Never Go Back by Lee Child (2014).
JACK REACHER is back!!
After couple of mediocre books,
REACHER makes a total come back with "Never Go Back".
Like MJ, when he is on his game, nobody
can beat Lee Child!!
P
|
layers. – Jack Reacher.
Ex-military MP. He used to run 110th MP Special Unit which
basically oversee all MPs.
He is still
a hulk with mind of Sherlock Holmes. Except, after wondering around the US and
the world (seasoning, they called) for the last 15 years or so, he is becoming
wiser and more confident. A wise and calm and highly intelligent hulk who, as
soon as identifies his enemy, attacks with precision and ruthlessness. Imagine
that!
According to
him, now he has a theory why he is a complete loner with no desire of settling
down. He has a strong, primitive DNA of ancient hunters in his blood which keeps him off of
regular life with any sort of attachment. Hum. Interesting.
Major Susan Turner. This episode’s victim. She is a current boss
of powerful 110th MP Special Unit which is the house Reacher built
years ago.
She is, off
course, wrongfully accused of crimes she never committed just like A-team and
just like a victim in A-team, she has a help who can move a mountain if it is
required. The fact that she is very attractive also works well for her
advantage.
Not that she uses it. She is too proud and smart for that.
Romeo and Juliet. This episode’s nemesis
for Reacher. Another pool souls who think they can deal with Reacher with
violence and money.
They actually did quite extensive research on
Reacher through military database before they declare a war against
Reacher. But we all know who goes under six feet at the end.
P
|
lace. –
Washington, DC where Reacher’s old unit, 110th MP Special Unit is
located. Reacher visits Turner who is a current Boss of his old unit just to
ask her out for dinner.
The
next stop is LA where he takes care of a personal allegation made by army which
is actually quite funny.
Then,
back to Washington to face the final bosses.
Then,
according to the book, his next stop is Seattle.
P
|
lot. – Very
straight Jack Reacher story. Reacher walks into the trouble and instead of
running away from it, which he can do it if he wants because the choice is all
his, he attacks it with everything he has which is a considerable force because
he is Jack Reacher.
Reacher is
looking forward to meet a chief officer of his old unit, Susan Turner, for a
dinner and a date. However as soon as he arrives in Washington, DC, he is
confronted with two tugs who warn him to go away from DC forever.
After
dispatching them with couple of quick but deadly punches, Reacher takes their
car to visit Turner, only to find out she is in jail with quite serious accusation
which is off course total BS. Not just that, Reacher himself is forcefully
brought back to army so that he can face his own crime allegation not just one
but two, both are, of course, totally BS, too. However, he is end up in jail in no time like
Turner.
Eventually,
after a brilliant maneuvering and calculation, Reacher meets Turner in prison and
breaks out of it with her. From there, his fight to find and get rid of threat
begins. And if you’ve ever read any of his books before, then you know what’s
coming: If you challenge Reacher, you either go down with pain or without.
Either
way, you go down. That’s the only way.
V
|
erdict. After a few
mediocre entries, which by the way happens to every writer who has a successful
series, Reacher comes back fully recovered from mid-life crisis of 3 or 4 so-so
titles. This book brings back everything that makes this series spectacular
readings: intense pace, multiple twists, fast actions, a few good characters
and couple of surprises at the end.
I don’t quite read fast-paced, action-filled page-tuner any more just
because
1.
They tend to be little
too thin on plot-side.
2.
Characters are tend
to be little too simple/cliché-ridden.
3.
The story quite often
ends without developing full characters or relationship between them.
However, this is possibly only action series which has truly unique
characters, quite interesting plots and, always, a great back ground
(settings). If I sum it up in one sentence, Action-Series With Brain. And if
you read as much as I do, then you DO know how hard to meet series like this.
So, please enjoy Jack Reacher NOW when he is still around kicking bad-asses all over the world and please forget
about the god-awful Hollywood-made film adaptation with Tom Cruise. TOM CRUISE! There is at least one foot
difference between their height alone! Reacher is a half French with blue eyes! I
guess anything is possible in Hollywood as long as money is involved….sigh).
