Jack Reacher
Created by Lee Child
"I don't really care about the little guy. I just hate the big guy. I hate big smug people who think they can get away with things."
-- Reacher replies, when questioned about his motives, in Persuader
The audacious breadth and scope of this series continues to amaze me. One book, the ex-MP drifter with the seldom-talked about past and way too much training is digging swimming pools or trying to help a rancher's wife out of a domestic jam, the next book he's hired to try and kill the Vice President designate. JACK REACHER may not want trouble, but it sure seems to find him. Reacher's absolute confidence in his abilities, and his unerring sense of what is and isn't right stands out in a world of conflicted detectives. I mean, this guy's icy confidence makes Spenser look like he
has self-esteem problems.
There's also no doubt that Reacher is a wingnut. His almost psychotic obession with being his own man means he has no fixed address, and carries nothing but, almost literally, the shirt on his back. No laundromats for Jack. And his most cherish possession may be a portable toothbrush. In Bad Luck and Trouble, an old army buddy, having watched Jack trash his old clothes and buy equally cheap replacements, points out that he could have kept the old shirt.
"Slippery slope," Reacher said. "I carry a spare shirt, pretty soon I'm carrying spare pants. Then I'd need a suitcase. Next thing I know, I've got a house and a car and a savings plan and I'm filling out all kinds of forms."
And yet, there's a lot of wit here, too, and even a certain amount of playfulness. In Without Fail, there's a great
Forrest Gump-like scene, where Jack's sucked into a press interview,
and asked his thoughts on the use of overwhelming force. ("Yes,
I still support overwhelming force. That's for sure. I support
it big time. Always have, believe me.") And there's a small,
tender scene of such powerful but unspoken passion between a man
and a woman that the fact it doesn't lead anywhere will crack
your heart.
I've read several in this series and I'm heading back to find the others. This is a Mens Adventure book for men (and women) who can read with their mouths closed and their minds (and hearts) open. Smart, literate and just good old-fashioned thrilling. And always fascinating. Reacher seems capable of being anywhere, doing anything, and each book finds him somewhere else down the road, travelling through an America where the bad moon is always on the rise. Imagine Ross Macdonald's Lew
Archer locked and loaded, and coming to town near you.
Heartily and highly recommend.
EVIDENCE
- "Where have you been since you left the service?"
Froelich asked. "You haven't left much of a paper trail."
"That was the plan," Reacher said. "I keep myself
to myself."
(Reacher defends his lifestyle, Without Fail)
.
- "She floated her hand on
the air and kept it motionless. Then she pressed harder and brought
it down and her fingers touched the back of his hand, very lightly.
She turned her elbow so her hand lay precisely aligned. Then
she pressed down harder. Her palm felt warm. Her fingers were
long and cool. Their tips lay on his knuckles. They moved and
traced the lines and scars and tendons. They raked down between
his. He turned his hand over. She pressed her palm into his.
Laced her fingers through his fingers and squeezed. He squeezed
back.
.
He held her hand for five long minutes. Then she slowly pulled
it away. Stood up and stepped to the door. Smiled.
.
"See you in the morning," she said.
(ibid.)
NOVELS
SHORT STORIES
- "James Penney's New Identity" (1999, Fresh Blood III; also 2006, Thriller)
Features a pre-Killing Floor Jack Reacher in
a key role.
- "Guy Walks into a Bar..." (June 7, 2009, The New York Times)
RELATED LINKS
Respectfully submitted by Kevin
Burton Smith.
