📖 Book Review 📖

Better Off Dead (Jack Reacher #26) by Lee Child & Andrew Child.

I was contacted by the publisher to recieve a free copy of this book in exchange of a review. Unpaid promotion. Thank you to the publishers and @netgalley for this ebook.

Release date : October 26th.

Despite this being number 26 in the Reacher series I will admit I've only ever read two of the books before this. The series has been one I've wanted to read but I just have too many books!

If you a fan of this series this will not disappoint, and if you are like me and relatively new to the Reacher world then I think you'll be in for a treat.

The story starts with Reacher on an Arizona road and he comes across a car crash and a woman he thinks is in trouble. Turns out to be part of a much bigger plot and Reacher ends up getting involved.

It contains lots of action and fight scenes so if you like action and adventure I'm sure you will enjoy this.
It can be read standalone and is released in only a few days.

Jack Reacher is back and this time he is in a small town on the border with Mexico. Andrew and Lee Child are continuing Reachers story and giving die hard fans their annual fix. An enjoyable romp as ever, one of the best? No, worth a read? Absolutely.

I technically class as a newbie to the Reacher series having begun reading them because my dad was a big fan, so to me I haven’t really noticed too much of a big difference with the passing off the mantle from Lee to Andrew, what I am impressed by is how ever many of these books I read that never get boring or repetitive . The writing is so detailed but still interesting and I just love Reacher, definitely looking forward to more.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

🄱🄾🄾🄺 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆 🄾🄵
𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗗
Lee Child and Andrew Child
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

𝗠𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄

My 26th Jack Reacher book. There are very few series of books of which I own every copy, but Jack Reacher is one of them. I will add that while this is book 26, you never feel you’ve missed out on anything if you haven’t read it’s predecessors. Go and read them anyway. You can thank me later.

Better Off Dead finds Reacher helping another US Army veteran, in part because in her desperation he doesn’t want her to do anything stupid, but mainly because it’s the right thing to do.

Jack Reacher is a character oft imitated, but remains in a class of his own. He is direct, doesn’t suffer fools, and has that overriding sense of right and wrong, all of which makes him more compelling.

This is another story narrated by Reacher, and while I do like the first person narrative, I do prefer third person for greater suspense as you get to experience every character’s perspective. That said, Lee Child and Andrew Child have knocked it out of the park with Reacher’s 26th novel, and I had a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Overall, I think this will be in my Top 10 of 2021, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great thriller which will make you want to read the other 25 novels, and numerous novellas too. I gave Better Off Dead, By Lee Child and Andrew Child five stars.

BETTER OFF DEAD
(Part of the Jack Reacher Series)
Written by Lee Child and Andrew Child
Bantam Press. Penguin

Amazingly there are over 24 books in the Reacher series and now that legendary author Lee Child has said that he felt he was "ageing out, he has decided to pass the baton to his younger brother Andrew.
DNA definitely rules in this case and the new Reacher novels, “The Sentinel” and now “Better Off Dead”, are both brilliant and showcase a smooth as silk writing collaboration.

The great man Stephen King said it best- Jack Reacher, is "the coolest series character" Reacher is an appealing human avenger, with one set of clothes, all his personal effects in one pocket and some seriously Bond worthy survival skills. This new thriller “Better Off Dead” nails its Thriller brief by telling a bloody exciting story about some seriously suss criminal activity. The writing is quick and sharp and the tough dialogue is heartbeat addictive. The detailed fight scenes in Better off Dead are like dancing chess moves and from the dramatic opening- “ He was Alone. And Unarmed. As Agreed” - through all the vibrant layers of this complex plot that refuses to sit still - it is a great read.

4 stars
Miranda Y, Reviewer.

The name’s Reacher. Jack Reacher.

I can’t quite picture Reacher introducing himself with the smooth confidence and utter self assurance of James Bond. Yet I read Better Off Dead in the week the new Bond film (No Time to Die) was just hitting cinemas and I was struck by some similarities between the Bond and Reacher franchises. 26 Reacher Books, 25 “official” Bond movies. One lead character who can accomplish pretty much anything he sets out to do, against all odds, surrounded by the corpses of his enemies and more often than not both guys get the girl too.

What the Bond fans have had many decades to come to terms with is that their leading man changes now and then (but he is still James Bond). Also changing is the feel of the franchise when the lead actor changes. Craig is action packed, Moore felt lighter in tone, Brosnan was dark and Connery retains the classic feel of the novels.

