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That was stunningly good. There are those who will insist I'm 'grading on a curve', comparing it to the preceding books in the series, rather than mysteries or novels in general, to come up with such a glowing statement, but I honestly think this was just a well written book, designed to effectively entertain and engross the reader.
The first book in the series I liked, the second book I didn't, this third book: I loved. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Lee Child is consistent in delivering atmospheric descriptions, always taking a moment to provide an often poetic sense of place, regardless of how benign or undesirable the place may be.
He's consistent in providing a mystery (that I only got just before it was revealed, which is my perfect ideal in mystery books, and to me demonstrates skill on behalf of the writer, leading the reader) that will be methodically investigated; 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? this book did that even better than the first two did, and when it's done at the right pace that's something I really enjoy reading. Which leads into the first of two key differences that boosted this book in my estimation in comparison to its predecessors.
1) The pacing
2) The female characters
1mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? 1) How this story was divided up and bounced between following various people moving toward certain goals never felt like we were moving away from the action, even with what might be termed not the main players, it's not just that things were in a state of skillfully ratcheted tension, and you care about the characters because they are well written, complex motivations etc, it was that the plot was written in such a way that you want to go 1mo

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Robotswithpersonality 5? along, see how it unfolds, if various people will succeed, and somehow it's written so even portions which others might argue are slowing down the action are worth reading.

2) I would be totally unsurprised if after the second Reacher book, Child got a buttload of negative feedback about how his female character(s?) were written. If so, he definitely took it to heart and did better here. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 6/? Yes, the threat of sexual violence against women looms large over a significant part of the narrative, increasing the repugnance of the villain(s), but it never actually becomes a part of the plot/on or off screen action. Yes, Marilyn and later Jodie are both objectified by bad men, but, and I recognize this is subjective, it didn't feel excessive or gratuitous within the context of the narrative. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 7/? Yes, for moments at a time Marilyn and Jodie fit within the parameters of damsels in distress, but they spend the vast majority of the story in partnership with male characters who are aided by them, who defer to them when circumstances require their skill, resources, expertise, equanimity. I'll even throw Mrs. Hobie into the mix, because she was a more vibrant physical presence of the two parents, and Crystal, 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 8/? because for the little we saw of her at the beginning, I would gladly have had her as Reacher's partner for this book: exotic dancer exuding independence and confidence, enjoying her skills and resultant revenue with a beautiful car competently operated and under no illusions about Reacher's availability.
I get that readers will react differently to the age gap and background between Reacher and Jodie, but I think Child's framing is about as 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 9/? unobjectionable as you can get given the circumstances.

On an unrelated note, and one I find harder to articulate, I admire how Child handled the discussion around the Vietnam War. Don't get me wrong, these books could easily win a 'pro-military/military propaganda' label. Given some characters consulted in pursuit of the mystery are serving military, the resentful manner in which they talk about the Vietnamese is not a shock, and also not 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 10/? comfortable to read. The bias is evident, the reader is to empathize with American soldiers who lost their lives, not so much with the military brass who mis-handled the conflict, covered things up, tried to minimize news of deaths and deny culpability by leaving more MIAs than confirmed deaths on the record. The dual heartbreak of promising young men lost to violent death, many conscripted for such an end, and the later work of those who 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 11/? struggle to identify remains. You can't help but sympathize with parents left without answers, with the righteous anger of those who recognize the tragic waste in the loss of life. Obviously a different book might not have that be such a one-sided criticism of the war, would also consider the POV of the Vietnamese, also fighting a foreign military force, which also caused great loss of life,and which media/pop culture (I'm not too informed on 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 12/? the history) suggests often acted unethically during the conflict.

