Lee Child has had his readers biting their fingernails even more insistently than usual since his last novel. The author usually delivers one...... more

Lee Child has had his readers biting their fingernails even more insistently than usual since his last novel. The author usually delivers one book a year featuring his laconic, super-resourceful hero Jack Reacher, but we were informed by his publishers that there would be a very briskly delivered successor to the last book, 61 Hours -- and the reason was not hard to see. A significant number of Reacher admirers had been startled by the fact that the ex-military policeman appeared to be dead at the end of his latest outing. But we can relax -- heres the new book, Worth Dying For, with the tough Mr Reacher alive and kicking, and more than ready for another helping of pulse-raising action. Initially, we are not told how Jack Reacher survived the seemingly-terminal events of the last book, as he makes his way south to an unwelcoming part of Nebraska in the dead of winter. He fetches up in a town in the grip of the powerful, manipulative Duncan family, and the cowed townspeople have no fight left in them. In a sleazy hotel, he encounters the town's alcoholic doctor, and the two end up driving to a house where they come across a grim case of domestic violence. And Child admirers wont be surprised to learn that Jacks life is soon on the line -- as usual. The stage is set for violent confrontation.Lee Child, with each new book, effortlessly sails to the top of the bestseller charts a feat already achieved with Worth Dying For. The secret? There are no frills with the business-like Mr Child - just copper-bottomed storytelling skills, fully on display with this new book. The frigid Nebraska setting here contrasts tellingly with the hot action. --Barry Forshaw

... less

The surprise factor when reading the thrillers of Lee Child has, it must be admitted, vanished. Most readers who pick up the new book,...... more

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 thats a considerable part of Reachers appeal. His footloose lifestyle and handy way with the trouble that hes 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, Childs 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

... less

Lee Child has had his readers biting their fingernails even more insistently than usual since his last novel. The author usually delivers one...... more

Lee Child has had his readers biting their fingernails even more insistently than usual since his last novel. The author usually delivers one book a year featuring his laconic, super-resourceful hero Jack Reacher, but we were informed by his publishers that there would be a very briskly delivered successor to the last book, 61 Hours -- and the reason was not hard to see. A significant number of Reacher admirers had been startled by the fact that the ex-military policeman appeared to be dead at the end of his latest outing. But we can relax -- heres the new book, Worth Dying For, with the tough Mr Reacher alive and kicking, and more than ready for another helping of pulse-raising action. Initially, we are not told how Jack Reacher survived the seemingly-terminal events of the last book, as he makes his way south to an unwelcoming part of Nebraska in the dead of winter. He fetches up in a town in the grip of the powerful, manipulative Duncan family, and the cowed townspeople have no fight left in them. In a sleazy hotel, he encounters the town's alcoholic doctor, and the two end up driving to a house where they come across a grim case of domestic violence. And Child admirers wont be surprised to learn that Jacks life is soon on the line -- as usual. The stage is set for violent confrontation.Lee Child, with each new book, effortlessly sails to the top of the bestseller charts a feat already achieved with Worth Dying For. The secret? There are no frills with the business-like Mr Child - just copper-bottomed storytelling skills, fully on display with this new book. The frigid Nebraska setting here contrasts tellingly with the hot action. --Barry Forshaw

... less

Lee Child has had his readers biting their fingernails even more insistently than usual since his last novel. The author usually delivers one...... more

