Better Off Dead A Jack Reacher Novel (edition 2021)

Action packed story. ( )

I've read a couple of Jack Reacher books by Lee Child and while somewhat formulaic, they were well written. "Better Off Dead" probably has a good story, but the writing is so bad, it kept throwing me off. Whether this is because he is writing with his son, or his son is doing most of the writing, is unknown to me. But, about the half way mark, I couldn't stand it anymore and skimmed the last half of the book. It'll be awhile before I read another Jack Reacher. ( )

Reacher promises a fellow veteran that he will locate her brother, who has been working for a mysterious, murderous dealer of some sort. Plans go awry and Reacher is drawn deeper into the situation. Typical Reacher plot, walk into trouble while trying to travel; get involved; defeat many bad guys and solve the problem. This episode seemed a little rushed at the end.

Better off Dead is the 26th Jack Reacher book and the second Andrew Child co-authored with his brother and series creator Lee. Unfortunately, it’s a great disappointment. The story begins with Reacher being killed, but that teaser will not fool anyone. It piqued my curiosity about why and how this red herring would be worked into the story, but answering that question is the only reason to read this offering.

Readers will be stunned by the Jack Reacher they encounter in the first 100 pages. He is disengaged, passive and subservient. A tectonic change has taken place in Reacher’s persona. Instead of an energetic, decisive character, we encounter a slow-moving plot marred by excessive description. Suppose Reacher approaches a building, enters, and sees another person. Child describes the setting and exterior of the building, the room he enters, and the person he sees. The story plods on and on, tediously, one paragraph-length description after another. Given this, the failure to describe Michaela, the woman Reacher (reluctantly) intends to help, and Sonia, the woman who assists Reacher, is puzzling. Reacher’s propensity to hop into bed with every woman he meets is overdone in the earlier books in this series. Still, this story’s lack of sexual tension is a misguided adjustment.

The story eventually becomes somewhat interesting, and the real Jack Reacher emerges, but readers hoping for a satisfying conclusion will be disappointed by the failure to generate any sense of tension. The coup de grâce is somewhat ingenious and unexpected but anticlimactic.

Has Jack Reacher reached the end, or will the Child brothers find a way to breathe an air of freshness into the series? ( )

Where is Jack? I don't usually review high profile novels, but my disappointment has led me to. This is not a bad story; indeed, if it wasn't under the Reacher banner, I would have given it five stars. It's a perfectly well written thriller, but Jack is there in name only. I have read all of the Reacher novels and short stories, and this book lacks the essence of the character. It's like the Cruise movies; enjoyable and interesting, but a pale imitation of the Reacher that fans know and love. Sadly, unless I read 'return to form' on fan's reviews in the future, this will be my last Reacher. I can still re-read the others, though. ( )