Rating: 
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.
Rating: 
Summary: Enthralled, yet disapointed.
Review: I'm a big fan of Lee Child. His first book, "Killing Floor", was an excellent read. His second novel, although not as good as his first, was still a book I couldn't put down until I had finished it. However, on reading his third book, I was extremely disapointed to find that Lee Child seem's to have gone all "Hollywood" and "mainstream" in that he seems to be reaching for the female readership at the expense of his loyal male following, whom his first two books were aimed at. Jack Reacher is Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry. A Charles Bronson or Arnold Swarzennegger. Alas just as Swarzenegger sold out in order to reach the female audience with his kiddie films etc, Lee Childs has turned parts of his third book into a slushy, soppy romance. Not only do we have the obliqitory "Hollywood" sex scenes but the excitement and anticipation of this action thriller stops and starts because action hero Jack Reacher can't stop thinking about his girlfriend whom he falls in love with. This is extremely disapointing. It really spoils the book and dilutes the main character. In the first book Jack Reacher was a "John Rambo", a drifter with no emotional attachments wandering from town to town trying to make some sense of his life and his past. In this book, Lee Child has lost his sense of direction with his character. I hope that Lee child doesn't start borrowing his mother's bedtime reading otherwise Jack Reacher might start changing nappies, denying his masculinity and want to search for his feminine side. Worse, I fear that Lee Child may turn into a male version of Babara Cartland.
Rating:
Summary: Reacher returns
Review: Ex-Army M.P. major Jack Reacher is living a low key existence digging swimming pools in Key West and also working as a bouncer at a local strip club. His solitude soon gets shattered when first an elderly private investigator named Costello and then two well dressed wise guys come looking for him. When the P.I. turns up murdered in the local cemetery, Reacher follows his trail to New York City. After finding the location of the dead Costello's office and going through his files, Reacher determines that he was doing an investigation for one Leon Garber. General Leon Garber was Reacher's mentor in the military. He travels to Garber's residence in suburban New York to find the general's wake in progress. Greeted by Garber's attractive daughter Jodie, Reacher unfortunately learns that the general has just passed away. Jodie Garber, a successful lawyer, 15 years ago had a school girl crush on the strapping 24 year old Reacher. Concurrent with Reacher's exploits another plot is playing out. The two punks looking for Reacher in Key West are part of the crew of "Hook" Hobie. Hobie is an unscrupulous, sadistic fire scarred usurer loaning money in instances deemed too risky for banks. Hobie's severed arm was replaced in part by a highly polished and sharp hook prosthesis. His high rates of interest were guaranteed by acts of violence including torture, maiming and killing. Hobie was presently involved in a bridge loan of 1.1 million dollars to Chester Stone owner of a failing optical company. Hobie was scheming to turn this into the stealing of the assets of the company and Stone himself to the tune of 17 million. Jodie and Reacher team up when he learns that Costello worked for the law firm in which Jodie was employed. They visit the medical clinic where General Garber had been treated. Speaking to the doctor, they find out that the general was doing a favor for an elderly couple that also used that clinic. He was investigating the status of their son, a helicopter pilot missing in action in Vietnam for 30 years. Costello was sent by the general to find Reacher, to help him investigate. The missing son's name was Victor Hobie. Reacher's and Hobie's fate move inexorably forward to formulate a crackling, tingling plot that has the reader thirsting for justice. Child really hits a home run with "Tripwire" resurrecting Reacher's past to give us a deeper understanding of the psychology behind this fascinating character.
Rating:
Summary: Another great Reacher escapade!
