Gone Tomorrow

Once the plot gets moving (about the point Reacher is taken into custody by Homeland Security agents), this book picks up the usual steam, which it maintains to the finish. I've noticed a political shift in the Reacher books. In the early ones, Reacher seemed skeptical, even resentful of liberal politicians. Now his resentment seems to be turned the other way, although he never shows a particular affinity for any politician or philosophy. But around the tenth book or so, the theme, "WE ARE BEING LIED TO BY THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL ESTABLISHMENT" rears its head and maintains its presence through the series.

Before this book, one was always assured that Reacher would go medieval on the ass of any man or the collective ass of any group of show more men bad enough to warrant his attention. Now we find that may have been too narrow a classification. Reacher will, it is now clear, go after ANY ass, regardless of sex, race, class, sexual preference, or country of origin. show less

Like John Sanford, Lee child is one of the authors I have wanted to try for a while now but never seemed to get around to reading. When Gone Tomorrow came my way, I couldn't resist--even if it meant jumping into a series 13 books in. Fortunately, Gone Tomorrow is one of those series books that stands alone just fine. Although, I have to admit that I'm even more curious about Jack Reacher's past now. Imagine living your life in such simplicity that you travel at will, have no home, no luggage, with just a toothbrush and your wallet in your pocket.

That's the way we first meet Jack Reacher in Gone Tomorrow. Ex-military, he is extremely skilled and observant. And so when he oberves a lone woman sitting in a subway car, meeting the criteria show more of a possible suicide bomber, Reacher has no choice but to take notice. After mulling the idea of what to do over in his head, he approaches the woman cautiously, not sure what to expect.

From that moment on, the story that unfolds is full of unexpected twists and turns and multi-layered. Reacher finds himself the target of both the bad and the good guys. The novel reminded me of a Greg Rucka novel, with the tough, no nonsense hero at its helm. It's purely entertaining even if not entirely believable--and that's okay. It was easy to fall into Jack Reacher's world for a short while and ride the subways of New York along with him. I was hooked from page one.

At this point, I am not really sure what I think of Jack Reacher himself. I would like to have seen a more vulnerable side to him, I think. There is no doubt he is intelligent. He does his own thing, no matter the consequences, wanting to get to the truth of a situation. He is just as likely to use his brain as his fist, and there's no shortage of good fight scenes in the book. He definitely isn't someone I would want to mess with--or necessarily invite over for lunch.

As much fun as I had reading Gone Tomorrow, I cannot say whether or not this will become a series I will love. I am eager to start with book one in the series, however. I have a feeling Jack will grow on me, and I hear those earlier books in the series are not to be missed. show less

Jack Reacher, Lee Child’s outsider character, represents the Lone Ranger paradox. Can someone save society while refusing to be a full member of it? What is the meaning of the cowboy who rides into town (in Reacher’s case on a subway train rather than a horse), shoots the bad guys and rides on into the sunset?

The dénouement of Gone Tomorrow has a revealing exchange between Svetlana Hoth, the novel’s ‘baddie’, and Jack Reacher, whom she has forced at gun-point to strip to his boxers:

Svetlana “made a mound of my possessions on the kitchen counter next to the nine loose rounds and the roll of tape. My cash, plus a few coins. My old expired passport. My ATM card. My subway card. … And my clip-together toothbrush.
‘Not show more much,‘ Svetlana said.
‘Everything I need,’ I said. ‘Nothing I don’t.’
‘You’re a poor man.’
‘No, I’m a rich man. To have everything you need is the definition of affluence.’
‘The American dream, then. To die rich.’ “(p. 424)

Reacher refuses to live the American dream, but is prepared to die to protect it. More precisely, he uses extreme violence to protect it.

This moral ambiguity hung over the book as I read it. No doubt it’s beautifully written. The plot is wonderful. The opening scene in a claustrophobic subway car is full of menace and fear. The pages turn and draw the reader on as Jack Reacher takes on 19 baddies and kills them all. The violence is gory – but not overly so.

Reacher presents himself as a necessary evil in post 9/11 America. He is a patriot whose skills in death give him the right to identify and eliminate those who need eliminating for the protection of the rest. As a character, he is incredibly self-aware and makes no claim to be a hero, just a product of his training to be Military Police in the special forces. He is chilling, compelling, and ultimately leaves a bad taste.

