The Hard Way: A Jack Reacher Novel Mass Market

The Hard Way: A Jack Reacher Novel Mass Market

Author: Visit Amazon's Lee Child Page | Language: English | ISBN: 0440246008 | Format: EPUB

The Hard Way: A Jack Reacher Novel Mass Market Description

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In bestseller Child's 10th novel to feature ex-army MP Jack Reacher (after 2005's One Shot), a sidewalk cafe encounter in New York City plunges Reacher into one of his most challenging—and thoroughly engrossing—adventures to date. Acting out of "reflex and professional curiosity" (and the promise of a generous fee), Reacher agrees to help sinister ex-army officer Edward Lane, whose posse of six Special Forces veterans are even more ominous than he, track down his kidnapped daughter and trophy wife. Since the kidnapping of wife number one five years earlier ended in her death, Lane cautions Reacher that he will not brook police interference ("You break your word, I'll put your eyes out"). From Lane's quarters in the West Side's venerable Dakota apartment building to the shady sections of SoHo and Greenwich Village, the author's atmospheric descriptions make Manhattan a leading player, with menace lurking at every intersection. The inevitable showdown, on a farm outside a tiny English village, ranks as one of Child's most thrilling finales. (May)
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From Bookmarks Magazine

Lee Child has become one of the most popular writers in a genre known for the hard-earned loyalty of its readers. Fortunately, his character Jack Reacher, "the literary heir to Mike Hammer, Sir Lancelot and, perhaps, Jack Paladin" (Denver Post), shows no signs of cooling off. Critics applaud Child for bringing fresh observations and endearing quirks to Reacher's character (keep an eye out for the clothing in this latest effort), who was first introduced to readers in Killing Floor (1997) and most recently appeared in One Shot (2005). The books also contain a sense of humor, which contrasts nicely, at times ironically, with scenes of intense violence and cerebral intrigue.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details
Table of Contents
Reviews

Series: Jack Reacher
Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
Publisher: Dell; Reprint edition (May 19, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0440246008
ISBN-13: 978-0440246008
Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.4 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

I'm a big Lee Child fan. As far as I'm concerned, the tight-lipped, human arsenal Jack Reacher is the most compelling figure in contemporary escapist thriller fiction. So when I tell you that "The Hard Way" is the best novel of its kind to hit the shelves in the last few years, I'll admit I'm biased.

This is the tenth in the Reacher series, and it may be the best. In "Hard Way", trouble finds Reacher innocently enough, sitting in a New York sidewalk caf� sipping an espresso. Events unwind, and soon our hero is locked-and-loaded in solving a kidnapping, thick as thieves with a team of mercenary thugs, contemporary soldiers of fortune with shady backgrounds led by former Special Forces colonel Edward Lane. Lee Child is at his best when spinning a good mystery for Reacher to solve, and nagging incongruities surrounding the kidnapping of Lane's wife and daughter provide the perfect backdrop for Child to practice his craft. "The Hard Way's" Reacher is a bit wiser, more mature, using more brain and less brawn. More Sherlock Holmes and less Rambo this time around. In fact, more than 300 pages have turned before Reacher actually hurts someone, but the Child layers the tension and drops hints masterfully, leading up to a climax that will have you sweating right through your Barcalounger. The author's patented lean and no-nonsense prose is in top form, but what makes Child so readable are the obscure little bits of knowledge and factoids tucked away in cracks and corners of the plot, adding enough depth and authenticity to give the larger-than-life Reacher credibility that sets him apart from the just plain silly superheroes of so many "thrillers" of the day.

So to wrap it up, "The Hard Way" is about as good as it gets - intelligent, clever, a .

The critically acclaimed Lee Child has already firmly established his credentials as a maven in the creation of the action thriller. His latest offering, "The Hard Way" featuring his magnetic protagonist Jack Reacher, only further enhances his reputation. This gripping novel immediately captures your attention and leads you through a thoroughly engrossing plot.

As is usual Reacher is minding his own business sipping an expresso at a sidewalk Greenwich Village cafe, when he inavertantly observes a man get into a car and drive away. What he had actually seen was the pick up of a ransom. The moralistic Reacher is a powerful, supremely confident and resourceful nomadic individual, figuratively a man's man. He would be a valuable ally but rue the person that would be considered his enemy.

Uncharacteristically, Reacher the next day visited the same cafe where a waiter pointed him out to an inquisitive man. The man named Gregory was a former Special Forces soldier now employed by a wealthy ex-Delta Force colonel Edward Lane. Lane was the head of a small army of blacklisted former Special Forces operatives now employed as mercenaries. Being beckoned and chauffered to the Dakota apartments by Gregory, Reacher was informed that Lane's stunning wife Kate and her 8 year old daughter from a previous marriage, Jade, had been kidnapped. Lane who had procured a small fortune as a result of his participation in a civil war in the African country of Burkina Faso, could well afford the exorbitant ransom demands. Reacher also learned that Lane's first wife Anne had also been kidnapped but unfortunately killed during a bungled FBI investigation.

Reacher soon made Lane aware of his finely honed investigative skills courtesy of a long stint as an Army M.P..

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