Review: Lee Child writes some amazing books! I first read The Killing Floor and really couldn't put it down. I tend to read things out of order (even though I really don't plan it that way), so I've now read Tripwire before the second Jack Reacher novel. However, that one won't be far behind! I made the mistake of reading some of the reviews here while I was in the middle of the book. I was fascinated by the plot twists and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. Then I read about all of the "factual errors" in the various scenarios. That sort of soured me on the book a bit, and then I realized that even though there ARE factual errors in the book, the book is FICTION and doesn't have to be factual. All in the all, when you get to the end, I think you'll see that what Reacher finally discovered COULD have happened. I don't ordinarily find books that merit 5 stars, and I do read a lot of books, but I have to tell you, if you can get past occasional wordiness in descriptions and certain inconsequencial factual inconsistencies, I believe you'll enjoy watching the drama unfold and wend its way through a stunning conclusion!
Rating: 
Summary: Jack's Back
Review: When you enter the world of Jack Reacher, Lee Child's indomitable ex-MP, you never know what to expect. You can certainly expect exciting action scenes, plenty of fisticuffs, and a large dose of graphic violence. "Tripwire" is no exception. The book is an excellent read. Reacher finds himself caught up in the investigation of a star helicopter pilot missing in action in Vietnam and assumed dead. The boy's parents, in grief for thirty years, send a PI to find Reacher, only to have the PI killed hours after meeting with Reacher. From that point on, the plot twists and turns, always sustaining your interest. Although the ending is easily predictable from the start, it's fun riding along with Child on the inevitable denouement. Hook Hobie is an extremely nasty villain and presents a formidable challenge to Mr. Reacher. His henchman are likewise pretty despicable. Some of the supporting characters are really well written, particularly the victimized Marilyn Stone and her real-estate agent friend, Sheryl. Marilyn displays quite a bit of spit and vinegar and loyalty to her milktoast husband, and plays a hard game with Hobie, for a while. Sheryl, meanwhile, displays a tremendous amount of loyalty to her friend. A great book but some additional points of concern or discussion. I have found it hard to accept Jack Reacher's obvious inability to function "normally" in the world. A drifter at heart, he doesn't seem to want to belong in anyone's world----he falls in love at the drop of a hat, but is not willing to make any commitments, always seeming self-centered in his inability to be "tied down." He doesn't have a job, he's never had a home of his own, and he avoids reality as it were a plague. While this makes for a dynamic and "legendary" type of hero, it leaves Reacher the man hollow and almost apathetic. Finally, in "Tripwire," his romance with Jodie awakens Reacher to these facts and as the book comes to a close, he starts acting like a human being, thinking of settling down, having a house, etc. I'm sure "Running Blind" will pick this up and hopefully develop it. Jack Reacher is a great character, and I like him, but if he becomes a little more human, it will make him even more likeable. Disappointments: What happens to Marilyn, Chester, and William Curry. They are pivotal victims in the climactic scene, and at its resolution, we don't know what happens to them. The Stones part in the novel are integral to the plot, and we come to care about what happens---especially to Marilyn. This lack of resolution is downright criminal, Lee! Also, where did Hobie get his contacts in Hawaii and Hanoi? It's never explained---they just exist. Hobie doesn't seem to have a "worldwide" scam going, just a local one. And what about Tony, his mysterious "is he gay?" aide? What is their relationship, and how did it begin? Tony intimates he's known Hobie for a long time, but there's never any connection between the two. Tony obviously cares a great deal for Hobie, but there is no development of this relationship. Maybe minor quibbles, but I feel valid ones. At any rate, if you've followed Jack Reacher this far, as I have, you will undoubtedly want to read "Running Blind," which I will start soon!
Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful Reacher thriller with horrible villain !
