Bad Luck and Trouble (Jack Reacher, No. 11) by Lee Child
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Book Reviews of Bad Luck and Trouble (Jack Reacher, No. 11)
Book Review: Bad luck has a first name and it's J-A-C-K; trouble has a second name and it's R-E-A-C-H-E-R
Summary: 5 Stars
I took this book with me to see the doctor, who asked to look at it. He said, "Hey, isn't this about the big guy who travels around and doesn't live anywhere?" Yes, I said. He said, "I heard somewhere that this character appeals only to men, but since 9/11 women are reading about him." Why is that, I asked. "Because women want to feel someone strong is in charge and can take care of things."
Someone strong in charge, who can take care of things. Yep, that just about sums up Jack Reacher, former leader of a special investigations unit in the army, now retired and drifting. But this is special drifting. Writers have all kinds of ways of telling their truths. Lee Child uses Jack Reacher to bring back the individual heroism of Robin Hood, James Bond, Aragorn, according to the interview on the product page. But I would like to suggest the existential hero, the one who finds meaning in a meaningless world, fraught with danger and death and mayhem, not unlike 9/11. As a free agent with no ties any where, Jack Reacher is available to confront "bad luck and trouble," a euphemistic phrase for "a world of mess and hurt."
The mess and hurt this time involves team members of his old army unit of eight mighty handy, highly trained and intelligent people. One is dead, three are missing. Jack and the other three meet syncronously to ferret out this tangle of deceit involving the four. They had a motto back in the day: You do not mess with the special investigations. And so it goes.
At the bottom of the trouble is a super secret military attack system that would cause extreme chaos in the flight world. The bad guys are Americans who have sold out the military to the highest bidder in an underhanded dirty maneuver for profit and gain. The buyer, of course, is an Islamic fundamentalist with death and misery in his heart.
But the story is not about the Muslim or the inside weapons guys: The story is about Reacher and his "guys." Remember, you do not mess with special investigations. In a crazy world two things are consistent about Reacher: his loyalty and his retribution.
Lee Child's novels are not one action-filled moment after the other. Instead, they are realistic. There is much waiting and investigating before action is inevitable. I find the Reacher series to be a thinking person's action thriller. Reacher may carry a travel toothbrush in his pocket, however his travels are the author's means to reaching a new end...and the next book in a very enjoyable series. And my doctor is right--it's good to know someone strong can take charge, even if it is in fiction.
Book Review: Read Them All, and This Was My Favorite
Summary: 5 Stars
It's odd. First, we have a truly incredible superhero or super antihero, who thinks detailed actions in milliseconds. Then we have a few technical glitches. Jack Reacher, this super-antihero, does everything but leap tall buildings in a single bound, but then there's always that possibility in the nest Jack Reacher novel. And with all that, it was a real page turner, so much so that I finished it on a red-eye while everyone else was fast asleep.
So, if you can suspend a little disbelief (as opposed to a lot of disbelief in the one where Reacher swims underwater 300 yards in full battle gear off the coast of Maine in the winter), this may be the best of Child's novels. It's almost as good as the best Saunders and Sanders books. Four-and-a-half stars.
Book Review: A Great Read!
Summary: 5 Stars
Once again, Lee Child has produced an excellent Jack Reacher novel. I couldn't put it down, and I couldn't resist writing a few lines to give it the five stars it deserves. If you like thrillers with an edgy, intelligent, and rugged lead character, then Reacher is your man. Enjoy! Book Review: The best Reacher yet
Summary: 5 Stars
I love all of Lee Child's work, but this was my favorite to date. His writing is sharp, punchy, and surprisingly witty, even in some of the story's darkest moments. Great characters in a compelling page turner that I had trouble setting down. More than ever, I wanted to join Reacher's team. Highly recommended.Book Review: You lost me
Summary: 3 Stars
The main characters were facinating. Too many to keep straight and connected through the story. My interest ebbed and waned so there were times i had to try to force my attention back to what was going on. I enjoyed the dry humor and the readers style. I bought it to follow the Jack Reacher character but he was a totally different person.