Status
Available
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Berkley (2007), Edition: Reprint, 608 pages
Description
Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. A stranger looking for ex-military cop Jack Reacher is murdered. Now Reacher follows the man's cold trail back to where he came fromâ??and into Reacher's own haunted pa
User reviews
LibraryThing member jeremytaylor
Review by Jeremy Taylor
It takes only till about page four or five of Lee Child’s third book, Tripwire, to figure out that ex–military policeman Jack Reacher has a knack for getting himself into trouble. Luckily, he also possesses just the right skills and physical capabilities to get himself
In Child’s previous two Reacher novels, the imposing and independent former soldier encountered a sinister small-town political conspiracy (Killing Floor) and a militant backwoods militia group (Die Trying). In Tripwire, Reacher finds himself involved in something he’s a little more familiar with: a former military man, officially missing and presumed dead since Vietnam, who has suddenly reappeared—with a vengeance.
After reconnecting with an old flame, Jodie Garber, the daughter of the general who used to be his commanding officer, Reacher employs state-of-the-art forensic techniques to track down the identity of the missing soldier and determine his present whereabouts and recent activities. The picture is grim: after decades of invisibility, Victor Hobie has apparently started killing people in particularly gruesome and shocking ways. As Reacher and Jodie get closer to uncovering the secret of Hobie’s identity and activities, they discover a military cover-up that stretches across oceans and an international financial racket run by the most frighteningly ruthless opponent Reacher has faced yet.
The slightly rambling plot aside, Tripwire is a typical Lee Child novel—fast-paced and fun with a high emotional payoff. Jack Reacher continues to satisfy as the consummate hero: strong and unflappable, sensitive and troubled, intelligent and, when necessary, deadly. Unsurprisingly and unfortunately, the book features scenes containing explicit violence, and Reacher’s James Bond–like womanizing is only nominally tempered by the fact that his fling in this book at least has the potential to become a long-term relationship.
Christians who have read other books by Lee Child won’t be surprised by the lack of spiritual content, but they will recognize the underlying moral framework that supports the story: harming any innocent human being for any reason is wrong; doing harm to an evildoer may be unfortunate, but it is at least justifiable (even if the bringer of justice is not acting with any government-sanctioned authority). Jack Reacher’s morality isn’t exactly Evangelical, but at least it’s consistent, and Child’s writing is good enough to make the story worth reading, with appropriate caution.
It takes only till about page four or five of Lee Child’s third book, Tripwire, to figure out that ex–military policeman Jack Reacher has a knack for getting himself into trouble. Luckily, he also possesses just the right skills and physical capabilities to get himself
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out of just about any situation.In Child’s previous two Reacher novels, the imposing and independent former soldier encountered a sinister small-town political conspiracy (Killing Floor) and a militant backwoods militia group (Die Trying). In Tripwire, Reacher finds himself involved in something he’s a little more familiar with: a former military man, officially missing and presumed dead since Vietnam, who has suddenly reappeared—with a vengeance.
After reconnecting with an old flame, Jodie Garber, the daughter of the general who used to be his commanding officer, Reacher employs state-of-the-art forensic techniques to track down the identity of the missing soldier and determine his present whereabouts and recent activities. The picture is grim: after decades of invisibility, Victor Hobie has apparently started killing people in particularly gruesome and shocking ways. As Reacher and Jodie get closer to uncovering the secret of Hobie’s identity and activities, they discover a military cover-up that stretches across oceans and an international financial racket run by the most frighteningly ruthless opponent Reacher has faced yet.
The slightly rambling plot aside, Tripwire is a typical Lee Child novel—fast-paced and fun with a high emotional payoff. Jack Reacher continues to satisfy as the consummate hero: strong and unflappable, sensitive and troubled, intelligent and, when necessary, deadly. Unsurprisingly and unfortunately, the book features scenes containing explicit violence, and Reacher’s James Bond–like womanizing is only nominally tempered by the fact that his fling in this book at least has the potential to become a long-term relationship.
