Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #962 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-25
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 432 pages

Amazon.com
When Jack Reacher suddenly decides to ask a Greyhound bus driver to let him off near the town of Margrave, Georgia, he thinks it's because his brother once mentioned that the famed blues guitarist Blind Blake died there. But it doesn't take long for the footloose ex-military policeman to discover that there are plenty of strange--and very dangerous--things going on behind Margrave's manicured lawns and clean streets that demand his attention. This first thriller by a former television writer features some of the best-written scenes of action in recent memory, a crash course in currency and counterfeiting, and a hero who is just begging to be called on for an encore.

From Library Journal
The transient Jack Reacher finds himself in tiny Margrave, Georgia, and is almost immediately arrested, if briefly, as a murder suspect. Imagine his surprise when he discovers that one of the victims is his brother, a brilliant U.S. Treasury agent. Reacher himself is no slouch; a former military policeman, he can dispatch villains with an astonishing array of weapons, including various parts of his body. In the company of a straight-arrow detective and a beautiful lady cop, Reacher soon unearths a conspiracy stretching through the little town and beyond. Blood flows freely, terrible threats are made and carried out, and body parts accumulate. First novelist Child, a former television writer, stretches coincidence outrageously in this would-be noir outing, whose hero is creepily amoral, violent, and generally unpleasant. Only large pop fiction collections need consider.?Elsa Pendleton, Boeing Information Svcs., Ridgecrest, Cal.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Jack Reacher wanders into Margrave, Georgia, and is arrested for murder. A former military policeman, now a transient, Jack has a solid alibi and plans to leave upon his release from jail--but then the case becomes personal. This violent and complex thriller is capably narrated by audio veteran Dick Hill, who aptly voices the characters and emotions. His characterization helps the listener empathize with Jack, who is at the same time deeply moral in his concern for the victims caught up in this horror and amoral as he dispatches the crooks and killers who perpetrate it. Hill's narration keeps the listener on the edge through the (literally) explosive conclusion. M.A.M. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Simple Solution
Problem: One ex-military policeman decides to deal with a gang of vicious murdering criminals.

Answer: Kill them all.

An over-the-top mystery
Funny with too many bodies left around without apparent consequences. This story stretches credulity.

Reacher at his best
Lee Child`s creation is brilliant for a series of books, the transient Jack Reacher finds himself in tiny Margrave, Georgia, and is almost immediately arrested, if briefly, as a murder suspect. Imagine his surprise when he discovers that one of the victims is his brother, a brilliant U.S. Treasury agent. Reacher himself is no slouch; a former military policeman, he can dispatch villains with an astonishing array of weapons, including various parts of his body. In the company of a straight-arrow detective and a beautiful lady cop, Reacher soon unearths a conspiracy stretching through the little town and beyond. Blood flows freely, terrible threats are made and carried out, and body parts accumulate. First novelist Child, a former television writer, stretches coincidence outrageously in this would-be noir outing, whose hero is creepily amoral, violent, and generally unpleasant. As a published author myself I`m in awe of Child`s talent.