Better off Dead

Lee Child really did have a stroke of genius, handing Reacher over to his brother and doing the way he is. Whilst Reacher is the same man, the style of writing is not and there is a new enthusiasm to the story.

If you love Reacher then you will be happy, this is him at his finest.

As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot (plenty of other reviews like that out there already).

Despite having read most of them (apart from "The Sentinel") I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw that Andrew (Lee's younger brother) was billed as co-author. Would this make a huge difference in the writing style, the plotting, Reacher? The answer to all of those questions was no, not really. Reacher is still himself, still beating the bad guys and outwitting their minions, still moving around without a single string attached. There were a few differences - but if anything I took them to be a development of the character, rather than detracting from the book.

The story features two strong female characters (one of whom could have been developed a bit more IMHO), but they were integral to the plot and did not feel like they'd been added to tick some kind of "woke" box, which is a refreshing change these days!

The main bad guy was on a par with a James Bond style villain in terms of the infrastructure he had built up, and the plot would definitely make for a great action movie.

Another page turner (I couldn't put it down). Looking forward to further episodes in the Reacher franchise, which I understand will eventually be wholly written by Andrew.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

I keep waiting for Reacher to get a bit samey - still hasn’t happened with this latest instalment. With new, fascinating characters brought into the frame, this book delivers all the action readers expect from Reacher. Really enjoyed the clever aspects of the main plot line, including the use of transponders (won’t say any more in case I give anything away.). Another fantastic book featuring this timeless hero.

Cannot believe I blew through this one in just three days! I had a blast reading the latest Reacher novel and although I've been away from the character for some time, it was like coming home after a long journey. The action started very strong and continued throughout with some lulls just to break up the tension. I did a few times think how was Reacher able to be so physical in his actions when he is now supposedly getting on a bit in age - however, it is fiction and I am more than prepared to suspend reality as required. This is the first Lee Child/Andrew Child collaboration that I have read and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is of excellent quality in my opinion. I was amused to see Reacher using FaceID on a phone and actually making some phone calls on mobile as well. The best fight scene for me for the whole book was the one with Mansour at the end. It reminded me a lot of the fight scene with Paulie from Persuader. The entire book was filled with top-quality action scenes, but there was definitely something special about this one. When Reacher stepped on his neck to crush his spine, I literally heard that snap (this is hardly a spoiler - you know he wasn't getting away). I was very impressed with how the authors tied the story into something from much earlier in the series to pull everything together.
I am very grateful to the publishers and authors for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review of this title.
I think Lee Child said it best - at the end of the book I was left feeling that justice had certainly been done and the bad guys got more than a stern talking to. Very much look forward to the next book in the series.

The name’s Reacher. Jack Reacher.

I can’t quite picture Reacher introducing himself with the smooth confidence and utter self assurance of James Bond. Yet I read Better Off Dead in the week the new Bond film (No Time to Die) was just hitting cinemas and I was struck by some similarities between the Bond and Reacher franchises. 26 Reacher Books, 25 “official” Bond movies. One lead character who can accomplish pretty much anything he sets out to do, against all odds, surrounded by the corpses of his enemies and more often than not both guys get the girl too.

What the Bond fans have had many decades to come to terms with is that their leading man changes now and then (but he is still James Bond). Also changing is the feel of the franchise when the lead actor changes. Craig is action packed, Moore felt lighter in tone, Brosnan was dark and Connery retains the classic feel of the novels.

Reacher fans are now experiencing a subtle change in their leading man. Reacher is still Reacher but the voice has changed as Andrew Child takes over from brother Lee. For the casual reader the change will not be noticed, it has been a subtle transition and Reacher is Reacher, he gets the job done. But for the committed fans, the ones that read and re-read all the books, they will notice a new hand at the helm and this is their Live and Let Die – the second outing with a different “face” to the one they were so used to. But Live and Let Die was rather good so should we be too worried about background semantics? I guess that depends on whether you think James Bond and Jack Reacher should go on for ever or if the curtain should, one day, be allowed to fall.

But what of Better Off Dead? I enjoyed it a lot more than Reacher 25 (The Sentinel) as Better Off Dead felt distinctly more punchy. Which is to say Reacher seemed to punch lots more people. There is also a very real “big bad” enemy in the form of Dendonker – a man so feared by his own staff that they will take their own life rather than face his wrath.

It’s a very traditional Reacher opening. He is walking alone and spots a car which has hit a tree. He goes to investigate and to establish if the driver is okay; only to find himself looking down the barrel of a gun. This in itself is alarming but when the opening chapter had already hooked readers with a big fight sequence that ended with Reacher getting shot, this retrospective scene isn’t good news for our hero.

As you can see from the blurb, Reacher is on a rescue mission. A missing twin. This isn’t the first time Reacher finds himself in a small, seemingly quiet, town tasked with finding a missing man. The man he needs to find is probably dead but his sister implores Reacher to help track him down. The fact his disappearance may link to a possible terror threat is more than enough reason for Reacher to stick around and help.

Looking for leads in a quiet town where most people are unaware of the monster in their midst gives Reacher good cause to dig around. His attention isn’t welcomed and Dendonker sends his staff to handle the situation. This is always fun for a Child reader.

Reacher’s digging uncovers more questions than answers. Dendonker made money from selling airplane meals, his products go onto planes which fly around the world so when the idea and potential threat of terror attacks raises its head Reacher’s rescue mission takes on a whole new angle.

Reacher against the bad guys trying to stop their plans – it’s what we come back for time and time again.