Christians who have read other books by Lee Child won’t be surprised by the lack of spiritual content, but they will recognize the underlying moral framework that supports the story: harming any innocent human being for any reason is wrong; doing harm to an evildoer may be unfortunate, but it is at least justifiable (even if the bringer of justice is not acting with any government-sanctioned authority). Jack Reacher’s morality isn’t exactly Evangelical, but at least it’s consistent, and Child’s writing is good enough to make the story worth reading, with appropriate caution.
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LibraryThing member whitewavedarling
One of the Jack Reacher novels, this is a fast-paced and well-written page-turner, full of both tension and humor. The characters are as interesting as they are believable--frighteningly so--and I can't imagine a fan of suspense novels not enjoying this. There are also some elements of mystery
The one drawback to this work is that, because there is so much packed in, it ends up being a long work. And, admittedly, my interest flagged a bit toward the middle. But, considering that the first two hundred pages were incredibly compelling reading, and that the last two hundred pages (of a 558 page book) were the same, I really can't complain.
Overall, this was a everything I want in a suspense novel, if not more, and there's no doubt I'll be picking up more Jack Reacher novels.
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here, and drama, to the extent that it turns out to be a complex novel worth the time. On a separate note, there are some scenes of extreme violence, written graphically and originally enough that they might get to readers who otherwise pass through suspense novels without much thought to it. The one drawback to this work is that, because there is so much packed in, it ends up being a long work. And, admittedly, my interest flagged a bit toward the middle. But, considering that the first two hundred pages were incredibly compelling reading, and that the last two hundred pages (of a 558 page book) were the same, I really can't complain.
Overall, this was a everything I want in a suspense novel, if not more, and there's no doubt I'll be picking up more Jack Reacher novels.
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LibraryThing member jenforbus
In Tripwire, the third book in Lee Child's Jack Reacher series, Reacher is in Key West digging swimming pools - with a shovel. The job is suiting him just fine until a New York City private detective comes looking for Reacher on behalf of a woman named Mrs. Jacob. The fact that he's never heard of
When Reacher travels to New York City he discovers that Mrs. Jacob is actually Jody Garber, the daughter of Reacher's former army commander, Leon Garber. Leon had been investigating an M.I.A. situation from Vietnam for an elderly couple whose son never returned. He wasn't going to be able to see the investigation through and asked his daughter to track down his old subordinate, Jack Reacher. But when Reacher finally arrives in New York, Leon's died and Reacher has very little information to work from, but he starts investigating nonetheless.
I know that I'm in the minority when I say I would never qualify as a "Reacher Creature." The whole Superman persona just does absolutely nothing for me. And for as much time as he spends wandering in obscure places, how is he so in tuned to urban drug and gun dealers? Yet, still I continue to listen to the audiobooks for this series. Maybe I get some kind of perverse pleasure from rolling my eyes and heaving exaggerated sighs. But, more likely, I enjoy the plots. This one I saw the outcome from a mile away, and the reason I saw it coming was in part because there were strong similarities to Die Trying, the second Reacher novel. In an effort to avoid a blatant spoiler, I'll not share those similarities, though.
I was excited when Reacher made a trip to CILHI in this novel. I'd have been even more so if he'd gone to see my friend Tom, but no such luck. Instead we learn what a pro Reacher is with forensic science as well as everything else.
While I'm not a big fan of Reacher, I thought Child did one stupendous job on the antagonists in this book. I wanted the scenes with Hobie and his sidekick to hurry and be over because I found them horrifying. Their utter egocentricity was downright scary. The desensitization and complete lack of empathy were extreme but effective. The two of them gave new meaning to the word "psychotic." I must tell myself that this is FICTION so I can sleep at night. God willing I'll never cross paths with anyone as terrifying as these two!
