Exactly what you expect from Jack Reacher - finally - minus any political discussions (as in book 2) or 'romantic' thread (as in book 3)...

A big, tough guy pulled into investigating a crime against his will. He investigates it. He solves it. Some people get beat up, some get killed, there's a little bit of mystery and wondering 'who dunnit' then it's all nicely resolved when Reacher saves the day.

Exactly what is expected. ( )

Jack Reacher is back, dragged into what looks like a series of grisly serial murders by a team of FBI profilers who aren't totally sure he's not the killer they're looking for, but believe that even if he isn't, he's smart enough to help them find the real killer. And what they've got on the ex-MP, who's starred in three previous Lee Child thrillers (Tripwire, Die Trying, Killing Floor), is enough to ensure his grudging cooperation: phony charges stemming from Reacher's inadvertent involvement in a protection shakedown and the threat of harm to the woman he loves.
The killer's victims have only one thing in common--all of them brought sexual harassment charges against their military superiors and all resigned from the army after winning their cases. The manner, if not the cause, of their deaths is gruesomely the same: they died in their own bathtubs, covered in gallons of camouflage paint, but they didn't drown and they weren't shot, strangled, poisoned, or attacked. Even the FBI forensic specialists can't figure out why they seem to have gone willingly to their mysterious deaths. Reacher isn't sure whether the killings are an elaborate cover-up for corruption involving stolen military hardware or the work of a maniac who's smart enough to leave absolutely no clues behind. This compelling, iconic antihero dead-ends in a lot of alleys before he finally figures it out, but every one is worth exploring and the suspense doesn't let up for a second. The ending will come as a complete surprise to even the most careful reader, and as Reacher strides off into the sunset, you'll wonder what's in store for him in his next adventure. --Jane Adams

Decent mystery, but Jack Reacher does nothing for me. He's too full of himself for me to care about him and there were some flaws, or rather possible clues that weren't followed up on, that irritated me. Oh, and while we learn he takes his toothbrush with him, and he showers while in "protective custody," does he not rinse his underwear? Ewwww. ( )

A real page turner ( )

(First published at Blogcritics at http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/...)

Running Blind is the fourth novel in Lee Child's series featuring tough guy detective-at-large Jack Reacher. Child's newest Reacher novel One Shot is going to be released in June. (I reviewed the fifth novel, Echo Burning, last October for Blogcritics. I reviewed the most recent novel, The Enemy last July).

At the beginning of Running Blind, Reacher has a house on the Hudson and a great girlfriend. Reacher had grown up in the Army, and had joined the Army and served in the military police. He left when Army consolidated its resources after the end of Cold War, and has become a wanderer, whose experience and skill bring him into the investigation of crimes. wherever he roams. Reacher is really a brilliant creation—Child can insert him into law enforcement procedural scenarios anywhere in the United States or anywhere the American Army is, or has been present. Child seems to have fun with the research, because his novels are full of procedural and technical details about law enforcement. Reacher's military experience lets him call guys he knew for favours, which brings resources into play when he needs something—a neat device which works well, although it might get stale in time.

The novel starts with a fight when Reacher appoints himself to beat up a couple of thugs working a protection racket in a restaurant where he happens to be dining. Then Reacher is picked up by the FBI and questioned about the deaths of two women that he had known in the military. He had known the women when they had been sexually assaulted or harassed, and he had investigated the cases. The FBI agents are profilers, and they suggest that he fits the profile. He isn't the guy—and they know it, but they are trying intimidation, mind games and some sleazy tricks to get him on board. He plays along, on his own terms, which brings him inside the FBI facility at Quantico (which is hallowed ground, of course, to the fans of Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta series). Child and Reacher are skeptical about solving crimes by divining the motives of serial killers. This is consistent with Reacher's detachment from the structures of government and power.

The story is solidly-plotted, with the identity of the killer carefully concealed. Child writes his novels to about 350 dense pages, full of character, observation, and interpersonal tension.

In the course of this book, Reacher evaluates his attitude toward owning a house and living with his girlfriend, and moves to greater detachment. His detachment from people and things is coupled with a capability for violent action, and a moral code that lets him decide when and how to unleash violence. He sees into people with the insights of a spiritual master. He is often ahead of other people in analyzing a situation, not infallible, but always confident. His detachment may be more superficial—he is deeply attached to his own freedom and his own ego. He helps people, but he doesn't seem to like people or care for people. He pities them, and his detachment seems to come with a sense of condescending arrogance. He is perhaps a devotee of Nietzsche, imposing his own wishes by the exercise of his own intellect and power. However, Child makes him look like a pretty nice guy who lives by his wits according to his conscience.

As I read more of these novels, I am becoming persuaded that Child has written one of the most distinctive and definitive heroes of the genre. ( )