Review: Child's third Jack Reacher novel, featuring our ex-MP investigator hero who likes to travel around anonymously, serves up more of the action-packed intrigue we have come to expect from the first two entries in this fine series. Reacher is digging pools in Key West, with a part-time strip-club bouncer job, when a New York PI comes looking for him. Refusing to reveal his identity, Reacher is soon sorry when the man turns up dead a few hours later. Having learned that a mysterious "Mrs. Jacob" hired the man, Jack sets out for NYC to find out what's going on. The "Jacob" woman is soon enough revealed to be Jack's ex-boss's daughter -- one who had a crush on Jack that was secretly reciprocated. Soon the secret is out and the romance is on!! Meanwhile, in the big city, the Stone family, owners of a third-generation optics firm, is dealing with an unscrupulous (to say the least!) money lender, "Hook" Hobie, who uses his prosthesis to do bodily harm to anybody and everybody that crosses him. Hobie is such a horrid villain that we're in dread of him all book long, creating a suspenseful wish to have Reacher off him as part of the climax -- would he? While some might quibble this novel has a few flaws the editors might have caught or tried to straighten out a little, we readers are so busy keeping up with the chasing of clues and tracking a sub-plot involving missing servicemen from Viet Nam, that we're motivated to buzz along right 'til a satisfying finish wraps up most [but not all (!)] of the main character situational outcomes. And like all the other Reacher stories we've sampled so far, a heavy serving of entertainment and enjoyment needed no dessert!
Rating:
Summary: Mixed feeling about balyhooed new action hero.
Review: I was anticipating non-stop action and mayhem,but I have to agree with one reviewer stating that this is less action packed than the previous two.In any case,I am willing to give Mr.Reacher further chance by trying to catch up on his previous books.I have to say that I did enjoy the few action parts and am amazed when Reacher finally takes charge;but the climax is like that of a tv movie.So simple,considering the build up and the plot twist is just fine.I'm still looking forward to being a Reacher convert and am excited over the entire series.
Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful and It Rings True
Review: Although I found that this book didn't move with as much non-stop action as the first two in the series, it was still a gripping thriller. Child's portrayal of villains is so believable that it can scare the pants off you. Not only that he writes with such intesnsity, that the story just grips the reader until the end. His portrayal of Jack Reacher is insightful and believable as well. Reacher is a true drifter with uncommon talents which he has picked up in his previous life as an MP in the US Army. He's big and brawny, and extremely quick-thinking. In this book he is pitted against a villain that's just about as evil as they get, and he almost loses his life in the process of trying to protect someone who is very dear to him. This is a solid thriller, with enough action to keep the reader gong well into the night.
Rating: 
Summary: Child missed on this one.
Review: Having read KILLING FLOOR and DIE TRYING, I eagerly picked up a copy of TRIPWIRE. It is easily the weakest of the three. The villian, Hook Hobie, is like something out of a Marvel Comic book. Every time a character meets him, Child describes him all over again in the same terms, from the half burned face, to the J shaped hook where his hand should be. Reacher's relationship with Jodie seems rather strange. Especially when Reacher admits to being attracted to her when she was a child, it sounds downright creepy. I was,however, glad to see him ready to give up his paranoid, wandering lifestyle. The plot was barely interesting and any avid reader of mystery thrillers will figure it out long before Child tells us. I was glad that I picked this book up from the library. I would have felt cheated if I actually paid for it. I hope this isn't the beginning of the end for Mr. Child.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book.
Review: This is my least favorite book, so far, of the Jack Reacher novels I have read. I'd rate this a high four or a low five. Why? because in the end, the end part of three pivotal characters is just kind of glossed over. In fact, I so much expected and wanted to find out what happened I went back and reread the part again to see if I missed something. I hadn't. So this made for a weakness in the book in my mind. Other than that- the book is great. In fact, so far, anything I have read by this author has been excellent. As always the action is tight as Jack Reacher travels across the country to solve a problem that isn't his. The story is well written and believable. I really liked the ending although this is one of the few Reacher novels I have been able to 'solve' before the ending. I also really liked the addition of a new love for Jack Reacher. The new girlfriend really gives Jack a more human touch as he falls in love with her and settles down a bit. Jack Reacher however, is a hero in my eyes. He takes care of the little people, he gets rid of the big nasty people and he is a true human with flaws and strenths. He is smart and interesting. This book is well worth reading, as are all of the Jack Reacher novels. Enjoy.
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