All the Reacher books I've read so far have been audiobook versions, so technically I've "listened" so far. As with the other two (I believe) this is a Brillance audiobook and it was read by Dick Hill. I think he does a tremendous job for Reacher. In my imagination, Reacher will never have a voice other than that of Dick Hill. However, he does this annoying thing with the role of the woman who is head over heels for Reacher. She always has this sound that is kind of like, "oh my, whatever will I do Reacher?" She doesn't actually say that, but it sounds like that's what she's thinking all the time. I really hope that isn't what Child is imagining for these roles. I don't think it is because otherwise he wouldn't make them intelligent, educated women capable of thinking and doing for themselves.
So, despite the fact that I'm not Reacher's biggest fan, I'll more than likely listen to another book when I have a lull in the audiobook schedule.
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Mrs. Jacob is bothersome enough, but when the private investigator ends up dead, Reacher has to find out why.When Reacher travels to New York City he discovers that Mrs. Jacob is actually Jody Garber, the daughter of Reacher's former army commander, Leon Garber. Leon had been investigating an M.I.A. situation from Vietnam for an elderly couple whose son never returned. He wasn't going to be able to see the investigation through and asked his daughter to track down his old subordinate, Jack Reacher. But when Reacher finally arrives in New York, Leon's died and Reacher has very little information to work from, but he starts investigating nonetheless.
I know that I'm in the minority when I say I would never qualify as a "Reacher Creature." The whole Superman persona just does absolutely nothing for me. And for as much time as he spends wandering in obscure places, how is he so in tuned to urban drug and gun dealers? Yet, still I continue to listen to the audiobooks for this series. Maybe I get some kind of perverse pleasure from rolling my eyes and heaving exaggerated sighs. But, more likely, I enjoy the plots. This one I saw the outcome from a mile away, and the reason I saw it coming was in part because there were strong similarities to Die Trying, the second Reacher novel. In an effort to avoid a blatant spoiler, I'll not share those similarities, though.
I was excited when Reacher made a trip to CILHI in this novel. I'd have been even more so if he'd gone to see my friend Tom, but no such luck. Instead we learn what a pro Reacher is with forensic science as well as everything else.
While I'm not a big fan of Reacher, I thought Child did one stupendous job on the antagonists in this book. I wanted the scenes with Hobie and his sidekick to hurry and be over because I found them horrifying. Their utter egocentricity was downright scary. The desensitization and complete lack of empathy were extreme but effective. The two of them gave new meaning to the word "psychotic." I must tell myself that this is FICTION so I can sleep at night. God willing I'll never cross paths with anyone as terrifying as these two!
All the Reacher books I've read so far have been audiobook versions, so technically I've "listened" so far. As with the other two (I believe) this is a Brillance audiobook and it was read by Dick Hill. I think he does a tremendous job for Reacher. In my imagination, Reacher will never have a voice other than that of Dick Hill. However, he does this annoying thing with the role of the woman who is head over heels for Reacher. She always has this sound that is kind of like, "oh my, whatever will I do Reacher?" She doesn't actually say that, but it sounds like that's what she's thinking all the time. I really hope that isn't what Child is imagining for these roles. I don't think it is because otherwise he wouldn't make them intelligent, educated women capable of thinking and doing for themselves.
So, despite the fact that I'm not Reacher's biggest fan, I'll more than likely listen to another book when I have a lull in the audiobook schedule.
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LibraryThing member dekan
i loved this book. it's part of a character named reacher. i don't remember reading any lee child books but i loved the style of writing... it agreed so much with my head and way of thinking, ok not agreed???? flowed with. it kept me interested and all though i thought i knew the "one" it still
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made me get to the end before telling me. i really liked how the last scene came together. it was a nice book to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member daddyofattyo
My second book in the Jack Reacher series. Really wonderful. What a great writer - great story, well written. Jack Reacher, hightly decorated ex-MP is a drifter. Currently working in the Florida Keys digging swimming pools incognito meets a PI from NY City looking for him and withing hours finds
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the said PI dead. Going to NY trying to figure out who hired this man to find him and why he runs into one man's brutal campaign to protect his post-Vietnam identity and super lucrative super shady business enterprise. Reacher discovers a connection to his old Army mentor and his daughter, Reacher's forbidden love. Told almost in real time the book's pace is riveting, the suspense is unrelenting, and the menace is chilling. Show Less
LibraryThing member MSWallack
This novel was much weaker than the first two Jack Reacher novels, perhaps because the portions of the plot involving some peripheral characters just didn't hold my interest the way Reacher does. I did however, enjoy learning much more about Reacher's background and I look forward to Child giving
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me further glimpses into what makes Reacher who he is. Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Jack finally gets to realise some of the consequences of his secretive behavior.
