacher's character is much much weaker in this novel. I will read his next book, but I only hope that he realizes his mistakes from this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but wait for the paperback
Review: I started reading Die Trying the day after I finished The Killing Floor. I liked the book but found a couple of things annoying. First off, the word "shrugged" is used way, way, too often. Just about every answer Jack gives in this book he does with a shrug. The other is this book is written from the 3rd person instead of first person so I didn't feel as involved with this one as I did The Killing Floor. On the positive side, it's a interesting story and I found myself putting off other things I should have been doing to find time to read a few pages. I'm looking forward to the next adventure.
Rating:
Summary: JACK'S BACK!
Review: I READ DIE TRYING FIRST, AND HAD TO GO OUT AND BUY THE KILLING FLOOR BEFORE I HAD FINISHED. I HAVE NEVER READ TWO BOOKS BY THE SAME WRITER THAT WHERE EQUALITY GOOD IN EVERY WAY THIS IS A MUST READ. I HOPE LEE CHILD WILL KEEP WRITING ABOUT JACK REACHER. I FOR ONE WILL KEEP BUYING.
Rating:
Summary: Very good, but wait for paperback or buy "Killing Floor"
Review: I REALLY liked this story, but I could have waited. After reading the utterly fabulous "Killing Floor", however, I couldn't buy this book fast enough. I wish I had read a review like this before I did so. Like the other reviewers, however, I hope Lee Child keeps writing books and forgets the TV angle. He is a very good writer, and Jack Reacher makes Connelly's Harry Bosch (who I just love) look like a pansy. One thing, however, is that Mr. Child should get a Thesaurus and look up some alternate words for "scrabbled". I haven't heard this verb used as many times in my entire life as in his two books.
Rating:
Summary: ACTION PACKED! DON'T PASS THIS ONE UP!!!!
Review: WOW!!! usually the second book flops but this one is a true winner! i prefered the storyline in the first book more than this one but i loved the strong characters, great descriptive passages and the entire book just made me turn the pages so fast!!! my only admonition to all of you readers out there....remember to take a breath now and then cuz i found myself holding mine during several scenes!!!! cannot wait for the next book in this fantastic series! where has lee child been all these years? writing for tv....what a waste!! think of alllllll the marvelous books we could've had from him....but think of all the incredible books that will be coming from him in the future!!!! come on, lee, write faster!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A good but could be better read
Review: No matter what, I'd still like to give this novel a 5-star rating, if compared to what I've read so far in summber98. Mr. Child is a thinking writer who has so far visualized and delivered two pretty good stories and one superb and unique character, Jack Reacher. But he should be aware not to use too many stack-up sentences one after another in almost of all the paragraphs. By using stacking up sentenses in describing a situation and fell into a stereotype is a habit that may jeopardise the whole structure of a good book in the long run. Neither should he lose focus during the later stage(or chapters) showing his hasteness to wrap up the story; it was the time when some of the illogic and ridiculous question marks would appear, just like what happened in his last "Killing Floor", i.e., using bleach to bleach out the used paper money--a ridiculous way to wrap up the funny money business. Same thing happened this time in "Die Trying". One last advice to Mr. Child: Don't get any too large scaled military/militia/FBI actions or confrontation again; Jack Reacher might become even greater and more interesting if he could just do without a national-security emergency. Furthermore, this book could become even better if the publisher could do larger instead of fine printing; saving paper plus cost is one thing, but killing readers's eyesights is definitely not recommendable, G.P. Putman!
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: I just finished reading this book. This book kept me entertained from beginning to end. The twists and turns of the plot kept me guessing throughout the entire book. Jack Reacher is the type of character that is truly believable, because he is so human. I can't wait for the next novel. I hope Mr. Child is busy(at this moment) writing his next Jack Reacher thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Keeps getting better as he goes...
Review: I loved his first Jack Reacher book, but this one is even better! Kept me up past my bedtime finishing it. I can't wait until the third comes out!
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