Lee Child has had his readers biting their fingernails even more insistently than usual since his last novel. The author usually delivers one book a year featuring his laconic, super-resourceful hero Jack Reacher, but we were informed by his publishers that there would be a very briskly delivered successor to the last book, 61 Hours -- and the reason was not hard to see. A significant number of Reacher admirers had been startled by the fact that the ex-military policeman appeared to be dead at the end of his latest outing. But we can relax -- heres the new book, Worth Dying For, with the tough Mr Reacher alive and kicking, and more than ready for another helping of pulse-raising action. Initially, we are not told how Jack Reacher survived the seemingly-terminal events of the last book, as he makes his way south to an unwelcoming part of Nebraska in the dead of winter. He fetches up in a town in the grip of the powerful, manipulative Duncan family, and the cowed townspeople have no fight left in them. In a sleazy hotel, he encounters the town's alcoholic doctor, and the two end up driving to a house where they come across a grim case of domestic violence. And Child admirers wont be surprised to learn that Jacks life is soon on the line -- as usual. The stage is set for violent confrontation.Lee Child, with each new book, effortlessly sails to the top of the bestseller charts a feat already achieved with Worth Dying For. The secret? There are no frills with the business-like Mr Child - just copper-bottomed storytelling skills, fully on display with this new book. The frigid Nebraska setting here contrasts tellingly with the hot action. --Barry Forshaw

... less

Lee Child has had his readers biting their fingernails even more insistently than usual since his last novel. The author usually delivers one...... more

Lee Child has had his readers biting their fingernails even more insistently than usual since his last novel. The author usually delivers one book a year featuring his laconic, super-resourceful hero Jack Reacher, but we were informed by his publishers that there would be a very briskly delivered successor to the last book, 61 Hours -- and the reason was not hard to see. A significant number of Reacher admirers had been startled by the fact that the ex-military policeman appeared to be dead at the end of his latest outing. But we can relax -- heres the new book, Worth Dying For, with the tough Mr Reacher alive and kicking, and more than ready for another helping of pulse-raising action. Initially, we are not told how Jack Reacher survived the seemingly-terminal events of the last book, as he makes his way south to an unwelcoming part of Nebraska in the dead of winter. He fetches up in a town in the grip of the powerful, manipulative Duncan family, and the cowed townspeople have no fight left in them. In a sleazy hotel, he encounters the town's alcoholic doctor, and the two end up driving to a house where they come across a grim case of domestic violence. And Child admirers wont be surprised to learn that Jacks life is soon on the line -- as usual. The stage is set for violent confrontation.Lee Child, with each new book, effortlessly sails to the top of the bestseller charts a feat already achieved with Worth Dying For. The secret? There are no frills with the business-like Mr Child - just copper-bottomed storytelling skills, fully on display with this new book. The frigid Nebraska setting here contrasts tellingly with the hot action. --Barry Forshaw

... less

There was some excitement recently at the offices of Transworld, publisher of the British thriller writer Lee Child, who has so...... more

There was some excitement recently at the offices of Transworld, publisher of the British thriller writer Lee Child, who has so successful conquered America with his Jack Reacher adventures. Child usually produces only one novel featuring his tough ex-army action hero each year, but the latest book, 61 Hours, will be followed up with a speedily issued second new Reacher-related novel this autumn. 61 Hours -- admirers will, of course, have to have both. Sales of such Child novels as Gone Tomorrow have exceed 74,000 copies and he continues his upwards ascent, singularly unimpeded. But the new book has Jack Reacher in the most extreme danger of his career.South Dakota is shivering under an icy winter, and the roads are particularly treacherous. As a snow storm gathers force, the tyres of a bus skid and there is a crash, stranding the bus and its passengers. And if you think that this atmospheric set-up sounds like the perfect introduction to a Jack Reacher novel, how right you are: Lee Child's granite-tough hero has hitched a ride in the back of the bus, and finds himself (like the other passengers -- a particularly ill assorted group) facing the problems of surviving in sub-arctic weather. Needless to say, Jack is able to draw on more resources in such a situation than many of his fellow passengers. Some 20 miles away from the crash is a small town, where a key witness is being guarded against sinister individuals bent on murder. And another elements in this combustible mix includes an omniscient figure who is to have a crucial role in the dramatic events that follow -- even though this figure is many miles from the frigid landscape that Jack Reacher is marooned in.All of this is typically suspenseful fare (in fact, the real surprise would be if it werent -- Child is one of the most reliable writers on the face of the planet). And theres an ending quite unlike any other Jack Reacher novel you have read. Lee Child aficionados need not hesitate. --Barry Forshaw

