The Hard Way

The `surprise' factor when reading the thrillers of Lee Child has, it must be admitted, vanished. Most readers who pick up the new book, The Hard Way, will be well aware that this extremely American narrative is, in fact, written by an Englishman. The days when early readers of Child (notably his American fans) would exclaim how amazing it was that Child got all the cultural reference points correct are long gone. And, in a way, that's not a bad thing--now we can judge the novels purely on their own terms. And if The Hard Way doesn't initially appear to be quite as impressive as its predecessors, that's not to say that it isn't a supremely assured piece of work.

Child's durable hero is, of course, ex-soldier Jack Reacher. Child's publishers claim 'men want to be him--women want to have him', and there's no denying that's a considerable part of Reacher's appeal. His footloose lifestyle and handy way with the trouble that he's always encountering are handled by Child with great panache. In some ways, Reacher is the perfect existential hero: he owns nothing or no-one, and he is, in his turn, owned by nothing or no one. He is defined by the actions he undertakes--and that definition only lasts as long as the problem he is involved with. This one has an even wider range than usual, starting on a busy New York thoroughfare and moving to a violent finale across the Atlantic in the sylvan depths of the English countryside, with Jack up against some very dangerous opponents. Interestingly, Child's publishers describe Jack Reacher in this novel as `invincible', and (ironically) they put their finger on an interesting point in this latest entry. While Jack has always been supremely capable, earlier books have always had a genuine sense of danger--how the hell would Jack get himself out of the latest lethal situation? Here, the outcome seems less in doubt. But this is a minor quibble--Child could not write a bad book if he tried, and all the narrative momentum that propelled the earlier Reacher adventures is satisfyingly in evidence in his latest outing.
--Barry Forshaw

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Well worth reading - Rated
Whenever I pick up a Lee Child book I know I'm in for a great ride of a story and this did not disappoint. Yes, you can spot the twist and you know how it's going to end but still I couldn't put it down. Fantastic and highly recommended.

fabulous - Rated
Being a crime novel virgin (I bought this book for my dad and when he returned it, read it due to a book shortage), I didn't think I'd enjoy it. However, I couldn't put the book down and got into the story from page 1. Looking at some of the other reviews, it seems this isn't Lee Child's best novel but I thought it was well written, fast paced and believable; everything a good story should be.

Fabulous! - Rated
Bought this book for my dad who then returned it to me when he'd read it. Never really been into crime fiction before but this book has converted me! Extremely well written, hard to put down and keeps you thinking hard even when the book's closed. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a well written fast-paced story. Can't wait to get hold of more of Child's work.

Same ole same ole from Child - Rated
Several years ago now, Lee Child (an English writer living in the US) developed Jack Reacher as the central character for his books. He's a former military policeman who 'went all Kung Fu' and decided to 'walk the Earth' after leaving the army (for want of a better description).

In the books, Child deposits Reacher in different situations across the US and it's up to Reacher to solve crime local to where he ends up. In this book, he comes across a husband whose wife has been kidnapped. Unfortunately for the guy, this isn't the first wife to whom this has happened, and as a result, Reacher decides to investigate the kidnapping (as much to satisfy his curiosity as to what is going on as anything else).

It wasn't a bad book, but I've read a number of his books now and they're starting to feel a little samey. If you want that, you will probably like this book. If you don't, you'd probably do better to look elsewhere.

Entertaining read - Rated
Lee Child started the Jack Reacher series very well but lost the plot a bit in a couple of the earlier books (in my opinion). Reacher got a bit like someone who should wear red undies on top of his trousers. Happily, this book is a return to form. To put it in context, this book is entertainment, it will never challenge Dickens or Shakespeare, but if you're stuck in an airport, and you like action books, then this will stop you getting bored for a while.

There were more twists in the plot than previous Reacher novels, this is good, and Reacher is less invincible, which is also good. Bits of it are still a bit far fetched but, hey, it's entertainment and nowhere near as far fetched as Clive Cussler!

The plot is to do with the kidnap of a wife and child, in a repeat of a previous kidnapping. Reacher is sucked in to the plot through being in the wrong cafe at the wrong time and then going there the following day because he liked the coffee. I won't spoil the plot, but it's enjoyable.