I think if there's one area that really shouts 'I was written in the late 90s!' it's the ableism prominent in a main villain having extensive burn scarring, an amputation and a prosthesis, a hook, of course, and how often those features are focused on to increase the sense of menace he exudes. There's no objective reason to fear someone who has traumatic injuries, who is 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 13/? essentially a disabled war veteran, but Child wants the reader to associate this appearance, with his grotesque behaviour, make it ugly, as if one were a mirror for the other, the same kind of thing unenlightened horror films of earlier decades did (still do?). I sincerely hope it's the last time the author feels the need to aim for such a harmful and lazy shorthand. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 14/14I am curious where the series goes from here, as there are definitely 'putting down roots' potential offered at the end of this book that I didn't see in the last two, but considering how many books there are in the series, I'm just hoping nothing bad happens to any of the characters previously introduced to get him back on the road.
I'll definitely be picking up the next book, cross your fingers the writing quality endures, even improves! 1mo

Robotswithpersonality ⚠️ violence, gore, ableism (edited) 1mo

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Robotswithpersonality

Tripwire (Jack Reacher, #3) | Lee Child

Okay, from the perspective of a drifter who spent most of his life on army bases that no doubt had designated labour for laundering uniforms, this makes some sense, but less so for a guy described as 6'5“ now weighing in at 250 lbs, a good portion of that, muscle. My dude, do you just happen to stumble across a Big&Tall each time a wardrobe change is required?!

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NatalieR

The Sentinel: A Jack Reacher Novel | Lee Child, Andrew Child

pick

I‘ve finally made it to book #25 in the Jack Reacher series! The Sentinel marks the first book where Lee Child collaborates with his brother, Andrew Child, to take over the writing of the series. I thoroughly enjoyed Andrew Child‘s contribution to the series. Reacher remains the same character who finds himself entangled in familiar predicaments while assisting those in need.

Full review abookandadog.com/blog/the-sentinel

Sace I was just telling my husband today that I should give some Reacher books a try. 3mo

NatalieR @Sace I love the series. I‘ve been reading them in order, but you don‘t have to. 3mo

71 likes2 comments

Leftcoastzen

Running Blind | Lee Child

#CoverStories #Running I read the first few , including this one . Fun reads , but now the show is ahead of the ones I have read .

Eggs, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Excellent! 3mo

Eggs Brilliant 👏🏻 3mo

35 likes2 comments

Robotswithpersonality

Die Trying | Lee Child

so-so

Hard to judge this one fairly, it veered a little farther away from what I liked about the first book. Reacher's still using his head, but he's also having to use guns a lot more. I didn't really want to spend that much time in the company of deluded militia and hyper violent egomaniacs.The tidbits of the FBI investigating were engaging, but, faded out, as did Reacher being a protagonist thinking things through and investigating 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? and having moments of personal reflection/vulnerability rather than just physical or marksman-based skills reacting to the next obstacle. The tradition of a fierce love interest who is conveniently side-lined from participating in much of the action continues. In the hopes that the first book is a better indicator of the series than the second, I'll try the third, 4mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/3 but as of now, I don't have enough invested to mind not continuing if the series leans heavier on the action than cerebral mystery/crime solving.
⚠️Assault, attempted SA, mention of SA 4mo

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Robotswithpersonality

Killing Floor | Lee Child, Child

pick

Well that was way better than I thought it was going to be!
Clarifies a thesis I've been developing about my mystery/crime novel preferences: it's not simply that I prefer good/sympathetic detectives as main characters in this kind of book, it's that I need to be invested in the character, in their motives, even if they're not as warm and fuzzy; 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? an interesting character (not simply an over-stressed one with secrets), one that develops as the story progresses, is key to my enjoyment of a mystery plot. For me, the mystery is not as big a draw if I don't care about the people who want to solve it. Reacher has not just moments of doubt, but self-recrimination, he changes his mind about people, and even while giving a confidence-boosting speech, the reader is in his head while he 4mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? strategizes the need for an infallible front that doesn't reflect his state of mind. Might seem like a little thing, but especially considering the morally-grey aspect of killing foes and other illegal activities to get the job done, having Reacher be self-reflective, feel empathy, be a bit more down to earth than the classic anti-hero, becomes more important to making him feel like a character with his own well-considered code, rather than a 4mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? no-holds-barred maniac - like the Kliners. 😬
The number of times Child had Reacher do the smart thing in fighting a little dirty rather than devolve into an elaborate machismo-fueled duel when taking out bad guys while recognizing it as strategic rather than noble kind of win me over. You don't see it in action movies as much because it doesn't make the same Hollywood spectacle, but it feels like it might be (how would I know?!) more 4mo

