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Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:Jack Reacher. Hero. Loner. Soldier. Soldierâ??s son. An elite military cop, he was one of the armyâ??s brightest stars. But in every copâ??s life there is a turning point. One case. One messy, tangled case that can shatter a career. Turn a lawman into a renegade. And make him question words like honor, valor, and duty. For Jack Reacher, this is that case. New Yearâ??s Day, 1990. The Berlin Wall is coming down. The world is changing. And in a North Carolina â??hot-sheetsâ?ť motel, a two-star general is found dead. His briefcase is missing. Nobody knows what was in it. Within minutes Jack Reacher has his orders: Control the situation. But this situation canâ??t be controlled. Within hours the generalâ??s wife is murdered hundreds of miles away. Then the dominoes really start to fall. Two Special Forces soldiersâ??the toughest of the toughâ??are taken down, one at a time. Top military commanders are moved from place to place in a bizarre game of chess. And somewhere inside the vast worldwide fortress that is the U.S. Army, Jack Reacherâ??an ordinarily untouchable investigator for the 110th Special Unitâ??is being set up as a fall guy with the worst enemies a man can have. But Reacher wonâ??t quit. Heâ??s fighting a new kind of war. And heâ??s taking a young female lieutenant with him on a deadly hunt that leads them from the ragged edges of a rural army post to the winding streets of Paris to a confrontation with an enemy he didnâ??t know he had. With his French-born mother dyingâ??and divulging to her son one last, stunning secretâ??Reacher is forced to question everything he once believedâ?¦about his family, his career, his loyaltiesâ??and himself. Because this soldierâ??s son is on his way into the darkness, where he finds a tangled drama of desperate desires and violent deathâ??and a conspiracy more chilling, ingenious, and treacherous than anyo… (more)
User reviews
'The Enemy' fills
But, since I really do respect my bro-in-law (after all, he also recommended Alan Furst) and so many other readers also rave about the Jack Reacher series, I will likely give Child another go.
I was sadly disappointed. The book did not live up
I liked the beginning pages, though. It was the middle part—where the hero, Reacher and his lieutenant, Summer, investigates the crimes — that left me flat and bored.
I had to read on though, because the good part might just be toward the end. I was, in part, right. The end was a surprise as the hero, Reacher, does something I never expected a hero to do. So, that was OK.
But overall, the characters were all too remote —so stingy with emotions. It’s as if they actually reveled in their stoicism. Maybe the author has this “macho thing”. For instance, Reacher and Summer have sexual relations in the story but as the case closes, Reacher never sees nor hears from her again? Huh? What ever happened to cellphones and e-mails? It’s not as if the story was set in the 50’s.
Oh well, the book was not a total waste of time. The author peppers it with interesting bits of trivia on weapons, tanks, etc. These made up for the book’s rather dull characters.
Entertainment Weekly commented, “[Child] emerges as a worthy successor to Tom Clancy. ” I’ve read Tom Clancy and enjoyed him immensely. I don’t think Lee Child’s style comes very close to Tom Clancy’s power to thrill. But then, this is the first novel I’ve read by this author. So perhaps his other lauded work, The Persuader, might just get me to change my mind.
My Mark : Mediocre
The
But why is Reacher in North Carolina, instead of Panama, where the action is? Then the dead man turns out to have been a two-star general who should have been in Europe. And when Reacher goes to the general's house to break the news, he finds another corpse: the general's wife. What is he dealing with here? The last echoes of the old world... or the first shocks of the new?
Winner of 2005 Nero, Barry and (yes, this is not a typo) Jack Reacher awards. The Nero Award, for literary excellence in the mystery genre, is awarded by The Wolfe Pack. The Barry Award for Best Novel of the Year is awarded by Deadly Pleasures magazine. The Jack Reacher Award win was the first annual award presented by Crime Spree Magazine and it was for the very readable, appealing-to-every-age, Jack Reacher novels!
Still, it is good, undemanding airport literature.
This time we are taken back to Jack's early life while still serving in the US army as an MP major. Sunddenly transfered to a new base, he has to cope with the unexpected death of a 2-star general, the repercussions this invokes.
Limited violence compared to some, Jack has to be in
Fun and fast muc like the others.
Lee Child books are crime/suspense/thrillers, some of which feature Jack Reacher, “hero, loner, soldier.” Short, clipped sentences describe plots that are
“The Enemy” is an earlier book in the series involving Jack Reacher, who in this “episode” is a 29-year-old Military Police Office, a Major of the 110th Special Unit, newly transferred at the end of 1989 to Fort Bird, North Carolina.