After drifitng for two years Jacks funds are running low, and what was going to be a couple of days work in the Forida Keys digging a swimming pool, has turned into almost three months. A private detective comes calling
Essentially much the same as the others, and can be read out of order though it makes more sense if you read it before you read the Visitor. Jack's no cops brand of vigilante justice is enteraining to read as it is violent. The graphical descriptions aren't too bad, though there are one or two points that seem a bit unrealistic. But as you suspend your disbelief and get caught up in the plot it all ceases to matter. The plot is again one of Child's highly contrived and just about plausible scenarios with the key twist carefully not revealled until very late - but clear thinking about the clues given does enable an observant reader to guess ahead of time. The details of teh twin Towers may now grate with modern sensibilities, this of course was written in '99.
Violent but fun. if you've liked any of the others read this one too.
After drifitng for two years Jacks funds are running low, and what was going to be a couple of days work in the Forida Keys digging a swimming pool, has turned into almost three months. A private detective comes calling
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for him, Mrs Jacob is trying to find him. The name rings no bells, so Jack in his ever cautious manner declines to be found. When the PI is later found murdered Jack realises that this was serious business and heads to NewYork to find out why. Here he discovers a whole raft of surprises both good and bad with links going all the way back the Vietnam war.Essentially much the same as the others, and can be read out of order though it makes more sense if you read it before you read the Visitor. Jack's no cops brand of vigilante justice is enteraining to read as it is violent. The graphical descriptions aren't too bad, though there are one or two points that seem a bit unrealistic. But as you suspend your disbelief and get caught up in the plot it all ceases to matter. The plot is again one of Child's highly contrived and just about plausible scenarios with the key twist carefully not revealled until very late - but clear thinking about the clues given does enable an observant reader to guess ahead of time. The details of teh twin Towers may now grate with modern sensibilities, this of course was written in '99.
Violent but fun. if you've liked any of the others read this one too.
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LibraryThing member miyurose
I think this was the best book in the series so far. Reacher finds himself challenged not only by a mystery, but by some changes in his personal life. The mystery is, what happened to Victor Hobie? Did he die in Vietnam? If not, why hasn’t he contacted his bereaved family? If so, who’s using
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his name to terrorize businessmen in New York? Along the way, Reacher encounters a blast from the past that may make him change his drifting ways. But if he’s not a drifter, will he be the same Jack Reacher? Lots of great suspense here, and an ending that leaves you wondering what’s next for our mysterious hero. Show Less
LibraryThing member Shari13
A New York private investigator tracks down ex-MP Jack Reacher in Florida, but before Reacher can decide whether to cooperate, the PI is killed. Reacher is a drifter, working menial jobs and moving on whenever he gets restless. He decides to track down the PI’s client, and see what might have
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gotten him killed. Jack’s former commanding officer Leon Garber has just died, while waiting for the PI to find Reacher. Garber hoped to enlist Reacher’s help with a MIA case from the Vietnam War. Garber’s daughter, Jodie (who has been in love with Reacher since she was fifteen) is also in danger, and they team up to solve the mystery Leon Garber started to investigate. Show Less
LibraryThing member crazybatcow
Still not as good as the first Reacher novel. This plot has pretty much what you'd expect: bad guy does something, Reacher gets dragged into it, lots of gun chat, military chat, people getting beat up, then Reacher comes in and saves the day.
