Library's review
So yeah, kind of ridiculous. But compelling nonetheless, because I've read every one of the Reacher novels and enjoyed them in all their violent absurdity. I knew Child had published a number of e-book short stories featuring our favorite ass-kicker, but my library only has a handful of them. So some of the stories in this collection were familiar, and others were new to me although not actually new, if you know what I mean.
After reading the collection (which spans time between Reacher as a 13-year-old military brat and his current circumstances), I think Reacher may even work better in the short form. You get pure concentrated doses of Reacher with little secondary character development (not that there's a ton of that in the full-length books), and the plots aren't drawn out to such a ridiculous extent as they need to be to make a full novel.
If you like the Reacher persona, you will probably enjoy this collection. If you don't, nothing here will change your mind, I don't think. If you are curious about this Reacher creature, I'm not sure this collection is the best place to become acquainted; you'd probably be better off starting with the first novel, [Killing Floor] and seeing if he strikes your fancy.
Genres
Collections
Description
Fiction. Short Stories. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER � Get ready for the ultimate Jack Reacher experience: a thrilling new novella and eleven previously published stories, together for the first time in one pulse-pounding collection from Lee Child. No Middle Name begins with �Too Much Time,� a brand-new work of short fiction that finds Reacher in a hollowed-out town in Maine, where he witnesses a random bag-snatching but sees much more than a simple crime. �Small Wars� takes readers back to 1989, when Reacher is an MP assigned to solve the brutal murder of a young officer found along an isolated forest road in Georgia�and whose killer may be hiding in plain sight. In �Not a Drill,� Reacher tries to take some downtime, but a pleasant hike in Maine turns into a walk on the wild side�and perhaps something far more sinister. �High Heat� time-hops to 1977, when Reacher is a teenager in sweltering New York City during a sudden blackout that awakens the dark side of the city that never sleeps. Okinawa is the setting of �Second Son,� which reveals the pivotal moment when young Reacher�s sharp �lizard brain� becomes just as important as his muscle. In �Deep Down,� Reacher tracks down a spy by matching wits with four formidable females�three of whom are clean, but the fourth may prove fatal. Rounding out the collection are �Guy Walks into a Bar,� �James Penney�s New Identity,� �Everyone Talks,� �The Picture of the Lonely Diner,� �Maybe They Have a Tradition,� and �No Room at the Motel.� No suitcase. No destination. No middle name. No matter how far Reacher travels off the beaten path, trouble always finds him. Feel bad for trouble. Praise for No Middle Name �Captivating . . . classic [Lee] Child . . . This volume demonstrates what his fans already know: he�s a born storyteller and an astute observer.��Publishers Weekly (starred review) �Lee Child, like his creation, always knows exactly what he�s doing�and he does it well. Time in his company is never wasted.��Evening Standard.… (more)