Never Go Back by Lee Child
(Dealacorte, 2013, 416 pages, $28.00) is the eighteenth title in the
Jack Reacher series of mystery thrillers featuring the mysterious
Reacher, who mysteriously arrives in town when things are going
wrong, steps in to save the day, and moves on to continue his lone
voyage. The novels are robust, manly (whatever that means), and
exciting. A drug for those addicted to this genre tracing itself back
to the very mists of story writing concerned with the lone hero, not
a part of society, but an observer, and, when needed, a participant
in it. Since the book is, on publication, has already spent 71 days
in the Amazon top 100 and is currently at number 9, a new film
starring Tom Cruise based on the Jack Reacher character has just been
released, and Child has embarked on a lively book tour. I'll not
spend to much time discussing this particular volume, but rather try
to explore Reacher himself, why he appeals to readers, and, perhaps,
a little bit of speculation about Child's mode of working on this
very popular character.
One of the delights of reading Reacher
lies in the reader's ability to pick up any book in the series
without having to have read any earlier ones. Although Never Go Back
has a repeat character from 61 Hours, reaching back four novels, it
has no relevance at all to the current tale except to establish a
reason for Reacher's going to Washington, DC. where he has gone to
meet Susan Turner, who he's only met previously by telephone. Soon
after his arrival he is arrested on charges of murder and rape, as
well as smacked with a paternity suit, which all supposedly occurred
about fourteen years previously. Reacher, a retired army officer who
had previously served as commanding officer of the Military Police
unit Turner now commands, soon creates enough havoc to get himself
arrested while also discovering that Turner is in jail on charges of
having taken a bribe. The rest of the book involves their working
together to prove their innocence and destroy the illegal operation
and conspiracy which has trumped up charges to get both of them out
of the way. They become involved in a cross country chase, a series
of daring encounters, and working closely together while discovering
an irresistible physical attraction. Revealing any more of the plot
would only serve to take away from its ingenuity and surprise.
What about Lee Child's approach to the
enigmatic character Jack Reacher makes these books exciting and
enjoyable reads? Jack Reacher is a retired military officer, a
graduate of West Point, son of an officer. He is endowed with
physical and intellectual powers which make him a dangerous man to
oppose as well as a fine person to have on your side. It remains
something of a mystery to me why good people trust him and bad people
don't, but that's pretty much the way it is. When Reacher comes to
town, he always finds the trouble there and those who need his help
or intervention are easily persuaded he's the man to provide it. But
Reacher lives off the grid. He carries no ID, has no cell phone or
credit card. He hasn't had an address for years. He sees things
others don't. He responds in the moment, almost always just a step
ahead of his opponents. His physical skills combine with great size
and speed to make him a more than formidable character. His
intelligence and penetrating logic help him to see the need and keep
a perspective that helps him to choose the precise amount of physical
response necessary to achieve his goal without causing more damage
than necessary, yet he knows how to inflict pain when called upon to
do so. He's always on the edge of violence, yet never commits more
than necessary. Readers can find a Wikipedia profile of Reacher
stitched together from the novels here. Men like him and women love
him. What's not to admire?
Lee Child
Author Lee Child (real name: Jim
Grant), according to a recent interview on MSNBC, didn't expect to be
a writer. Born in England, he was twenty years into a successful
career as a television producer, when he lost his job. Taking the bit
in his teeth, he decided (against all reasonable odds) to write a
mystery thriller. The first book won The Barry Award as best first
novel in British crime fiction, placing his work on a fast track
which has led to eighteen successful Reacher novels. Since then he
has won another Barry as best novel for The Enemy in 2005, placing
him in really fast company in the crime fiction genre. Child's
narrative is very cinematic in nature. It's easy to visualize the
characters and situations. At times, they almost seem as if they've
been designed to convert immediately into action films, although the
current Tom Cruise vehicle (Jack Reacher) is the first to reach
theaters. I gather that all the Jack Reacher books have been
optioned for film, meaning it could become quite a franchise,
although the choice of Tom Cruise as a suitable actor to portray the
character over a series which could continue for years seems
questionable.
It often seems that Child creates a
Reacher novel on the run. He places his character in a situations and
then almost sits back and records what happens to him and what his
responses are. He invents new elements to his character which
contribute to the plot of the present story, whatever he needs to
move the story along. Regardless, there remains an internal
consistency to Jack Reacher that readers obviously enjoy. When I
picked up my first Reacher book, I finished it in a day or so and
right away returned to the local library to get a couple more.
However, I found I easily overdosed and decided not to read through
the entire series. Now, I look forward to the next volume, but have
waited to get it until it reaches the remaindered shelves. However,
it's fun to see where Child chooses to send Reacher and how he uses
Reacher's various strengths to solve the problem at hand.
Never Go Back by Lee Child (Dealacorte,
2013, 416 pages, $28.00), the eighteenth in this series of crime
thrillers, provides a diverting and enjoyable few hours in the
fantasy America of Jack Reacher, a hero of near super proportions.
People who like the books really like them; these books are a real
or guilty pleasure. Apparently there are a lot of them, including
me. I received the book as a digital download from the publisher
though Edelweiss: Above the Tree Line.
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