Perhaps the 'romance' in this novel is what took away
Perhaps the 'romance' in this novel is what took away
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from the enjoyment. About 1/5 of the novel is just Reacher 'falling in love' (well, he doesn't fall in love, of course, but it's him being all domestic with a woman, having sex, travelling around, having more sex... though there aren't even any sex scenes in the book to entertain yourself during all this 'romance'). Show Less
LibraryThing member Reacherfan
As the story opens, Reacher just wants to be left alone. He has a job digging for swimming pools, and is happy with that. Then a PI turns up looking for a "Jack Reacher", and Reacher claims that he's never heard of the man. The PI knows the truth, then is found dead with his fingertips sliced off.
If you've read the other Reacher books, you know what to expect, and aren't disappointed with this installment, it's such a fun read!
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Reacher then finds out that the person who hired the PI was Col Garber, his old CO. Turns out Garber had died months eariler. Reacher sees Garber's daughter, and then finds out that someone has died in the Military, and the family just wants closure. The Army won't confirm the sons death, then Reacher gets involved. The bad guy is named "Hook" Hobie, and he's ruthless. If anyone crosses his path, Hook removes them. That being said, Hook is about to meet Reacher, someone who never runs from a fight. That's all I really want to say about the plot. There's a lot more, but I don't want to give anything away.If you've read the other Reacher books, you know what to expect, and aren't disappointed with this installment, it's such a fun read!
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LibraryThing member harpua
I've enjoyed Lee Child in the past and Jack Reacher has been a favorite of mine. This however was not one of those that I really enjoyed. This just seemed to be 400 pages of not much happening, yet I read all the way through, thinking that this had to get better. Well other than the last two
If this had been my first foray into the life of Jack Reacher, it probably would have been my last, but I know that Lee Child is so much better than this, that I will definitely be back for more.
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chapters, it really never did. This just never seemed to get off the ground for me. Oh, sure there were a few hot spots in there, but for me they seemed far and few between and never lasted long.... a long, slow tease that never materialized into anything more.If this had been my first foray into the life of Jack Reacher, it probably would have been my last, but I know that Lee Child is so much better than this, that I will definitely be back for more.
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LibraryThing member lukethedrifter
Reading Lee Child's books is probably a good way to lose weight, since you’re not going to bother to eat, anyway.
Lee Child is the author of the Reacher series, and he has it running on all cylinders: voice, character, plot and marketing. These books have some serious mojo working. They slip
Child’s prose is terse and gritty. He likes short punchy sentences. A couple declaratives to set you up and then the eye-opening revelation. Jab, jab jab, whap. There. Think about that one. Commas are not his friends. He never tries to be funny.
His main character, Jack Reacher, is an ex-MP. But not just an MP. Special investigator. Retired from the army now, but still on top of his game.
When old buddies get in trouble, as they usually do, count on Reacher to get in there and straighten out the situation, just like John Westly Harding. He may be the most iconoclastic anti-hero to come down the pike since Bob Dylan, but Reacher’s moral compass points firmly toward getting involved.
When things get murky, an incursion into the bad guy’s hideout is unavoidable. Reacher stirs things up. To see what will happen. He figures things out and doesn’t hesitate. He’s as good as Sherlock Holmes at deductive reasoning, and tougher than Chuck Norris. Many a minor hoodlum has thought he saw the big red logo of a famous department store painted on Reacher’s back, but many a minor hoodlum has been proven wrong. Crushed cartilage and broken bones to the lucky.
Reacher doesn’t have a car, a home, or a steady girl. He barely has a first name, even. Usually though, there’s some woman involved in his capers. Highly competitive, of course. Competent, naturally. Self-sufficient, but somehow vulnerable to his plucky charms. He could probably beat you at chess, but he’s just the guy you’d want beside you in a bar fight. Unlike most heroes, Reacher has no sidekick. A sidekick might be a welcome thing, since that would allow for some of the badinage we sense Child would be good at. They’d have to talk about something, after all. Maybe not.
