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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5/5
Loner Jack Reacher is traveling east to west across the U.S. when he stops for coffee in the small company town of Despair. Almost immediately, he’s charged with vagrancy and kicked out. But Reacher suspects there’s more to it than that. Teaming up with a sharp, beautiful police officer from a nearby town—ironically named Hope—he moves back and forth between the two places as the intrigue deepens and, as they say, the plot thickens.
I’m always delighted to read a Jack Reacher novel and see how good a writer Lee Child is. Everything runs like clockwork—there are no wasted words, and every character, even the nameless ones, serves a purpose. His signature cadence and flow are on full display in Nothing to Lose, though this isn’t one of my favorites. It feels a bit long at times, with a lot (like, a loooooot) of driving between Hope and Despair, two towns run by very different police forces. There’s a military twist I didn’t see coming, and I enjoyed the book’s climax (no spoilers). It’s a solid addition to the Reacher series, but not the first one I’d recommend to new readers.
Loner Jack Reacher is traveling east to west across the U.S. when he stops for coffee in the small company town of Despair. Almost immediately, he’s charged with vagrancy and kicked out. But Reacher suspects there’s more to it than that. Teaming up with a sharp, beautiful police officer from a nearby town—ironically named Hope—he moves back and forth between the two places as the intrigue deepens and, as they say, the plot thickens.
I’m always delighted to read a Jack Reacher novel and see how good a writer Lee Child is. Everything runs like clockwork—there are no wasted words, and every character, even the nameless ones, serves a purpose. His signature cadence and flow are on full display in Nothing to Lose, though this isn’t one of my favorites. It feels a bit long at times, with a lot (like, a loooooot) of driving between Hope and Despair, two towns run by very different police forces. There’s a military twist I didn’t see coming, and I enjoyed the book’s climax (no spoilers). It’s a solid addition to the Reacher series, but not the first one I’d recommend to new readers.
It's been too long since I spent any time with Reacher - far, far too long.
And I've missed the old sod. Sure his tales aren't groundbreaking or original, but they have you turning the pages with regularity and speed.
Sometimes that's just what you want.
And Nothing To Lose is no different.
This time round, Reacher is going coast to coast, heading towards San Diego via a slightly scenic route which takes him to Hope.
Then Despair.
And a whole heap of trouble between the two towns.
And this what Lee Child does so well. Taking an old, well-worn narrative, a kind of modern Western, and keeping you entertained every step of the way.
For fans, you know what you're getting and you'll be sat still for hours as you head for the next twist.
For newcomers to Reacher's world, starting here is as good a place as any. Everything we've come to know and love is served up in spades, leaving you with a warm glow as an old friend heads off on another adventure.
There's suspense, tension, drama, romance (ish, it's Reacher after all) and a turn of phrase you couldn't get away with anywhere else.
Role on #13.
And I've missed the old sod. Sure his tales aren't groundbreaking or original, but they have you turning the pages with regularity and speed.
Sometimes that's just what you want.
And Nothing To Lose is no different.
This time round, Reacher is going coast to coast, heading towards San Diego via a slightly scenic route which takes him to Hope.
Then Despair.
And a whole heap of trouble between the two towns.
And this what Lee Child does so well. Taking an old, well-worn narrative, a kind of modern Western, and keeping you entertained every step of the way.
For fans, you know what you're getting and you'll be sat still for hours as you head for the next twist.
For newcomers to Reacher's world, starting here is as good a place as any. Everything we've come to know and love is served up in spades, leaving you with a warm glow as an old friend heads off on another adventure.
There's suspense, tension, drama, romance (ish, it's Reacher after all) and a turn of phrase you couldn't get away with anywhere else.
Role on #13.
All I can say is, "Et tu Lee Child?" Has he gone the way of Patricia Cornwell and her ilk? A great character and the first books are fab and then, the once-a-year book machine becomes to much to sustain and we get Nothing to Lose....boring, stupid and dumb......me = sad.
This was my first Lee child book. It was just okay. It held my interest for a while, but then halfway through I could'nt wait for it to end. I might still give another try to one of his books.
This was a good (3-4 star) Jack Reacher novel until the end (Spoiler alert).....
Spoiler
when reacher decides the best solution to how to stick it to the bad guys is to detonate the gigantic dirty bomb inside the recycling plant where it was assembled. Don't worry about the sub-plot earlier where there was worry about the TCE leaking into the local water table - I'm sure detonating a bomb next to 5000 gallons of the stuff will now impact on environment. I'm also sure that all the depleted uranium that shoots into the air will cooperate and not dissipate beyond that plant walls. Just stupid.....
Pretty good. No women in peril. An evil rich man owns a huge government-funded scrap-metal plant and controls a weird, sad desert town named Despair. The plot is a bit thin, but it held my attention. Reacher gets to show off his ability to disable big, bulky attackers by knowing exactly where to plant his elbow — numerous times. Very oddly for America and Colorado, no one in the book ever has a gun. There's a lot of driving. There's rather too much detail about climbing over a wall, multiple times.
The fact that something strange is going on in Despair is obvious almost immediately. It works as a mystery to be solved, but the first half of the book is a little slow.
A real-issue aspect here is the treatment of recent war veterans who suffered traumatic head injuries. This is a side story, not the main plot, but I appreciated the author's effort to shine a light on how they are cared for.
.
The fact that something strange is going on in Despair is obvious almost immediately. It works as a mystery to be solved, but the first half of the book is a little slow.
A real-issue aspect here is the treatment of recent war veterans who suffered traumatic head injuries. This is a side story, not the main plot, but I appreciated the author's effort to shine a light on how they are cared for.
.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Pretty typical Jack Reacher novel.
Things went a bit mad towards the end but overall it was a decent read that kept me occupied.
Things went a bit mad towards the end but overall it was a decent read that kept me occupied.
Parts of the book tend to drone on, as Child sometimes does. Reacher being Reacher, but sometimes its a bit much and its gets to me. Still, it was interesting and fun. I had to deduct a star for the ending. I can't get into it without killing the book for anyone, but it wasn't plausible. Once you read it, you'll know. It was just too messed up.
My least favorite Reacher novel so far. There were several story threads that didn't add up for me (I still don't understand the desertion subplot and how it relates, like why did Vaughn make that call in the end?) and there was a lot of repetition with Reacher going back to Desperation over and over again, each time something different would happen but it all felt the same. Add to that one of the most paper-thin female leads (and that's saying something) of the series and Jack Reacher that gets all political and philosophical in a way that seemed out of character for him. More like Jack PREACHER. Anyway, looking forward to better things in the future.
Definitely not as good as the others in this series! It felt very repetitive, the antagonist and his “team” fell very flat for me, and there was a lot of Child’s personal religious/political stance mixed in. Love Jack Reacher, but I had to force myself to finish this one.