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Summary: The Rambo of action books!
Review: Remember those t-shirts that said, 'I wish I was deep instead of just macho' ? Driven to investigate by his compassion for an elderly bereaved couple, Jack Reacher is gentlemanly enough to keep his hands right off his unrequited love, yet So Tough that bullets literally can't pierce his muscular chest.The author does the Vietnam Vet fatigue and jungle combat thing really well, with a wide variety of military goodies and baddies. Even more of an accomplishment for a UK author (I read him say somewhere that he set his books in the US to attract the widest audience - will US readers not read books set elsewhere?) It's predictable and a bit cartooney, but all the better for it - I enjoyed it, it's a fun, fast & exciting book.
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Summary: Exciting, but not always logical, thriller from Lee Child.
Review: "Tripwire," by Lee Child, features a recurring hero of Child's named Jack Reacher. Reacher is a footloose drifter who has spent most of his life in the army and after leaving the army, he has been living from hand to mouth, taking odd jobs in order to survive. Reacher is a sensitive yet tough individual who has little use for material possessions. He is loyal and answers only to his own conscience. In this novel, Reacher hooks up with Jodie Garber Jacobs, a woman from his past. Together, they investigate a troubling case that had obsessed Jodie's late father, Leon, a man whom Reacher had loved and admired greatly. This case takes Jodie and Reacher across the country, and they unearth a secret that has cost many lives and that threatens to cost them their lives, as well. "Tripwire" is suspenseful and violent. The villain is a vicious, malevolent and thoroughly selfish individual. However, "Tripwire" suffers from some lapses in logic. The most illogical plot point is: "Why didn't the villain change his identity more thoroughly to avoid having to confront his past?" The reader must suspend his disbelief while reading this book. However, as a thriller, "Tripwire" delivers, with the "take-no-prisoners" and edge-of-the-seat excitement that are hallmarks of Child's writing style. This book is at times macho, at times romantic, but always exciting.
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Summary: Jack Reacher's back - at his best
Review: This is number 3 in a series where we follow Ex-Military Policeman Jack Reacher back to his old military school. While the first two books played on the underdog effect of Reacher as the ulitmate fighting machine that the bad guys recognize too late, this one is a little more sophisticated. He meets his old love interest Jodie, the daughter of his old commander, which brings a nice lively emotional touch to the story. The rest is a solid action'n'sleuthing story with a sadistic bad guy, slick evil sidekicks and lots of shooting and blood. The story develops nicely and even the changing Point of views are a nice touch.
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Summary: Yeah, but he can't iron a shirt
Review: This is the third novel by Lee Child featuring his tough guy hero, Jack Reacher, the previous two being DIE TRYING and KILLING FLOOR. Jack, once a hard-boiled Major in the U.S. Army's Military Police, has been (in all three novels) drifting from here to there to no place in particular, and getting enmeshed in unusual situations that force him to fight assorted scum. His modus operandi makes him a worthy drinking buddy and soulmate of the Clint Eastwood 1970's screen character, Dirty Harry. In TRIPWIRE, Jack inherits from Gen. Leon Garber (ret.), his former Army commanding officer recently deceased, the task of tracking down for an aged and ailing couple the fate of their pilot son, Victor Hobie, still MIA many years after the Vietnam war in which he flew helicopters. Perceived by the reader, but unbeknownst to Jack, Hobie is now a sadistic, extremely vicious, burn-scarred amputee now operating in the Big Apple as a high end loan shark to financially desperate CEOs. (Or is he?) His specialty is torturing and killing the family members of his debtors should they default. One sweet teddy bear. Having read the previous two Reacher yarns some time ago, my memory may be suspect. However, I recall the action in those two being more constant and sustained. In TRIPWIRE, the plot develops with more serenity (such as it is), with the tension for the reader being the knowledge that Jack and Hobie will eventually face off against one another - the classic confrontation between the Guy Wearing the White Hat vs. the Guy Wearing the Black Hat. The only thing lacking is the famous Eastwood squint. Being sufficiently Neanderthal to have loved all of the Dirty Harry films, it's no surprise that Reacher has swaggered into my pantheon of fictional heroes. Child's fourth thriller in the series, RUNNING BLIND, is definitely on my Wish List. However, I remain puzzled and just a little disappointed that Jack, at 38 and supremely self sufficient, remains without a clue when it comes for him to do his ... laundry. I'll bet even Dirty Harry knew how to press and fold a shirt - those were the days when my heroes were made of iron.