Child’s plots are opaque. Intricate puzzles that only yield their secrets to Reacher’s powers of logic, despite the best efforts of law enforcement officials and military strategists of the highest order.
The magical thing is that this is all perfectly believable. You won’t even go near the TV. Really. Then when you finish one book, you’ll have to go out and find the next. Be safe.
Lee Child is the author of the Reacher series, and he has it running on all cylinders: voice, character, plot and marketing. These books have some serious mojo working. They slip
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inside your head. You find yourself thinking the way Child writes.Child’s prose is terse and gritty. He likes short punchy sentences. A couple declaratives to set you up and then the eye-opening revelation. Jab, jab jab, whap. There. Think about that one. Commas are not his friends. He never tries to be funny.
His main character, Jack Reacher, is an ex-MP. But not just an MP. Special investigator. Retired from the army now, but still on top of his game.
When old buddies get in trouble, as they usually do, count on Reacher to get in there and straighten out the situation, just like John Westly Harding. He may be the most iconoclastic anti-hero to come down the pike since Bob Dylan, but Reacher’s moral compass points firmly toward getting involved.
When things get murky, an incursion into the bad guy’s hideout is unavoidable. Reacher stirs things up. To see what will happen. He figures things out and doesn’t hesitate. He’s as good as Sherlock Holmes at deductive reasoning, and tougher than Chuck Norris. Many a minor hoodlum has thought he saw the big red logo of a famous department store painted on Reacher’s back, but many a minor hoodlum has been proven wrong. Crushed cartilage and broken bones to the lucky.
Reacher doesn’t have a car, a home, or a steady girl. He barely has a first name, even. Usually though, there’s some woman involved in his capers. Highly competitive, of course. Competent, naturally. Self-sufficient, but somehow vulnerable to his plucky charms. He could probably beat you at chess, but he’s just the guy you’d want beside you in a bar fight. Unlike most heroes, Reacher has no sidekick. A sidekick might be a welcome thing, since that would allow for some of the badinage we sense Child would be good at. They’d have to talk about something, after all. Maybe not.
Child’s plots are opaque. Intricate puzzles that only yield their secrets to Reacher’s powers of logic, despite the best efforts of law enforcement officials and military strategists of the highest order.
The magical thing is that this is all perfectly believable. You won’t even go near the TV. Really. Then when you finish one book, you’ll have to go out and find the next. Be safe.
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LibraryThing member barpurple
I enjoyed this one. The characters and well rounded and engaging. The plot got a little predictable near the end, but there was a final twist I hadn't seen coming, which is always nice.
LibraryThing member mikedraper
Jack Reacher finds that the daughter of his mentor, General Garber has sent for him. He arrives at her home just as friends are paying their last respects to the General who had just died.
Reacher tells Jodie that someone is searching for her and is able to save her from two men who were sent to
In New York, Hook Hobie is behind the attempted murder and is terrorizing a CEO named Chester Stone and Stone's wife.
Reacher and Jodie search for what Jodie's father was investigating before his death. They learn that he was helping an elderly couple named Hobie who were searching for their son, Victor, who had been missing since his second tour in Vietnam.
The stories connect and the tension is very well done.
Lee Child has written an excellent thriller. The cat and mouse game played by Hobie and Reacher is well played out and realistically portrayed.
Reacher tells Jodie that someone is searching for her and is able to save her from two men who were sent to
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kill her.In New York, Hook Hobie is behind the attempted murder and is terrorizing a CEO named Chester Stone and Stone's wife.
Reacher and Jodie search for what Jodie's father was investigating before his death. They learn that he was helping an elderly couple named Hobie who were searching for their son, Victor, who had been missing since his second tour in Vietnam.
The stories connect and the tension is very well done.
Lee Child has written an excellent thriller. The cat and mouse game played by Hobie and Reacher is well played out and realistically portrayed.
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LibraryThing member mikedraper
Jack Reacher helps the daughter of an old army friend, Jodie Garber. He finds that someone is attempting to kill her.