... less

There was a time when a US-set crime novel by a British writer (such as James Hadley Chase's No Orchids For Miss Blandish) could get away with a certain...... more

There was a time when a US-set crime novel by a British writer (such as James Hadley Chase's No Orchids For Miss Blandish) could get away with a certain carelessness in local detail. Not any more. Since the Englishman Lee Child began writing his superbly authentic novels, few readers on either side of the Atlantic would accept anything other than the gritty authenticity of books such as Child's latest, Echo Burning. He prides himself on the plausibility of his settings and characters, and actually has a more striking sense of the American landscape that many native writers. He never allows the reader to forget just where his hero Jack Reacher is, what he's feeling, smelling, seeing. And Reacher has slowly but surely become one of the most fully rounded protagonists in thriller fiction. It's hardly surprising that the novels have been optioned for filming; what is surprising is the fact that it hasn't happened before. Jack finds himself suffering the intense heat of a Texas summer, and (leaving behind a messy situation) hardly worries about the dangers of who will pick him up when he hitches a ride. But it's a beautiful young rich girl driving a Cadillac who gives Jack a lift. Carmen tells him she has a little girl who is being observed by unseen and sinister forces. And her brutal, abusive jailed husband is more than likely to kill her when he gets out. It's obviously highly inadvisable for Jack to travel to Carmen's remote ranch in Echo County and become involved in her problems, but (needless to say) he does just that. And he's soon encountering lies, lust and prejudice, with untrustworthy cops and lawyers absolutely no help. Jack finally realises that there is only one way to resolve this lethal situation. As always with Child, the narrative rattles along with real élan, and the sultry characterisation keeps everything ruthlessly on track. --Barry Forshaw

... less

There was some excitement recently at the offices of Transworld, publisher of the British thriller writer Lee Child, who has so...... more

There was some excitement recently at the offices of Transworld, publisher of the British thriller writer Lee Child, who has so successful conquered America with his Jack Reacher adventures. Child usually produces only one novel featuring his tough ex-army action hero each year, but the latest book, 61 Hours, will be followed up with a speedily issued second new Reacher-related novel this autumn. 61 Hours -- admirers will, of course, have to have both. Sales of such Child novels as Gone Tomorrow have exceed 74,000 copies and he continues his upwards ascent, singularly unimpeded. But the new book has Jack Reacher in the most extreme danger of his career.South Dakota is shivering under an icy winter, and the roads are particularly treacherous. As a snow storm gathers force, the tyres of a bus skid and there is a crash, stranding the bus and its passengers. And if you think that this atmospheric set-up sounds like the perfect introduction to a Jack Reacher novel, how right you are: Lee Child's granite-tough hero has hitched a ride in the back of the bus, and finds himself (like the other passengers -- a particularly ill assorted group) facing the problems of surviving in sub-arctic weather. Needless to say, Jack is able to draw on more resources in such a situation than many of his fellow passengers. Some 20 miles away from the crash is a small town, where a key witness is being guarded against sinister individuals bent on murder. And another elements in this combustible mix includes an omniscient figure who is to have a crucial role in the dramatic events that follow -- even though this figure is many miles from the frigid landscape that Jack Reacher is marooned in.All of this is typically suspenseful fare (in fact, the real surprise would be if it werent -- Child is one of the most reliable writers on the face of the planet). And theres an ending quite unlike any other Jack Reacher novel you have read. Lee Child aficionados need not hesitate. --Barry Forshaw

... less

The surprise factor when reading the thrillers of Lee Child has, it must be admitted, vanished. Most readers who pick up the new book,...... more

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 thats a considerable part of Reachers appeal. His footloose lifestyle and handy way with the trouble that hes 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, Childs 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

... less

Lee Child has had his readers biting their fingernails even more insistently than usual since his last novel. The author usually delivers one...... more