At one level, I recommend Gone Tomorrow as a brilliantly crafted thriller. Does Lee Child, however, actually create irony across the book, sucking us in to enjoy the story, and then raising dilemmas about effective responses to terrorism? Or is it really just an airport novel with doubtful morals? show less

It is late night/early morning. Jack Reacher is on a New York subway train. He spots a woman he thinks is a suicide bomber. He decides to talk to her. This action sets off a trail of unexpected events.

The short sentences in that synopsis are similar to the writing style in this book. The mostly short sentences are full of details about some things (e.g. gun models and fight sequences) but no details about other things (e.g. the people). The story unfolds via a series of events which happen so quickly that, apparently, there’s no time for anyone to display an emotion or reveal much in the way of motivation. Even the sex is rapid and seemingly as uninteresting to the participants as it was to me.

I know thrillers generally focus more on show more plot than character development but this one takes that to an extreme. Reacher is a character about whom we know virtually nothing: he’s ex-army, has big feet, has no home and possesses only 9 things all of which he can carry with him. I haven’t read any of the previous 12 novels in the series but I’m prepared to bet no one who has knows much more about Reacher than this as it would be appear to be a feature of the series. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with that approach but it just didn’t appeal to me. I like to read not only about what people are doing but why they are doing it and Gone Tomorrow had almost none of that second element. The result was a book I simply didn’t connect with at all.

For me reading this book is like the meal you eat when you’ve got 20 minutes to spare at work and you bolt down a sandwich while checking your emails: it quells the hunger pangs but you barely taste it and wouldn’t be able to describe it to someone the next day if your life depended on it. I read this book on a leisurely interstate train trip in what was basically a single sitting but if you ask me in a week what happened I doubt I’ll be able to recall 3 distinct things about the book. show less

Frozen pizzas and Battlestar Galactica be damned: Lee Child is my number-one guilty pleasure. I have nothing... NOTHING in common with his musclebound, resourceful, homeless, ex-military protagonist Jack Reacher... so why do i so dedicatedly turn the pages until they're gone?

I have no answer except that this is read-it-in-one-sitting brain candy of the highest caliber.

Gone Tomorrow opens with Jack realizing that the woman sitting across from him on the subway perfectly fits the 14-point, visual checklist for a suicide bomber. It then hurtles into the roller coaster of plot twists, surprising allies, and almost-as-smart-as-they-think-they-are bad guys I've come to expect from Mr. Child.

Don't judge me.

This the first Lee child / Jack reacher book I've read, and the thirteenth in the series. So I'm rather late to the party. I've watched one Reacher movie with Tom Cruise in the starring role, so maybe that ruined it for me. I have a hard time imagining Reacher as Child paints him (stick to 'Top Gun', Mav!)

I'm not sure if I liked this book. There is much to like, mind you. Great plot, many twists and turns, reasonable characters, and a good sense of place. It certainly draws you through to the end. The best 'character', for me, was New York City. I haven't been there yet, but Child has you 'there' among the chessboard of city blocks and slinking through the subway.

The violence doesn't occur often, but when it does it hits with a curdling show more thump. It's not glamorised or overdone, but Child does not hold back. I'm generally okay with that, but one scene (which I won't describe) was possibly the most vile thing I've ever read. The memory of it haunted me that night! Which got me thinking ... did Child find this in his research. Did the mujahideen / Afghani women actually perform acts like this against British, Soviet and possibly American soldiers? If so, then I guess it's fair game to use in a fictional novel. But if not, I think this feeds into American fear and loathing of these people. It dehumanises them and legitimises any defensive or offensive action Western people want to take - no holds barred. It's a fine line, this, and possibly crosses an ethical line for me.

I was glad to finish the book. I wanted it over. Done. But ... enjoy it? I just don't know. And I don't know if I'll read any more in the series. I'd rather get a good night's sleep, I think. show less

This is the first "Reacher" book I have read, and I have to say, I was riveted from the first pages. It is indeed, a thriller, and the narrative voice, in a Chandler-esque way, keeps things moving. Some interesting insights into U.S. foreign policy along the way. Alas, sexism galore (could have done with far fewer descriptions of how hot the villain was) and graphic violence over and above what was necessary for the story...but the guy knows how to keep the reader rolling along with the story.