Reacher fans are now experiencing a subtle change in their leading man. Reacher is still Reacher but the voice has changed as Andrew Child takes over from brother Lee. For the casual reader the change will not be noticed, it has been a subtle transition and Reacher is Reacher, he gets the job done. But for the committed fans, the ones that read and re-read all the books, they will notice a new hand at the helm and this is their Live and Let Die – the second outing with a different “face” to the one they were so used to. But Live and Let Die was rather good so should we be too worried about background semantics? I guess that depends on whether you think James Bond and Jack Reacher should go on for ever or if the curtain should, one day, be allowed to fall.

But what of Better Off Dead? I enjoyed it a lot more than Reacher 25 (The Sentinel) as Better Off Dead felt distinctly more punchy. Which is to say Reacher seemed to punch lots more people. There is also a very real “big bad” enemy in the form of Dendonker – a man so feared by his own staff that they will take their own life rather than face his wrath.

It’s a very traditional Reacher opening. He is walking alone and spots a car which has hit a tree. He goes to investigate and to establish if the driver is okay; only to find himself looking down the barrel of a gun. This in itself is alarming but when the opening chapter had already hooked readers with a big fight sequence that ended with Reacher getting shot, this retrospective scene isn’t good news for our hero.

As you can see from the blurb, Reacher is on a rescue mission. A missing twin. This isn’t the first time Reacher finds himself in a small, seemingly quiet, town tasked with finding a missing man. The man he needs to find is probably dead but his sister implores Reacher to help track him down. The fact his disappearance may link to a possible terror threat is more than enough reason for Reacher to stick around and help.

Looking for leads in a quiet town where most people are unaware of the monster in their midst gives Reacher good cause to dig around. His attention isn’t welcomed and Dendonker sends his staff to handle the situation. This is always fun for a Child reader.

Reacher’s digging uncovers more questions than answers. Dendonker made money from selling airplane meals, his products go onto planes which fly around the world so when the idea and potential threat of terror attacks raises its head Reacher’s rescue mission takes on a whole new angle.

Reacher against the bad guys trying to stop their plans – it’s what we come back for time and time again.

Cannot believe I blew through this one in just three days! I had a blast reading the latest Reacher novel and although I've been away from the character for some time, it was like coming home after a long journey. The action started very strong and continued throughout with some lulls just to break up the tension. I did a few times think how was Reacher able to be so physical in his actions when he is now supposedly getting on a bit in age - however, it is fiction and I am more than prepared to suspend reality as required. This is the first Lee Child/Andrew Child collaboration that I have read and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is of excellent quality in my opinion. I was amused to see Reacher using FaceID on a phone and actually making some phone calls on mobile as well. The best fight scene for me for the whole book was the one with Mansour at the end. It reminded me a lot of the fight scene with Paulie from Persuader. The entire book was filled with top-quality action scenes, but there was definitely something special about this one. When Reacher stepped on his neck to crush his spine, I literally heard that snap (this is hardly a spoiler - you know he wasn't getting away). I was very impressed with how the authors tied the story into something from much earlier in the series to pull everything together.
I am very grateful to the publishers and authors for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review of this title.
I think Lee Child said it best - at the end of the book I was left feeling that justice had certainly been done and the bad guys got more than a stern talking to. Very much look forward to the next book in the series.

I keep waiting for Reacher to get a bit samey - still hasn’t happened with this latest instalment. With new, fascinating characters brought into the frame, this book delivers all the action readers expect from Reacher. Really enjoyed the clever aspects of the main plot line, including the use of transponders (won’t say any more in case I give anything away.). Another fantastic book featuring this timeless hero.

As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot (plenty of other reviews like that out there already).

Despite having read most of them (apart from "The Sentinel") I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw that Andrew (Lee's younger brother) was billed as co-author. Would this make a huge difference in the writing style, the plotting, Reacher? The answer to all of those questions was no, not really. Reacher is still himself, still beating the bad guys and outwitting their minions, still moving around without a single string attached. There were a few differences - but if anything I took them to be a development of the character, rather than detracting from the book.

The story features two strong female characters (one of whom could have been developed a bit more IMHO), but they were integral to the plot and did not feel like they'd been added to tick some kind of "woke" box, which is a refreshing change these days!

The main bad guy was on a par with a James Bond style villain in terms of the infrastructure he had built up, and the plot would definitely make for a great action movie.

Another page turner (I couldn't put it down). Looking forward to further episodes in the Reacher franchise, which I understand will eventually be wholly written by Andrew.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Lee Child really did have a stroke of genius, handing Reacher over to his brother and doing the way he is. Whilst Reacher is the same man, the style of writing is not and there is a new enthusiasm to the story.

If you love Reacher then you will be happy, this is him at his finest.