Lee Child has had his readers biting their fingernails even more insistently than usual since his last novel. The author usually delivers one book a year featuring his laconic, super-resourceful hero Jack Reacher, but we were informed by his publishers that there would be a very briskly delivered successor to the last book, 61 Hours -- and the reason was not hard to see. A significant number of Reacher admirers had been startled by the fact that the ex-military policeman appeared to be dead at the end of his latest outing. But we can relax -- heres the new book, Worth Dying For, with the tough Mr Reacher alive and kicking, and more than ready for another helping of pulse-raising action. Initially, we are not told how Jack Reacher survived the seemingly-terminal events of the last book, as he makes his way south to an unwelcoming part of Nebraska in the dead of winter. He fetches up in a town in the grip of the powerful, manipulative Duncan family, and the cowed townspeople have no fight left in them. In a sleazy hotel, he encounters the town's alcoholic doctor, and the two end up driving to a house where they come across a grim case of domestic violence. And Child admirers wont be surprised to learn that Jacks life is soon on the line -- as usual. The stage is set for violent confrontation.Lee Child, with each new book, effortlessly sails to the top of the bestseller charts a feat already achieved with Worth Dying For. The secret? There are no frills with the business-like Mr Child - just copper-bottomed storytelling skills, fully on display with this new book. The frigid Nebraska setting here contrasts tellingly with the hot action. --Barry Forshaw

... less

There was a time when a US-set crime novel by a British writer (such as James Hadley Chase's No Orchids For Miss Blandish) could get away with a certain...... more

There was a time when a US-set crime novel by a British writer (such as James Hadley Chase's No Orchids For Miss Blandish) could get away with a certain carelessness in local detail. Not any more. Since the Englishman Lee Child began writing his superbly authentic novels, few readers on either side of the Atlantic would accept anything other than the gritty authenticity of books such as Child's latest, Echo Burning. He prides himself on the plausibility of his settings and characters, and actually has a more striking sense of the American landscape that many native writers. He never allows the reader to forget just where his hero Jack Reacher is, what he's feeling, smelling, seeing. And Reacher has slowly but surely become one of the most fully rounded protagonists in thriller fiction. It's hardly surprising that the novels have been optioned for filming; what is surprising is the fact that it hasn't happened before. Jack finds himself suffering the intense heat of a Texas summer, and (leaving behind a messy situation) hardly worries about the dangers of who will pick him up when he hitches a ride. But it's a beautiful young rich girl driving a Cadillac who gives Jack a lift. Carmen tells him she has a little girl who is being observed by unseen and sinister forces. And her brutal, abusive jailed husband is more than likely to kill her when he gets out. It's obviously highly inadvisable for Jack to travel to Carmen's remote ranch in Echo County and become involved in her problems, but (needless to say) he does just that. And he's soon encountering lies, lust and prejudice, with untrustworthy cops and lawyers absolutely no help. Jack finally realises that there is only one way to resolve this lethal situation. As always with Child, the narrative rattles along with real élan, and the sultry characterisation keeps everything ruthlessly on track. --Barry Forshaw

... less

Lee Child has steadily accrued one of the keenest groups of admirers for any contemporary thriller writer and the reason is easy to...... more

Lee Child has steadily accrued one of the keenest groups of admirers for any contemporary thriller writer and the reason is easy to discern. In such gritty and authoritative novels as Tripwire, Killing Floor and Die Trying, Child established his tough itinerant protagonist Jack Reacher as a key modern hero, with a taciturn, hard-boiled appeal that has not palled over many books (though some have queried Jacks transformation from a man who triumphed -- with difficulty over insuperable odds into a nigh-invulnerable super-hero). But the narrative grasp of the author remains absolutely iron-clad, and there are the stunningly drawn American locales that are so notably impressive from an English author. In the latest outing for Jack Reacher, Gone Tomorrow, Childs resourceful hero is travelling in New York City, observing his fellow passengers on the subway. Hes aware that suicide bombers are easy to spot theyre usually nervous, and (as he wryly notes) by definition they're first-timers. As an ex-law enforcer, Jack notices that of his five fellow travellers, one is distinctly giving out the signals that spell danger. Grand Central Station is approaching will Jack act and save lives including his own? But what if he's wrong? This high voltage situation is the arresting curtain opener here, and the tension is screwed tighter, as Jack Reacher is pitched against the one of the most challenging threats he has come up against. Gone Tomorrow has all the dynamism of Childs earlier work; spruced-up, super-charged and showing no sign of age. --Barry Forshaw

