One Shot

I didn't realize until I came on GoodReads to register the title as "Currently Reading" that the title was not only a series about Jack Reacher but number 9. I was hooked from page 1. The author has a literary finesse all his own. What every alleged criminal wishes to say, "They got the wrong guy." "They got the wrong guy," he says again. And later in the same conversation, "Get Jack Reacher for me". As a newbie to the series, one assumes there is a relationship of long standing. What transpires next is for all future readers to learn.
In reading a little of the background of the author Lee Child it seems very easy to to understand his success. Child has molded his writing from the wealth of his experiences from law school attendance to show more years as a British television presentation director to the influences in his writing by authors John D. MacDonald and Alistair MacLean. The successful outcome is a writing style and character in Jack Reacher that one can't help but want to spend time and read now and then again.
Each time I opened and closed the book (due to the edition I read), I found it difficult to imagine Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher in the movie. I borrowed the movie and forced myself to finish watching it in two sittings. Unfortunately the portrayal was as terrible as anticipated. Tom Cruise doesn't have the depth as an actor to do this character justice. It just cements my personal practice. Read the book first and if you really liked the book, skip the movie. So not worth your time. You could be delightfully reading! show less

I almost didn't find this book because it has been relisted as "Jack Reacher: One Shot", linking it to the movie "Jack Reacher"

Don't let that put you off. The book is better than the movie if only because I didn't have to watch 5'7" Cruise playing 6'5" Jack Reacher.

This book starts a sniper killing people in a public square. The police do a thorough and efficient job and quickly find the killer. An absolute slam dunk. No doubt about it. Which immediately tells anyone who has read the other Reacher books that nothing is as it appears to be.

For once, Reacher is not pulled into the action by a damsel in distress but by a clever plot device that places him in am ambiguous position about wh0's side he's on and which undermines his show more credibility with the police.

Reacher's violent nature and huge size are used against him to force him into hiding. He then has to solve the case and kill the bad guys on his own. Except the plot doesn't quite allow for that so he recruits a temporary "Scoobie Gang" and takes them all with him to get the job done.

There are some good things in the this book: great exposition of the original police investigation, lot's of stuff on how to shoot with a long gun that's actually kept quite interesting, a fight staged like a ballet and a reasonably well-drawn set of characters.

Unfortunately the elaborate plot and the implausible violence of the denouement stretched my suspension of disbelief so far that it snapped and came back and hit me in the face before the end of the book.

"One Shot" is an enjoyable read but far from Lee Child's best. show less

I rely solely on a co-worker for my Reacher fix. He has many of Child’s books and is kind enough to loan them to me on occasion, usually without me asking which is wonderful. This one is a few years old, and since I’ve read pretty much every single one out of order, that didn’t bother me at all. In fact, what I like about these books is that you can pick one up without knowing a single thing about the main character, Jack Reacher, and still enjoy the story. They’re straight forward: something bad happens, Jack Reacher will show up unexpectedly, Jack Reacher will get involved, Jack Reacher will solve whatever the problem happens to be. Also, not knowing anything about Reacher works for the reader which might sound strange but show more it’s true. You’ll be curious but back off when the story gets going because too many other things will distract you from the fact that you know very little about the main character.

In One Shot, Reacher is in Florida when he sees a story on the news that has him on a bus heading to Indiana within the hour. One man fired six shots, killed five people, and was taken into custody by the cops in what seems a slam-dunk case. Reacher has a feeling it’s not at all what it seems. He barges in on the case working with the defense attorney hoping to bring down the real killer and release an innocent man.

The first thing I do when I pick up one of these books is forget all reality; pretend it doesn’t exist, and go for a ride. Reacher gets in and out of trouble so many times, manages to figure out a case that has stumped an entire city and several highly educated people, and then leaves on a bus for his next stop. Parts will infuriate you, parts will make you laugh, and parts will just have you shaking your head. It’s OK though because it’s fun. You don’t have to believe everything, you don’t even have to fully buy-in but these books are good distractions and are excellent companions for plane rides which is how I read this one --- squished in the middle seat thank you for asking. These books are entertaining and move so fast that if what you want is to read something that will pull you in until the end; these books will do the trick. show less

This Jack Reacher mystery was definitely as suspenseful and compelling as any of his I've read, but the plot was a hot mess. I'm usually pretty good at suspending disbelief when reading these, but this was really a bridge too far. The bad guys were cartoon characters and their reasoning and motives were ridiculous. The "civilians" including a TV reporter putting themselves into harm's way to confront the bad guys was beyond the pale. And bringing in the Pentagon lady just so she can lie to police and give Jack a quickie and then never mentioning her again? Just a bad plot and some very unbelievable characters.

One shot was originally published in 2005 and unfortunately was turned into a film staring Tom Cruise, and the film was called Jack Reacher. Tom Cruise is a great actor but there is no way on earth that the mighty midget will ever be Reacher. If you have seen the film and not read the book, forget everything you saw on film and enter the book with a clear mind.

