I used to read a lot of Jack Reacher books by Lee Child (sometimes I still do) but the shtick got old after awhile. Blowing into some small town, get hassled by someone who is abusive of their power, and then getting epic payback from the guy who just wanted a hamburger – the same story slightly modified.
This book contains a better Reacher – of course there is sudden (extreme) violence, and a tough, quiet character, and the theme of being underestimated. But the writing of this book goes just a little deeper and covers a bit more psychological territory.
The plot is quite simple and the pacing is excellent, moving along quickly so you have a hard time taking a break from the book. My favorite element was the main character’s sense of humor – dry, sharp, and he doesn’t really care if you get the joke or not.
On the downside it is not really a believable situation – this is fiction, after all – and the violence is pretty graphic sometimes. But I’m willing to forgive these to enjoy a little something new from the lone wolf drifter genre.
As a start to a series it was quite good, and since the second book was available at the library I am jumping right into Hard Town by Adam Plantinga.