... less

There was some excitement recently at the offices of Transworld, publisher of the British thriller writer Lee Child, who has so...... more

There was some excitement recently at the offices of Transworld, publisher of the British thriller writer Lee Child, who has so successful conquered America with his Jack Reacher adventures. Child usually produces only one novel featuring his tough ex-army action hero each year, but the latest book, 61 Hours, will be followed up with a speedily issued second new Reacher-related novel this autumn. 61 Hours -- admirers will, of course, have to have both. Sales of such Child novels as Gone Tomorrow have exceed 74,000 copies and he continues his upwards ascent, singularly unimpeded. But the new book has Jack Reacher in the most extreme danger of his career.South Dakota is shivering under an icy winter, and the roads are particularly treacherous. As a snow storm gathers force, the tyres of a bus skid and there is a crash, stranding the bus and its passengers. And if you think that this atmospheric set-up sounds like the perfect introduction to a Jack Reacher novel, how right you are: Lee Child's granite-tough hero has hitched a ride in the back of the bus, and finds himself (like the other passengers -- a particularly ill assorted group) facing the problems of surviving in sub-arctic weather. Needless to say, Jack is able to draw on more resources in such a situation than many of his fellow passengers. Some 20 miles away from the crash is a small town, where a key witness is being guarded against sinister individuals bent on murder. And another elements in this combustible mix includes an omniscient figure who is to have a crucial role in the dramatic events that follow -- even though this figure is many miles from the frigid landscape that Jack Reacher is marooned in.All of this is typically suspenseful fare (in fact, the real surprise would be if it werent -- Child is one of the most reliable writers on the face of the planet). And theres an ending quite unlike any other Jack Reacher novel you have read. Lee Child aficionados need not hesitate. --Barry Forshaw

... less

Lee Child has steadily accrued one of the keenest groups of admirers for any contemporary thriller writer and the reason is easy to...... more

Lee Child has steadily accrued one of the keenest groups of admirers for any contemporary thriller writer and the reason is easy to discern. In such gritty and authoritative novels as Tripwire, Killing Floor and Die Trying, Child established his tough itinerant protagonist Jack Reacher as a key modern hero, with a taciturn, hard-boiled appeal that has not palled over many books (though some have queried Jacks transformation from a man who triumphed -- with difficulty over insuperable odds into a nigh-invulnerable super-hero). But the narrative grasp of the author remains absolutely iron-clad, and there are the stunningly drawn American locales that are so notably impressive from an English author. In the latest outing for Jack Reacher, Gone Tomorrow, Childs resourceful hero is travelling in New York City, observing his fellow passengers on the subway. Hes aware that suicide bombers are easy to spot theyre usually nervous, and (as he wryly notes) by definition they're first-timers. As an ex-law enforcer, Jack notices that of his five fellow travellers, one is distinctly giving out the signals that spell danger. Grand Central Station is approaching will Jack act and save lives including his own? But what if he's wrong? This high voltage situation is the arresting curtain opener here, and the tension is screwed tighter, as Jack Reacher is pitched against the one of the most challenging threats he has come up against. Gone Tomorrow has all the dynamism of Childs earlier work; spruced-up, super-charged and showing no sign of age. --Barry Forshaw

... less

There was some excitement recently at the offices of Transworld, publisher of the British thriller writer Lee Child, who has so...... more

