Customer Reviews
A good no-brainer read - By: Literary Lunatic, 21 Jul 2008 
Just finished this on holiday - have never read any Lee Child before so decided to start at the beginning of the Jack Reacher story. I'm more of a fan of the style where you can work out what is happening so was slightly disappointed that you had to be fed some of the knowledge & couldn't have worked it out on your own. Plus there were some big leaps that you had to make (won't spoil it for those who haven't read but there is the 'coincidence in being in Margrave' & the 10th man leap which I still can't work out!).
Having said that, it is a real page-turner & alll characters are very engaging. While it is the Jack Reacher series, I do hope we see some of the others back in other books in the series. I guess I'll have to read them to find out.
Don't let the military aspect put you off a fabulous book - By: Jessica Simpson, 21 Jun 2008 
I picked this book up in the airport to read on holiday not expecting anything but an average but good holiday read. I couldn't put it down. It completely surprised me. By the end of the first chapter I was so bumused & enagaged by the plot & the main character that I was engrossed for the next two days.
Although Jack Reacher is a gruff, predatory loner, something about him makes you want to learn more & more about how he has come to be at the point in his life where this novel starts. It was full of action, full of twists & turns & I found it refreshingly orginal in the over saturated thriller/crime genre.
I have since gone on to read most of the other books by Lee Child & while they may never again have the same impact is this introduction to Jack Reacher, they are still my holiday novel of choice 7 years on.
God Awful - By: Mr. G. McCabe, 30 Mar 2008 
This book receives good reviews, dont be fooled. This book is rubbish! from start to finish. The story has a flimsy plot. The characters are shalllow. The book lacks any originality, & the main character is just a combination of every other invincible contrived "anti hero". Honestly, this book is absolute garbage.
Child's 1st Reacher outing - By: Mr. A. J. Carr, 23 Mar 2008 What can I say about Lee Child? I love the mans work, i'm not reading the novels in order as first I read was One Shot which I thought was storming & could not put it down. I own paperbacks killing floor to The hard way & have read One shot, tripwire, persuader & most recently killing floor when I was traveling to Central America last year which funnily enough took me through a stop over in Atlanta so on flight home I could very easily relate & picture the hotel area, the closenest of the climate in the region & more so passing through the airport. All said I've enjoyed this book & alll the others as i guess, every guy wants to be a Reacher, I know I would :) He gets the girl, in situations where normal bloke would brick it, Reacher just goes to it, if someone has to be sorted out, or gets in his way, he takes them out... Almost an old western Clint Eastwood style. i hope someday somebody says "Hey, lets make one of these Child novels into a film" I'd go watch it.
cheese - By: LT10, 27 Jan 2008 
I have to admit I only got half way through this book so my review is not of the book as a whole. Unfortunately, I could not force myself to read on further. I am afraid the writing is juvenile: steel, blue eyed hero mashing baddies. Nothing wrong with this I guess but the likes of Stephen Hunter do it far better, read Pale Horse Coming for example.