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Summary: A can't stop Jack Reacher Mystery
Review: I have now read all of Lee Child's books thus far, and am looking forward to the next one. In Tripwire, Jack Reacher has bummed around the country long enough to need to earn a little spending money. He is happily uncommitted and digging swimming pools in Key West, Florida when a private investigator comes looking for him. A short time after he stumbled across Jack in a bar, the investigator is killed. Jack returns to New York looking for anwers to the questions of who had hired the guy to find him; what they wanted to know; and why was he killed. His old mentor's daughter, Jodie was the one looking for him, and he locates her as she is attending the funeral of her father. Her father had been involved in an investigation that was leading into a military coverup when he had a heart attack and died. He had been trying to help two old people find out what had happened to their son in Viet Nam. Jack takes on the job of completing the search, the suspense builds as he gets closer to the bad guy, and we are introduced to the long time love he has had for Jodie who was way to young for him back when he was in the military. The new twist in this book happens when Jodie's father leaves his house along with all the resulting responsibilities to Jack in his will. Will he have to give up his life of anominity and drifting as the spirit moves him? It's a great read.
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Summary: 'The Killing Floor' was the best . .
Review: But this was still a pretty good read. Jack Reacher is a wonderful character creation. I must disagree, however, with the reviewer (look inside the paperback, you'll see it) who compared Reacher with Travis McGee. Sure, there are similarities . . the brother's death, military career, and inability to settle down. Reacher seems to be settling down somewhat, whereas McGee didn't appear to even approach that point until at least the 15th book. McGee also had his best friend, Meyer, to give balance and provide INTELLIGENT dialogue about both plot and real world events. Meyer didn't appear as a main character, though, until well into the series (possibly as late as the seventh book), so I grant these are petty points. My main problem stems with Child as a writer. He just doesn't seem to have the life experience to back up the events he writes about. He said in an interview that a lot of his story ideas come from various non-fiction articles. That's a good starting point. But with McGee, I always felt that John D. MacDonald was giving us true-life insight into the very real ugliness the protagonist encounters in his dangerous existence. Reacher, at this point, seems to be drawn from the archetypical tough guy genre. I was very disappointed when the series switched from "The Killing Floor" 's first-person perspective, which gave us a genuine glimpse into Reacher's disaffected world-view, into the third person view, which introduces all of the players and, in my opinion, greatly reduces the level of suspense. McGee's first person musings mixed intelligence, wit, and street-smarts with a small dose of bumbling naivity and chauvinism that made him much more accessible as a human being. It also allowed the plot events to unfold at a smoother pace. I think Reacher has a lot of potential, but there is only one Travis McGee. It is my hope, however, that Lee Child's development as both a writer and a human being will be better reflected in Jack Reacher's further adventures.
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Summary: Outstanding thriller.
Review: The third time is the charm. Afer finishing the third Jack Reacher novel, Lee Child has moved into my "can't wait for the paperback/get the hardcover upon release" category. For me he joins: Michael Connelly, Stephen Hunter, Nelson DeMille, James W. Hall, Stuart Woods, William Diehl, Clive Cussler and Robert Crais. "Tripwire" contains all the best aspects of thriller, suspense and the cat and mouse. Reacher is a strong presence as the resourceful protagonist. Part of his past is presented in the back story as he follows up on a case initially undertaken by his recently deceased mentor. A love interest enters his life in the person of his mentor's daughter. Reacher's current life is getting more complete and he is growing as a character. The chase for information to solve the mystery of a Vietnam chopper crash is well thought out and proceeds at a good pace. The villains are perfectly loathsome, but clever and daring...they are worthy adversaries. Reacher uses his MP background, military contacts and knowledge of how the army works to get the answers as he searches for the villains. Great surprise twist at the end that I did not predict. A page turner of the first order.
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Summary: Edge of your seat!
Review: Lee Child has written yet another gripping, edge of your seat thriller. Jack Reacher is back - better than ever! The Killing Floor and Die Trying are both excellent, but Tripwire outdoes them both. Can't wait for the next one!
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Summary: Interesting thriller - hard to put down
Review: I have read all of Lee Child's thrillers featuring Jack Reacher and found this one to be very entertaining. While maybe not quite as good as "The Killing Floor," it nevertheless was very well done. The character of Reacher - loner, very tough, somewhat laconic - is a pretty stock one and his ability to escape tight situations stretches credulity. But Child knows how to pace a story and, within the limitations of the genre, he keeps the reader entertained. You could do far worse.
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Summary: A thriller with a hook!
Review: This is the first Jack Reacher novel I have read, but I plan on checking out the rest since he is an interesting character - loner, drifter, retired MP. In this novel he is drawn into a 30 year-old mystery by a former commanding officer. There is one especially nasty character who's disfigured by fire and has a hooked arm. He is running some scams for high dollars and does not want his real identity known. In the end he is foiled by Reacher.
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