A Wanted Man - Lee Child

[Luanne Ollivier]

Jack Reacher returns in the A Wanted Man - the 17th entry in this series by Lee Child. And did I mention - one of my favourite characters and series!

Reacher is former military police. These days he criss-crosses the country, going where the wind blows, no home and no baggage. But trouble? Well, it seems to find Reacher no matter where he is. And with his unerring moral compass, he can't help it - he steps up and steps in....

This time he's hitch hiking in Nebraska. No one is stopping for him -the busted up face and the sheer mass of him puts people off. But then someone does stop and it looks like he's got a ride to Virginia with the two men and the woman in the car. (faithful readers will remember the voice on the other end of the phone that he wants to meet....) But Reacher's radar is alerted - something just doesn't seem quite right in the car....and what about the two roadblocks they drive through......

The first third of  A Wanted Man is slower than previous novels. I liked how Reacher came his conclusion that something was wrong in the car. I enjoyed being privy to his thoughts on how and what he was going to do.  There's not as much physical action in this book as previous books, although the run up to the end is good and fulfills the kick ass Reacher quotient. Child inserts a good twist, just to keep us on our toes....and makes you wonder about the alphabet agencies and their agendas.

Lee Child has created a character that appeals to all readers, men and women. He's the quintessential hard boiled hero. No backing down, his own set of morals and tough as nails. He has a firm moral compass, carefully delineated lines on what's right and wrong, but has no problem using questionable methods to get to the bottom of things. He's big, strong, smart and....well.... kinda sexy too.

There have been quite a few readers who really truly disliked this book. I'm not one of them. It's different, but for me it was still a really good read.  Read an excerpt of A Wanted Man.

Reacher Creatures can rejoice  - the 18th book is in the works and to quote Child....

.... "I have started work on next year's installment, titled "Never Go Back" Reacher finally makes it to Virginia and meets Susan Turner...but as you might imagine, he also runs into a world of trouble there. Let's hope he survives."

My only complaint is the choice of Tom Cruise to play Reacher in the film adaption. Reacher is described as '...a big man, six foot five inches tall, heavily built..." Tom Cruise - not so much.

You can find Jack Reacher on Facebook and Lee Child on Twitter.