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? authentic.
Which doesn't mean the climax doesn't feel straight out of an action film in the best way possible. 😉
I can see why this gets lumped into the thriller category as much as the mystery/crime category, but I think the methodical manner in which Reacher approaches everything, even if it ends in a reveal or a fight, works better for me. It's not endless anguish and scandal, it's thinking things through and almost literally rolling with 4mo

Robotswithpersonality 6/? the punches. I did see Baker's allegiances coming thanks to the fingerprinting mix-up, but it honestly just built the right level of suspense waiting for the Reacher and Finlay to get there, and there were definitely alot of discoveries I did NOT see coming. I would happily agree with anyone who wants to come for the plot on the number of coincidences that crop up, but overall I appreciated how tightly woven the hints and connections are in (edited) 4mo

Robotswithpersonality 7/? in the mystery, how things were steadily revealed, so that it's not a bunch of shocks at the very end, but a gradual web that's unraveled, makes for a more enjoyable read.
I'm casting a suspicious side eye at the characterization of Morrison and the nameless fleet of Hispanic henchman. But I'm also appreciative of the representation that Finlay and the barber family existing as a fully-fleshed out characters presents. 4mo

Robotswithpersonality 8/? I wish Roscoe had spent a bit more time as a woman with agency and back story before becoming lightning-fast love interest/damsel, but there were moments of her being the crime-solving partner, she does make her own decisions about her future, and while I was worried there for a bit, Child did not perform the egregious sin of fridging her, so I'm calling it a win. 4mo

Robotswithpersonality 9/? There's something fan-service-y in how quick Roscoe becomes a welcoming, helpful, bedable partner to Reacher, but you could just as easily say there's something irredeemably escapist about the tendency towards violence as Reacher's primary mode of justice and crime prevention as well. It's a subgenre unto itself, and judging it on its own merits, I think it's quite well-written. 4mo

Robotswithpersonality 10/? I kept finding myself caught on Child's way of describing sights or sounds, weather, music, just the right combo of adjectives sometimes, but having a certain phrase make me pause is one of my favourite things about reading, so despite the darker elements of this book, I had a good deal of fun. I should emphasize that my enjoyment is tied to how many 'good guys(?)' made it out alive. 4mo

Robotswithpersonality 11/12 The stakes were high, and the bodies were dropping thick and fast there for a while, so it made a big difference seeing who made it out. Bonus: Learned some fascinating things about US currency (assuming they're factual and still up to date). 4mo

Robotswithpersonality 12/12 Will definitely be continuing in the series. Sincerely hope my library doesn't have any more tv-tie-in covers. 🤦🏼‍♂️
⚠️ fatphobia, racism, gore, violence, discussion of SA 4mo

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Robotswithpersonality

Killing Floor | Lee Child, Child

Adjectival awesomeness.

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Robotswithpersonality

Killing Floor | Lee Child, Child

Safe to say I'll never think about that phrase the same way again. Probably a lot of new parents already understood that nuance! 😅

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Robotswithpersonality

Killing Floor | Lee Child, Child

Points for sense-memory awakening: totally forgot, I love that smell. 😌

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CaitlinR

In Too Deep: Free eBook Sampler | Lee Child, Andrew Child

so-so

I don‘t know whether the story telling has changed, or whether my tastes have changed, but the latest Jack Reacher novel fell flat. Written by the senior Child and his younger brother, the novel follows the usual formula: Jack challenged by and besting bad guys, accompanied by, in this case, a comely female cop. The crimes are muddy, and although I finished the book, I wondered why.

I‘ve been a Reacher fan, so I‘ll try again, but reluctantly.

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