![]() ![]() Reacher took in a deep breath, let half of it out, and squeezed. Now back at the range, he set up behind the tripod mount, located the Kindle in his sights, and made final adjustments for an 8 mph left-to-right breeze. "So you won't have to lug around those heavy books." Reacher had mumbled a polite thank you and then escaped as quickly as he could. Typically a simple sentence that inserts Reacher into some news story or current trend:Ī young female officer had surprised Reacher with the present. My friend Charlie Gofen and I spend way too much time writing little Reacher parodies and spoofs. The formula is simple and delightful: Child drops Reacher into a small town, where he stumbles on some bad guys, and there's maybe a really beautiful sheriff or lawyer former military officer around for some romance, and pretty soon Reacher's racking up the body count. And, of course, the fun begins when someone tries to tell him what to do or where he can or can't go. He travels anywhere he wants to go, hitchhiking or riding the bus. He doesn't own a car or a smart phone, doesn't need one. (Like everyone else, Reacher's life changed after 9/11, and he now carries his passport, too). He wanders around the country with only some loose cash in his pockets - and a toothbrush. The funnest part about Reacher is that he is completely, religiously, unrealistically off the grid: no car, no home, no Visa card. Think Rain Man with huge biceps and a Glock. He's a crack shot, a skilled street fighter, and a West Point graduate with an almost autistic and often hilarious obsession with the tiniest details of life. ![]() "I think," she said, "Reacher may have jumped the shark."Īnd that, essentially, is the question looming over Child's latest effort, The Affair.įor those who haven't picked up one of these books yet, Jack Reacher is a hulking ex-Army MP. Linda Wertheimer put it into words one day in the hallway as we waited for an elevator. So some of us began to question whether the series was getting tired. The plots, never strong on plausibility in the first place, started to feel disappointingly familiar. beating up rednecks, buying new clothes and throwing away the ones he's wearing. Reacher has now been bumming around small town America for more than a decade. So I got an early jump and some down time to read it.Īnd it worried me a little. The latest in the Reacher series, 61 Hours, was weeks away from publication in the U.S., but was already was out in hardcover in the UK. I hit the jackpot last year when I got stuck in London for a few days thanks to the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull. I can't wait to get on the Metro home to find out what small-town bus depot Reacher has washed up in this time.įor pure fun, the Reacher novels are easily the best thriller series going, and Lee Child has created a formula and a style that, over 16 books, has made him one of the most popular authors in America. I sift through the piles of books that come in to NPR and pester Lynn Neary, who covers the publishing beat, to see if she's got one yet. Whenever there's another of Lee Child's thrillers coming out, we're all scrambling to get an advance copy. So do Noah Adams and Linda Wertheimer and Wade Goodwyn. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title The Affair Author Lee Child ![]()
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