Maggie’s Any other Lee Child Jack Reacher Novel Fans Here ... Jack is Back and Better Than Ever

[Centuriator]

I've been a huge fan of Lee Child's series of novels with Jack Reacher as the main character, but pretty darn disappointed by the last few novels in the series...I thought Lee had simply lost his edge and had burned out. Well, the most recent novel in the series is as good, if not better, than the rest of them, and is fantastic. Glad to see Child is back in form again.

I'm referring to Midnight Line

Anyone else reading it? NO SPOILERS PLEASE.

https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Lin...305567&sr=8-1&keywords=lee+child+jack+reacher


While I did enjoy the first Jack Reacher movie, I mean, come on...Tom Cruise, the 5'7" on a good day guy playing a man who is described as "The Hulk" and "Bigfoot" in this latest novel? With fists the size of thanksgiving turkeys? Give me a break, but it was a damn good movie (the first one), the second? Not so much. I thought the firearm manipulation and handling in the first was superb.

 

[writtenbytylerkee]

Oh man! Casting Tom cruise was such a sacrilegious move! I’ve read all the reacher books, and I agree that Child was starting to get soft. I didn’t realize there was a new one out. I’ll go snag it this evening. Thanks!

 

[Centuriator]

You will love it. It is vintage Child/Reacher. Short, clipped prose. Wonderful dialogue. Reacher at his finest Reacher.

Re. Cruise.

Yes, that was a tough pill to swallow, but I have to admit the first movie was GREAT. Interesting, Dwayne Johnson went for the role. That would have made a heck of a lot more sense, and I think Johnson has developed the acting chops to have pulled it off.

But the first movie was great, I have to admit, in every respect.

But the novels are awesome.

 

[Centuriator]

I had to force myself to stop reading in order not to spoil the only point of pleasure in enduring a crappy to/from a location on a plane for Thanksgiving!

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Love the novels.

Movie's stupid....

I pick my way through them as a fun break from history books.

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[Centuriator]

Love the novels.

Movie's stupid....

I pick my way through them as a fun break from history books.

Cheers,

Sirhr

I am a voracious reader...and always have a half-dozen books going at the same time, heavy duty stuff to fiction.

Amazon's Kindle eBook format and all the apps makes it possible to be reading anytime, anywhere.

 

[myronman3]

i cant get past the name.....Jack Reacharound.

you're welcome.

 

[Barneybdb]

Does not seem to be available down here in Australia yet, will keep looking. Have read all the previous ones several times.

 

[hankpac]

Everything about the disparity in physique is what ruins the entire film series for me. If Cruise hadn't had control of the entire project, it could have had an actor of appropriate build to play the role.
Scenes such as the one where he is surrounded by 5 or 6 guys and warns them about spending the next 6 months in the hospital take on far more gravity when done with a huge guy who moves far faster than one expects.
Anyway, I really enjoy the books. A short time after returning from Viet Nam, I went walkabout, and traveled around the US, hitchhiking. I met some varied people, and had some incredible adventures. At the end of each trip I usually spent some extended time hiking and backpacking in the local wilderness. I got to see a lot of small highways and roads in rural America. Some of Reacher's rules for getting a ride have a ring of authenticity. For a Brit, he also seems to have a grasp of US Army life, with only a few glitches.
With the exposure of the rot in Hollywood, I don't have much interest in who could play the role now.

 

[ggmanning]

I have read all the Reacher books. Couldn't watch any movie that has Tom Cruise cast as Reacher. I mean really???? Physically imposing is not anywhere in the description of cruise.

 

[rg1911]

I quit reading the Jack Reacher books because they truly started to annoy me. Apparently it was fine for the character to kill adversaries with his hands, pool cues, etc. As the series progressed, there were too many snide comments that, to me, sounded very anti-gun. Fine if you're a young, healthy, trained killer; not so good if you're 65 with too many medical conditions.

Just my opinion.

Richard

 

[diverdon]

I quit reading the Jack Reacher books because they truly started to annoy me. Apparently it was fine for the character to kill adversaries with his hands, pool cues, etc. As the series progressed, there were too many snide comments that, to me, sounded very anti-gun. Fine if you're a young, healthy, trained killer; not so good if you're 65 with too many medical conditions.

Just my opinion.

Richard

That is well said. The author clearly markets his product to people who have always been too fearful of physical confrontations to ever have had one. Thus the reader can vicariously experience the thrill of victory without the risk of being beat down. I guess that much is common in the genre. But Child seems to take the creation of special characters whose only purpose is to be disposed of by Reacher to a new level.

To me (I only read one book) the thing that was even weirder, was Reacher's money. When I have had a lot of money, then if I spent it sparingly it can last a long time. In the book I read Reacher started with a very tiny amount of money but was able to afford to stay in hotels and eat in diners without getting any more money yet it seems he always has enough money for what ever he wants to do next. It has been my experience in life that when your wallet gets thin, I had better start looking for work if I want to keep eating.

 

[hermosabeach]

Some of the books got comical with a nice homo erotic scene.. jack digging a hole for a pool with a shovel in the Florida Keys...... the description was crazy.... not sure if the author likes that or if his fans like that multi page description.... Strange

 

[bobke]

Anyone tried the Pike Logan series from Brad Taylor? Pretty fast reading, lots of fairly current inferences and technology from Taylor’s SF background. That view from the outside/citizen perspective. Have read 7 so far, and he keeps churning them out.

 

[bogeybrown]

I'm glad to hear that he's come out with a solid new book. I binge read alol of them when I was overseas and he really started losing me towards the end. As others have said, the Tom Cruise thing was a huge insult to me as a fan of the character.