There was some excitement recently at the offices of Transworld, publisher of the British thriller writer Lee Child, who has so successful conquered America with his Jack Reacher adventures. Child usually produces only one novel featuring his tough ex-army action hero each year, but the latest book, 61 Hours, will be followed up with a speedily issued second new Reacher-related novel this autumn. 61 Hours -- admirers will, of course, have to have both. Sales of such Child novels as Gone Tomorrow have exceed 74,000 copies and he continues his upwards ascent, singularly unimpeded. But the new book has Jack Reacher in the most extreme danger of his career.South Dakota is shivering under an icy winter, and the roads are particularly treacherous. As a snow storm gathers force, the tyres of a bus skid and there is a crash, stranding the bus and its passengers. And if you think that this atmospheric set-up sounds like the perfect introduction to a Jack Reacher novel, how right you are: Lee Child's granite-tough hero has hitched a ride in the back of the bus, and finds himself (like the other passengers -- a particularly ill assorted group) facing the problems of surviving in sub-arctic weather. Needless to say, Jack is able to draw on more resources in such a situation than many of his fellow passengers. Some 20 miles away from the crash is a small town, where a key witness is being guarded against sinister individuals bent on murder. And another elements in this combustible mix includes an omniscient figure who is to have a crucial role in the dramatic events that follow -- even though this figure is many miles from the frigid landscape that Jack Reacher is marooned in.All of this is typically suspenseful fare (in fact, the real surprise would be if it werent -- Child is one of the most reliable writers on the face of the planet). And theres an ending quite unlike any other Jack Reacher novel you have read. Lee Child aficionados need not hesitate. --Barry Forshaw

... less

There was a time when a US-set crime novel by a British writer (such as James Hadley Chase's No Orchids For Miss Blandish) could get away with a certain...... more

There was a time when a US-set crime novel by a British writer (such as James Hadley Chase's No Orchids For Miss Blandish) could get away with a certain carelessness in local detail. Not any more. Since the Englishman Lee Child began writing his superbly authentic novels, few readers on either side of the Atlantic would accept anything other than the gritty authenticity of books such as Child's latest, Echo Burning. He prides himself on the plausibility of his settings and characters, and actually has a more striking sense of the American landscape that many native writers. He never allows the reader to forget just where his hero Jack Reacher is, what he's feeling, smelling, seeing. And Reacher has slowly but surely become one of the most fully rounded protagonists in thriller fiction. It's hardly surprising that the novels have been optioned for filming; what is surprising is the fact that it hasn't happened before. Jack finds himself suffering the intense heat of a Texas summer, and (leaving behind a messy situation) hardly worries about the dangers of who will pick him up when he hitches a ride. But it's a beautiful young rich girl driving a Cadillac who gives Jack a lift. Carmen tells him she has a little girl who is being observed by unseen and sinister forces. And her brutal, abusive jailed husband is more than likely to kill her when he gets out. It's obviously highly inadvisable for Jack to travel to Carmen's remote ranch in Echo County and become involved in her problems, but (needless to say) he does just that. And he's soon encountering lies, lust and prejudice, with untrustworthy cops and lawyers absolutely no help. Jack finally realises that there is only one way to resolve this lethal situation. As always with Child, the narrative rattles along with real élan, and the sultry characterisation keeps everything ruthlessly on track. --Barry Forshaw

... less

There was a time when a US-set crime novel by a British writer (such as James Hadley Chase's No Orchids For Miss Blandish) could get away with a certain...... more

There was a time when a US-set crime novel by a British writer (such as James Hadley Chase's No Orchids For Miss Blandish) could get away with a certain carelessness in local detail. Not any more. Since the Englishman Lee Child began writing his superbly authentic novels, few readers on either side of the Atlantic would accept anything other than the gritty authenticity of books such as Child's latest, Echo Burning. He prides himself on the plausibility of his settings and characters, and actually has a more striking sense of the American landscape that many native writers. He never allows the reader to forget just where his hero Jack Reacher is, what he's feeling, smelling, seeing. And Reacher has slowly but surely become one of the most fully rounded protagonists in thriller fiction. It's hardly surprising that the novels have been optioned for filming; what is surprising is the fact that it hasn't happened before. Jack finds himself suffering the intense heat of a Texas summer, and (leaving behind a messy situation) hardly worries about the dangers of who will pick him up when he hitches a ride. But it's a beautiful young rich girl driving a Cadillac who gives Jack a lift. Carmen tells him she has a little girl who is being observed by unseen and sinister forces. And her brutal, abusive jailed husband is more than likely to kill her when he gets out. It's obviously highly inadvisable for Jack to travel to Carmen's remote ranch in Echo County and become involved in her problems, but (needless to say) he does just that. And he's soon encountering lies, lust and prejudice, with untrustworthy cops and lawyers absolutely no help. Jack finally realises that there is only one way to resolve this lethal situation. As always with Child, the narrative rattles along with real élan, and the sultry characterisation keeps everything ruthlessly on track. --Barry Forshaw

