I have been recently introduced to this author, LEE CHILD, and am enamoured to read his books. Mystery/suspense/thriller, not sure what genre one would put it in. The book is a fat one, making one wonder whether it will really be boring, but to my surprise, found it otherwise.
What makes a hero, well, a hero? Is it selfless dedication to others - that idealized view we have of police officers, firefighters and soldiers? Or, as in Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, is it simply being big, strong, good with a gun and possessed of a disposition suitable to blowing away bad guys without a second thought?
He’s every man’s inner fantasy realized. He lives a nomadic existence, meandering from one locale to the other as the mood strikes him, unencumbered by debts, obligations, commitments or relationships. He doesn’t pay taxes, doesn’t have a fixed address or even a permanent wardrobe. He’s blissfully unaware of such modern conveniences as text-messaging. He’s an ex-Army military policeman. He even has the useful ability to accurately keep track of time in his head without wearing a watch.
In short, he’s a maverick, a 21st-century cowboy, a noncommittal yet good-hearted wanderer who travels the globe having adventures. But many a times we may find it difficult to adapt to his never changing role, as he never does settle down in the entire series of the novels.
A brief synopsis of the book:
Jack Reacher was alone, the way he liked it, soaking up the hot, electric New York City night, watching a man cross the street to a parked Mercedes and drive it away. The car contained one million dollars in ransom money because Edward Lane, the man who paid it, would do anything to get his family back.
Lane runs a highly illegal soldiers-for-hire operation. He will use any tool to find his beautiful wife and child. And Jack Reacher is the best man-hunter in the world.
On the trail of vicious kidnappers, Reacher learns the chilling secrets of his employer’s past.and of a horrific drama in the heart of a nasty little war. He knows that Edward Lane is hiding something. Something dirty. Something big. But Reacher also knows this: he’s already in way too deep to stop now. **And if he has to do it the hard way, he will.
The Hard Way** is as captivating a read as any entry in this sturdy, dependable escapist series, and as good a starting point as any for novices. It’s well-paced and easy to follow, if a bit too much descriptive violence.
Thanks and do read and review