I'll look for the new one based on your recommendation.

 

[Centuriator]

I quit reading the Jack Reacher books because they truly started to annoy me. Apparently it was fine for the character to kill adversaries with his hands, pool cues, etc. As the series progressed, there were too many snide comments that, to me, sounded very anti-gun. Fine if you're a young, healthy, trained killer; not so good if you're 65 with too many medical conditions.

Just my opinion.

Richard

Ridiculous...there is nothing anti-gun about Jack Reacher, as anyone who has read any of the books would know.

Your opinion is stupid.

 

[Centuriator]

I'm glad to hear that he's come out with a solid new book. I binge read alol of them when I was overseas and he really started losing me towards the end. As others have said, the Tom Cruise thing was a huge insult to me as a fan of the character.

I'll look for the new one based on your recommendation.

Just finished it last night...really enjoyed it. You are right, the last two were quite bad, especially the last one.

I am starting "No Middle Name" a collection of Reacher short stories.

 

[writtenbytylerkee]

Just finished it last night...really enjoyed it. You are right, the last two were quite bad, especially the last one.

I am starting "No Middle Name" a collection of Reacher short stories.

"No Middle Name" is a lot of fun. There's no worry about plot or flow - just Reacher headbutting people and being a quasi hobo. It almost seems to be a collection of stories that Lee Child couldn't make into a complete book, so he just put them together in a collection of short stories.

I also finished the latest book over the Thanksgiving weekend and loved it. Classic Reacher. He showed off some detective skills, headbutted some people, got laid, and generally cleaned up a mess. It was a fun distraction from the world at large.

 

[kabarNC]

Thanks for the heads up, I'm a Reacher fan as well. On an different note, nothing irritates me more than when a good novel takes a dump because the author has little to no knowledge of firearms but just wings it anyway. If you don't know, leave it out!

 

[diverdon]

Ridiculous...there is nothing anti-gun about Jack Reacher, as anyone who has read any of the books would know.

Your opinion is stupid.

Next you will be claiming that you don't have a homoerotic fascination with Reacher.

 

[Centuriator]

Thanks for the heads up, I'm a Reacher fan as well. On an different note, nothing irritates me more than when a good novel takes a dump because the author has little to no knowledge of firearms but just wings it anyway. If you don't know, leave it out!

Yes....I actual help an author by reading his proofs to double check his firearm descriptions, etc.

There is a boo-boo in the latest reacher novel when he refers to the M-14 "Garand" ... But his description of its use was most satisfying.

 

[Centuriator]

Next you will be claiming that you don't have a homoerotic fascination with Reacher.

You are projecting.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Just got the new book at Wally world... Deer camp reading...

Cheers, sirhr

 

[Centuriator]

The short story collection is terrific...great stuff too.

 

[fx77]

Read every one...purchased them too!
Only guy I could see playing Reacher would have been Clint Walker not dinky/gay T Cruise

for him who knows not clint Walker.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clint_Walker

 

[Centuriator]

Just read up on Walker...yup, definitely a good choice for Reacher, if he had been about 45 years younger.

A true bad ass.

In May 1971, Walker narrowly escaped death in a skiing accident at Mammoth Mountain, California. In a fall from a ski lift, Walker was pierced through the heart with a ski pole. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. However, a doctor detected faint signs of life and rushed Walker to surgery, where his damaged heart was repaired. Within two months, Walker was working again.

 

[Bender]

That is well said. The author clearly markets his product to people who have always been too fearful of physical confrontations to ever have had one. Thus the reader can vicariously experience the thrill of victory without the risk of being beat down. I guess that much is common in the genre. But Child seems to take the creation of special characters whose only purpose is to be disposed of by Reacher to a new level.

To me (I only read one book) the thing that was even weirder, was Reacher's money. When I have had a lot of money, then if I spent it sparingly it can last a long time. In the book I read Reacher started with a very tiny amount of money but was able to afford to stay in hotels and eat in diners without getting any more money yet it seems he always has enough money for what ever he wants to do next. It has been my experience in life that when your wallet gets thin, I had better start looking for work if I want to keep eating.

I forget which books, I have read a few of them, but he goes into this extensively, basically he knocks over drug dealers and steals meth lab money LOL. Plus he has a bank card, military retirement, and a brother.

 

[hermosabeach]

Yup- lots of fun fiction

crazy homo erotic stories as well to prove Jack is Kewl......

lots of dumb gun stuff... Like the author has an old gun digest and is looking at guns and descriptions or like the author is anti gun and pokes fun at gun people by intentionally writing fake stuff about guns.....



I will look for the new book at the library

 

[ra2bach]

when I read Reacher for the first time, I saw Dolph Lundgren in my mind...

 

[Slash0311]

I have been reading Reacher novels for a long time before a move was even discussed. I had been trying to think of a "major" actor that has the right size and look. I could never come up with a good choice. I thought someone like Triple H the wrestler. Right size and look but not enough star power. There's someone like Dwayne Johnson. Right size and star power but too ethnic.

I totally agree the Tom Cruise is no where near the right size but I think he pulls Jack Reacher off pretty well.

I know of felt "No Where To Run" seemed to focus on the woman too much and almost tried too hard to make her a female Reached and failed.

As for the books, I just finished Night School and Make Me. Both were okay but night school was lame. Make Me was okay but the plot was out in left field. I hope to try the newer ones soon.

 

[roggom]

"when I read Reacher for the first time, I saw Dolph Lundgren in my mind..."

Exactly, still do when I read/listen to the books.

As for Cruise, Child did an interview discussing his view.

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