KCR: Persuader, a Jack Reacher novel (crime)

Cover of Persuader (Jack Reacher, No. 7)

Persuader is a typical thriller... except when Jack Reacher is involved, and there are several twists and turns.

Jack Reacher foiled a kidnapping attempt, only to reveal that the victim's father is a suspected kingpin in gunrunning, possibly involved in a kidnapped Federal agent... and an enemy Reacher thought he killed long time ago... As Reacher hired on as a bodyguard, he tries to search the house looking for evidence of the agent, while dealing with enemies who started to suspect him.

Lee Child by now is great in ratcheting up the pressure slowly, as the tension gets thicker and thicker in the air as he gets closer and closer to the truth. The book also has quite a bit of flashback where Reacher revealed why he thought he had killed the other guy. Clearly, this time he'll make SURE he really IS dead.

Undercover work is always tense, and Reacher have no problem this time dealing out some justice.

KCR: One Shot, a Jack Reacher novel (crime, sniper, detective, novel)

Another sniper novel... almost same premise as I, Sniper... sort of. A sniper kills 5 office workers with 6 shots, and disappears. Forensics picked out one guy, and he was arrested. However, he refused to cooperate. Instead, he said, "You got the wrong guy. Get Reacher for me."  However, Reacher was already on his way... Having seen the news. You see, Reacher knew this guy... who did the exact same thing a long time ago... However, Reacher will get to the bottom of this... and deal justice the only way he can.

This book has quite a few twists and turns, and enough red herrings that keep you guessing which side some of the characters are on, which is great for mysteries. Overall, a great read, esp. if you like the genre.

Rating: read it!

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KCR: The Enemy, a Jack Reacher novel (novel, crime)

Cover of The Enemy (Jack Reacher, No. 8)The Enemy is about Jack Reacher's earlier career, when he was still in the military. The year was 1990, when US is about to invade Panama. Reacher was just ordered to this base in command of the MPs, when a 2-star general was found dead in a motel, and his briefcase is missing. No one knows what he's doing there or what's in the briefcase. A few hours later, general's wife was found dead as well... then other people started to die... And Reacher found himself up against a conspiracy that threatens all he stood for, reaching higher than he imagined. However, the enemies underestimated Reacher... Because Reacher will never quit, even if he had to go around the world and reach to the top of the Army for some answers...

"The Enemy" is a bit slow at parts, but then I found most mysteries to be slow. However, pacing is better in this novel, with the body count steadily adding up, and a lot of red herrings but a lot of clues as well. People don't say what they mean, so you have to go by actions and what they reveal by what they do NOT say. There are a lot of locations, and Reacher also gets to recount a bit of family history (apparently, his mom was in the French Resistance in WW2).

I'd say this is one of the better Jack Reacher novels. Worth reading at least once.

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• Bad Luck and Trouble, by Lee Child (mrsaubergine.wordpress.com)

KCR: 61 Hours, a Jack Reacher Novel (crime)

Image via Wikipedia61 Hours is another novel featuring Jack Reacher, former top Army MP investigator (read: top army cop), wanderer, and sort of knight errant. He enjoys wandering the country, have virtually no belongings, and tends to run into trouble everywhere... because he refuse to back down from things, but he's smart... very smart, and he can take care of business as he's a big guy too.

In 61 Hours, a bus carrying him and passengers were stranded in the middle of nowhere in a snowstorm. They made their way to town, Bolton South Dakota. Local cops, after figuring him out, asked him for help. Apparently there are a bunch of bad guys that come into town and cause trouble, and they may be related to that abandoned airfield on the outskirts of town, and there is a death threat against one of the outstanding citizens in town... and a prison on the edge of town ready to riot. Reacher will help to ensure justice is done, but there is a traitor in the department. When even cops turned up dead, Reacher must find the truth, and deal with a hidden legacy of the Cold War.

The action is a bit slow this time around. It's mostly wits, observations, and detective work. It was not near the end that Reacher gets to demonstrate his martial arts and gun skills. And this time, he'll meet a new enemy that may be a match to him.

If you are a Reacher fan, this book will not disappoint. However, if you are starting on Reacher, I actually recommend "Without Fail", where Reacher is tapped by the Secret Service to help protect the vice president... but the woman who found him was involved with his now dead brother...

Rating: read it once