In New York, Hook Hobie is terrorizing a corporate CEO. The executive's fear is so great that he agrees to turn over all of his money to Hobie.
Reacher and Jodie learn that her father
Events follow the two plot lines. The tension is excellent and the plotting well done.
Lee Child has written an excellent thriller. The cat and mouse game played by Hobie and Reacher is well played out and realistic. There are some wll placed surprises in this highly entertaining novel.
In New York, Hook Hobie is terrorizing a corporate CEO. The executive's fear is so great that he agrees to turn over all of his money to Hobie.
Reacher and Jodie learn that her father
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was helping an elderly couple, the Hobie's search for their son, Victor. Victor was a helicopter pilot who disappeared in his second tour of Vietnam. They feel he should be declared a MIA and his name place on the Vietnam memorial.Events follow the two plot lines. The tension is excellent and the plotting well done.
Lee Child has written an excellent thriller. The cat and mouse game played by Hobie and Reacher is well played out and realistic. There are some wll placed surprises in this highly entertaining novel.
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LibraryThing member Smiler69
Jack Reacher is living out in Key West digging out swimming pools for a living. When a stranger in a bar asks Reacher where he can find this man, 'Jack Reacher', he pretends he doesn't have a clue, but before taking his leave, the stranger tells him his name is Costello and that he's been sent by
I didn't know what to expect from my first Lee Child book, but I can say it certainly won't be my last. Tripwire is actually the third in the Jack Reacher series, but I wouldn't have known from the story, since there's plenty of background information on Reacher and his origins here. This novel combined thriller elements, including sadistic businessmen with hidden agendas, and the search for a soldier who disappeared in the Vietnam war without a trace, along with a passionate romance that wasn't too sappy for my tastes. It soon becomes obvious that this book was written pre-9/11 since the twin towers feature prominently as a location. Good pacing and buildup, with a twist near the end which sneaked up on me which was an added bonus.
The narrator does a great job in the audio version, and while at first I found the sound quality to be wanting, it quickly stopped being an issue.
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his client, a Mrs. Jacob from New York city, to find him. Later than night, while Reacher is working at his second job as the doorman in a strip club, two more strangers come looking for Jack Reacher, and again, our man tells them he doesn't know who they're talking about. But later, when he finishes his shift, Reacher finds Costello dead with his fingerprints cut off and decides he needs to go to New York and find out who this Mrs. Jacob could be and why a man has lost his life after asking around about him. I didn't know what to expect from my first Lee Child book, but I can say it certainly won't be my last. Tripwire is actually the third in the Jack Reacher series, but I wouldn't have known from the story, since there's plenty of background information on Reacher and his origins here. This novel combined thriller elements, including sadistic businessmen with hidden agendas, and the search for a soldier who disappeared in the Vietnam war without a trace, along with a passionate romance that wasn't too sappy for my tastes. It soon becomes obvious that this book was written pre-9/11 since the twin towers feature prominently as a location. Good pacing and buildup, with a twist near the end which sneaked up on me which was an added bonus.
The narrator does a great job in the audio version, and while at first I found the sound quality to be wanting, it quickly stopped being an issue.
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LibraryThing member martinhughharvey
Listened to another Reacher on audio - I'd say this was my best so far. His characters and scene setting are so thorough and enjoyable and no one paints the bad guys as "good" as Mr Child! Interestingly I found listening rather than reading accentuated the depth of the book as I suspect I'd gloss
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over some of the content in the books I read while of course I can't do that when listening! Show Less
LibraryThing member MsGlock
My favorite Lee Child book so far. The bad guy is a Vietnam War veteran. (I'm a Vietnam War buff) This character is so bad, you can't wait for Reacher to find him. Reacher is digging out swimming pools in Key West, FL for a living at the beginning of the book. (I love authors that place their
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characters in FL). This is kick-ass Jack Reacher action. WARNING: You won't be able to put it down. Show Less
LibraryThing member nvellis01
Child gets real talky towards the end but this is a good one. Its much batter than the previous installment "Die Trying".
