The Enemy (Jack Reacher, No. 8) by Lee Child
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Book Reviews of The Enemy (Jack Reacher, No. 8)
Book Review: An Early Look at Reacher as MP
Summary: 4 Stars
The Enemy moves out of chronological order to provide a Jack Reacher adventure while he was still an MP. That's easier to do with an action hero.
If you haven't read any other books in the series, you may actually like the series better if you start with this book rather than Killing Floor which was the first Jack Reacher novel written. If you decide to do that, then go back and read Killing Floor next and follow the chronological order of publication thereafter.
The most unusual characteristic about Jack Reacher is that he is so unconnected to people and places. The Enemy does a fine job of translating that quality into a military setting.
Mr. Child has decided to focus on an unusual period in recent military history: The moment when the Berlin Wall was falling. The story does a good job of developing how a military organization adjusts to its victories.
For those who want to know more about Jack Reacher, the book is also interesting for what it reveals about his family life.
The action in the story builds around the circumstances that follow the unexpected death of a general in a place where he wasn't expected to be found. Reacher is brought in to cover up the details to protect the Army and the family. But he's soon on the trail of crimes . . . and an officialdom that seems committed to covering up those crimes as well.
As usual, Reacher takes it on himself to find out the answers . . . regardless of orders and the personal consequences.
Anyone who has been in the military will delight in his many carefree challenges to authority.
The story itself is more than a little far-fetched, sort of along Tom Clancy lines. But the action redeems the lack of credibility in the story.
Have fun with this one.
Book Review: A Look Into What Makes Reacher Tick!
Summary: 4 Stars
In his eighth book involving Jack Reacher, Lee Child shows us the episode that led him to eventually leave the army. Set at the time of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, there are people in the service who are worrying about how they will survive the inevitable restructuring of forces that will result. Unfortunately, some are doing more than worrying. They have decided to force an outcome that protects their interests. Unfortunately, some people have to die to make that happen.
When a two star general dies in a pay by the hour motel near Camp Bird in North Carolina, Jack Reacher is notified. Heart attack. The general is married. He was not with his wife. The person he was with has fled...in an army Humvee. Later a Delta Forces sergeant is murdered on the post in a most grotesque fashion. Both deaths are to be handled "in the best interests of the army." Reacher is ordered to cover up the true facts by his new commanding officer, General Willard, one of the bad guys.
Never one to take orders such as that Reacher starts to investigate a lot of what is going on. In doing so, he involves a young black lady, Lt. Summers as his sidekick. As they dig deeper into the layers of intrigue, they begin to stir up a hornet's nest, the culmination of which is very interesting reading.
Very!
Book Review: My first encounter with Jack Reacher
Summary: 4 Stars
This was my first Jack Reacher novel, and I have to say, I came away very satisfied.
Yes, the story is a little far-fetched, but it's a book! It's entertainment. Who cares if the motives behind the bad guys' actions are a little unrealistic? They make for an interesting story and the last few chapters were incredibly exciting as Reacher slowly unraveled the mystery for the reader.
My only real complaint is that sometimes Child gets a little too wrapped up in details. When the details have something to do with the plot, that's fine, but sometimes the reader has to endure lengthy descriptions of the streets of Paris, what Reacher ate for breakfast, and the history of tanks. I found myself basically skipping paragraphs that appeared to be nothing but a play-by-play of activities unrelated to the plot. But it's a small price to pay for such an entertaining story.
I'm looking forward to reading more Reacher novels and I can't help but wonder when we'll see the first Jack Reacher movie.
Book Review: Child steps outside the box with this one.
Summary: 4 Stars
My one male friend that likes to read a lot and I were discussing Lee Child a couple of months ago and he said that "The Enemy" is his favorite Reacher story. He liked the twist but most of all he liked the fact that it took place during the time when Reacher was an MP. Well he told me the darned twist. Did I mention that my friend really likes his alcohol? Don't discuss stuff like novels and movies with a drunk is the lesson I should have learned I guess. But the book dragged in the middle much more than any other entry in the series that I had read. I totally agree that it was fun to read about Reacher as an MP, but I think I prefer him hitching down the road in some small town and somehow getting himself caught up in a bunch of implausible situations a lot more. A very good read, but I just don't agree that it is the best of the series.Book Review: Complaints About Military Inaccuracy Miss the Point
Summary: 4 Stars
I can sympathize with readers who find Childs' view of the military inaccurate based on their real-life experience of it. Even as an old "army brat", I picked up on a few of these errors. But I think all this somewhat misses the point; we shouldn't rely on thrillers to teach us about the Army and Military Police procedures, any more than we read Dan Brown's "Deception Point" to learn about NASA (and boy, did that novel contain some groaners.) It's always risky when we read about a subject we know well, whether in a novel or in the New York Times. But for this kind of light entertaintment, the standard of accuracy is lower, and I thought Childs met the minimums. Combined with his excellent writing, the result was vastly entertaining, particularly in the way it illuminated the enigmatic Jack Reacher's background.