One Shot is the nineth book in the Jack Reacher series, and better than the last one. Lee Child knows how to write an engaging thriller with enough hooks to go line fishing. The reader is enveloped in the crime from the opening page, while leaving clues dotted through out the book. Even when you have worked out who the bad guy(s) may be, you still need to read on as the book is so show more gripping.

In a city somewhere in Indiana, as Friday rush hour is about to begin six shots ring out and five people are dead. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to the shooting and nobody is owning up to the killings. There was no connection between the victims and the police believed they had their killer.

Throughout the police interview the alleged gunman kept repeating no comment, and you have the wrong man. He eventually asks the police to get him Jack Reacher. Nobody in the police force or locally knows who Jack Reacher is or where to find him. The message gets to Reacher who duly makes his way there.

Reacher imparts what he knows about the prisoner, who is already convinced of his guilt, banged to rights he thought. The Reacher begins to investigate the actual shooting and delves where the police have not. Reacher knows he cannot tell them about the past and that he needs to look at what is in front of him. He does this and he becomes the hunted.

Reacher cracks the many layers of this case which gives the reader a classic thriller. An engrossing read, which kept me hooked. show less

Re-read this book after watching the movie Reacher. I wanted to see how close the movie was to the book. The movie is a review for another location but I did enjoy the book (again). Reacher is a wonderful character and almost a force of nature. He comes into town to follow up on a promise to a soldier 14 years ago and becomes involved in something much more complex. It is a fun story and although the movie covers all the general plot points, the book is much better (as usual). I'm glad I re-read it and would recommend all the Reacher series to others.

2 words that describe the book―Action Thriller

3 setting where the book took place or characters I met

* Setting: Indianapolis, Indiana, present day

* Jack Reacher―stud and former military investigator―is getting to intimately know a dancer from a cruise ship in South Beach, Miami when he catches a CNN report about a sniper shooting in Indianapolis. Six shots fired, and five left dead. The reported gunman? James Barr. The name is familiar to Reacher―so much so that he immediately makes his way to Indianapolis (via bus … Reacher lives off the grid and doesn’t have a car). Once there, he presents himself to the District Attorney―and is startled to find out the defense team has already been looking for him. It seems that, before show more lapsing into a coma brought on by a prison fight, Barr asked for Reacher by name. Puzzled by this request because Reacher has not come on friendly terms, Reacher makes his way to the defense attorney’s office.

* Helen Rodin is James Barr’s lawyer―hired by his sister Rosemary who adamantly denies that her brother could not have been the shooter. Despite what appears to be a slam-dunk case against Barr, Rodin reluctantly agrees to help Rosemary defend Barr―despite the mountains of incriminating evidence against him. After all, a newly minted lawyer can’t be too choosy about her cases. Oh … and one other thing: the DA that is prosecuting Barr happens to be Helen’s father. When Reacher appears in her office, they begin examining the evidence and find some things that don’t quite add up.

4 things I liked or disliked about the book

* I’m always up for a good thriller so when Sandy at You’ve GOTTA Read This! recently extolled the virtues of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series, I thought I’d give a try. I wasn’t disappointed. The book moves along at a face pace, and reading it was like going to see an action movie. And goody for me … there are 15 Jack Reacher books out there for the picking. (One Shot happened to be the 9th book, but Sandy said it was OK to read them out of order.)

* If you like a little hubba hubba in your action heroes, then Jack Reacher is your man. He’s quite the ladies man, with at least two hook-ups in this book and one implied. For a clue as to why he’s such a stud, here is the description provided on the Lee Child/Jack Reacher web site. (Note: It is worth going over there to check out the photos of both Child and Reacher in the site header. Lee Child is pretty good-looking, and there is a nice little shot of “Reacher” walking down a road in jeans and with his abs showing. Just saying!)

Measurements: 6’5″, 220-250 lbs., 50″ chest
Hair: Dirty-blond
Eyes: Ice blue
Clothing: 3XLT coat, 95 cm. pants’ inseam

* It cracked me up to have an action hero who gets to the action via Greyhound Bus and who has to walk everywhere. Although this is my first Reacher book, it is implied the Reacher doesn’t have a home base and can’t be tracked down unless he wants you to find him. I’m sure this is explained in one of the books, but it made for a bit of a chuckle from me as he was forever taking these epic walks to get places.

* As with most books of this type, it is best not to think too hard about the plot and to just go with it. Of course everything is stacked against our hero. Of course there are evil forces at work that need to be uncovered and unmasked. Of course this is a bit of mystery as to who exactly is working for the bad guys. I thought the plot was pretty decent as far as these books go, and there were some exciting action sequences. But if you’re looking for something more than just escapist action, you’re not going to find it here.

5 stars or less for my rating:

I’m giving the book 3.5 stars. Would I read another Jack Reacher book again? Yes indeed. Do I think this is a book I’m going to remember in two months? Not a chance! But that isn’t the point of these types of books, is it? If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller with lots of action and a studly hero, this book would be an excellent choice. It is the quintessential “airplane” book and a good one to read between heavier books. And, if you have a reluctant male reader in your home, he might like this too. show less