LibraryThing member ashergabbay
"Tripwire" is Lee Child's third novel in the Jack Reacher series, after "Killing Floor" and "Die Trying". It is a worthy companion to the first two books in the series.
This time we find Reacher in the Florida Keys, digging pools by hand during the day and working as a bouncer in a strip club at
Jodie and Reacher find out that Leon was trying to help a couple who were looking for their son, missing in action during the Vietnam war. From here the story moves into high gear. On the 88th floor of the World Trade Center (this novel was written before 9/11) sits a guy called Hook Hobie, apparently the long-lost son. Half of his face is burnt into a grotesque image and one of his hands is a hook. Hobie is weaving an intricate plot to get control of some real estate, but his time is running out. Things are in motion in Hawaii and in Vietnam, and Hobie cannot afford for this things to unravel before making his exit.
Who exactly is Hobie and how he's connected to the elderly couple gets revealed only towards the end of this gripping thriller. Child proves again that he is a master in creating a complex plot that keeps the reader guessing almost until the end.
This time we find Reacher in the Florida Keys, digging pools by hand during the day and working as a bouncer in a strip club at
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night. One day a private eye walks into the bar looking for him; a few hours later he finds the guy dead in the street. So he goes to New York to find out why this guy was looking for him. The trail leads him to the house of his former commander and mentor in the military, Leon Garber, where he walks in on Garber's funeral. He meets the daughter, Jodie, a Wall Street lawyer whom he remembers from when she was a teenager. (Jodie, needless to say, is blond and fit - a recurring theme in Child's novels). Reacher and Jodie embark on a journey to find out why Leon was looking for Reacher.Jodie and Reacher find out that Leon was trying to help a couple who were looking for their son, missing in action during the Vietnam war. From here the story moves into high gear. On the 88th floor of the World Trade Center (this novel was written before 9/11) sits a guy called Hook Hobie, apparently the long-lost son. Half of his face is burnt into a grotesque image and one of his hands is a hook. Hobie is weaving an intricate plot to get control of some real estate, but his time is running out. Things are in motion in Hawaii and in Vietnam, and Hobie cannot afford for this things to unravel before making his exit.
Who exactly is Hobie and how he's connected to the elderly couple gets revealed only towards the end of this gripping thriller. Child proves again that he is a master in creating a complex plot that keeps the reader guessing almost until the end.
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LibraryThing member edwardsgt
I didn't think this story was quite up to his usual high standard & I'd guessed a major plot element quite early, but still a cut above others of the genre.
LibraryThing member gogglemiss
Glossed fleetingly over the tortuous bits, which were rather detailed, but still a cracking read. Love Jack Reacher. This story revealed quite a bit more about him, his weaknesses, insecurities as well as his strengths. I'm rather disappointed, though, that there were a few loose ends, that needed
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to be tied up at the end. What happened to?.....how was?........ Show Less
LibraryThing member Randall.Hansen
Another Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child. If you like macho guys who know their weapons and military protocol from serving as an army MP, you'll like Jack Reacher. And Child's way of storytelling is very thorough and engaging. This time we find our hero catching up with a long-lost love and daughter
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of his Army mentor -- while dealing with a mystery that goes all the way back to Vietnam. Based mostly in New York, it also has an element of sadness as part of the plot is set in an office in one of the former Twin Towers of lower Manhattan. As always, with a Jack Reacher story, once you get into the depth of it, this book is very hard to put down. Again, a few obvious clues missed by our hero, but he makes up for it with his canny and police background. Show Less
LibraryThing member TadAD
Way too much As You Know, Bob in this one for me to enjoy it as much as I could have. Perhaps this was due to the fact that it was an audio book and I could just skip my eyes down over those sections. Mindless fun, but eminently forgettable.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1999-06-28
Physical description
608 p.; 4.31 inches
ISBN
0515143073 / 9780515143072