Shortly after he arrives, a 2-star general is found dead in a nearby sleazy motel. Reacher picks an attractive woman MP, Lieutenant Summer, to help him solve the string of crimes that concatenate from the murder.
This particular book is worth reading for a different reason. The real issue of interest is not the murders per se, but the situation (elucidated by Child) that the military was facing as the USSR was disintegrating. Since WWII, the resources and energy of the U.S. military focused on gearing up for a possible confrontation with the Soviet Union. When the Berlin Wall crumbled at the end of 1989, so did the results of an entire 40-some years of military preparation. Suddenly, the traditional enemy was gone, and a host of weaponry, infrastructure, strategies, agendas, and careers were on the brink - no longer of war, but of obsolescence.
The analysis of how much the military was shaped after the war by the perceived threat from the USSR is very thought-provoking. The descriptions of the different kinds of tanks in use and what they were good for; the kind of roads necessary to support them; and the costs and personnel involved, will give you a lot of insight into the current problems faced by the U.S.
The military and political information is fascinating, but there are some other gems of insight too – like this one when Jack and his brother Joe face the death of their mother:
“Life,” Joe said. “What a completely weird thing it is. A person lives sixty years, does all kinds of things, knows all kinds of things, feels all kinds of things, and then it’s over. Like it never happened at all.”
“We’ll always remember her.”
“No, we’ll remember parts of her. The parts she chose to share. The tip of the iceberg. The rest, only she knew about. Therefore the rest already doesn’t exist. As of now.”
We smoked another cigarette each and sat quiet. Then we walked back, slowly, side by side, a little burned out, at some kind of peace.
Recommendation: Even if you don’t like crime/thriller/mysteries, this book contains some fascinating political analysis you aren’t apt to get in such an entertaining format. Thus I recommend this book over others of the Lee Child Jack Reacher series, primarily for the insight it confers into international relations.
This is the first book I've read by this author, but it sure won't be my last!!! Enjoy!
Reacher has a mystery to solve, a pretty, competent aide, no aversion to using
Maj. Jack Reacher is suddenly transferred to a new base and is the duty officer for the Military Police on New Year's Eve. He gets
Reacher finds that the general was headed for a meeting and his briefcase, containing the meeting's agenda, is missing. When he continues to investigate, he is ordered to refrain because it could bring bad publicity to the military.
Reacher and a young officer who is assisting him, Lt. Summer, feel that it would be unethical to stop the investigation so at the risk of their careers they continue their search.
There is conflict with a Delta Force unit when one of their men reports that Reacher beat up two civilians without provocation. Later, when the Delta Force sergeant is murdered, the men in his unit give Reacher seven days to find the killer or they will come after him.
This is a page turner in the highest sense of the term. Reacher is one of the best characters in literature and his bravery and dedication are shown here as never before. Many readers wanted to know why Reacher left the military and this story looks back on the events that led to his resignation from active duty.
The story itself has excellent action scenes and Reacher's motives and investigatory actions are properly explained and logical.
Was nice to read about Reacher's background, though I am reading the books out of order, which probably doesn't help.
It's the first Lee Child, and therefore the first Jack
The plot was tightly paced and full of detail. I noticed that some reviewers found the military detail overwhelming, but as someone that hasn't read any of the other books in the series, I found the detail helpful. The constant acronyms were slightly off-putting, but I can forgive that.
Some elements of the plot were predictable, but the reasoning of the characters was kept shrouded. I worked out who must have been the main perpetrator, but how and why they were was something I couldn't quite work out in advance of the conclusion.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. It's not the sort of thing I'd normally pick off the shelf, but if I saw one in a charity shop I'd certainly buy it. Maybe I need to go on holiday and find an airport bookshop...
It's New Year's Day, and a General is found in a motel room, dead. Not only is he dead, but his brief case is missing, and they
While all of this is going on, Reacher gets a call from his brother, and his mom isn't doing well. That's all I really want to say on the plots. There's a lot more going on, but you get the jist of it. I don't want to give away any spoilers.
This is such a great read! It has a lot of plot twists, and fantastic characters that will keep you glued to the end, and still wanting more. If you've read the past Reacher books, then you know what to expect and you won't be let down. If you haven't started and of the Reacher books, then this is a good one to start with. Do your self a favor and pick it up!
I can promise you won't be sorry, I know I wasn't.