... less

There was a time when a US-set crime novel by a British writer (such as James Hadley Chase's No Orchids For Miss Blandish) could get away with a certain...... more

There was a time when a US-set crime novel by a British writer (such as James Hadley Chase's No Orchids For Miss Blandish) could get away with a certain carelessness in local detail. Not any more. Since the Englishman Lee Child began writing his superbly authentic novels, few readers on either side of the Atlantic would accept anything other than the gritty authenticity of books such as Child's latest, Echo Burning. He prides himself on the plausibility of his settings and characters, and actually has a more striking sense of the American landscape that many native writers. He never allows the reader to forget just where his hero Jack Reacher is, what he's feeling, smelling, seeing. And Reacher has slowly but surely become one of the most fully rounded protagonists in thriller fiction. It's hardly surprising that the novels have been optioned for filming; what is surprising is the fact that it hasn't happened before. Jack finds himself suffering the intense heat of a Texas summer, and (leaving behind a messy situation) hardly worries about the dangers of who will pick him up when he hitches a ride. But it's a beautiful young rich girl driving a Cadillac who gives Jack a lift. Carmen tells him she has a little girl who is being observed by unseen and sinister forces. And her brutal, abusive jailed husband is more than likely to kill her when he gets out. It's obviously highly inadvisable for Jack to travel to Carmen's remote ranch in Echo County and become involved in her problems, but (needless to say) he does just that. And he's soon encountering lies, lust and prejudice, with untrustworthy cops and lawyers absolutely no help. Jack finally realises that there is only one way to resolve this lethal situation. As always with Child, the narrative rattles along with real élan, and the sultry characterisation keeps everything ruthlessly on track. --Barry Forshaw

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The surprise factor when reading the thrillers of Lee Child has, it must be admitted, vanished. Most readers who pick up the new book,...... more

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 thats a considerable part of Reachers appeal. His footloose lifestyle and handy way with the trouble that hes 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, Childs 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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Lee Child has had his readers biting their fingernails even more insistently than usual since his last novel. The author usually delivers one...... more

Lee Child has had his readers biting their fingernails even more insistently than usual since his last novel. The author usually delivers one book a year featuring his laconic, super-resourceful hero Jack Reacher, but we were informed by his publishers that there would be a very briskly delivered successor to the last book, 61 Hours -- and the reason was not hard to see. A significant number of Reacher admirers had been startled by the fact that the ex-military policeman appeared to be dead at the end of his latest outing. But we can relax -- heres the new book, Worth Dying For, with the tough Mr Reacher alive and kicking, and more than ready for another helping of pulse-raising action. Initially, we are not told how Jack Reacher survived the seemingly-terminal events of the last book, as he makes his way south to an unwelcoming part of Nebraska in the dead of winter. He fetches up in a town in the grip of the powerful, manipulative Duncan family, and the cowed townspeople have no fight left in them. In a sleazy hotel, he encounters the town's alcoholic doctor, and the two end up driving to a house where they come across a grim case of domestic violence. And Child admirers wont be surprised to learn that Jacks life is soon on the line -- as usual. The stage is set for violent confrontation.Lee Child, with each new book, effortlessly sails to the top of the bestseller charts a feat already achieved with Worth Dying For. The secret? There are no frills with the business-like Mr Child - just copper-bottomed storytelling skills, fully on display with this new book. The frigid Nebraska setting here contrasts tellingly with the hot action. --Barry Forshaw

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