Lee Child puts his own spin on the lone-hero archetype in The Hard Way, one of the latest books in Child’s series of books that feature Jack Reacher. Reacher is an ex-military cop who has a knack for finding trouble. In this book, Reacher gets involved with the investigation of a mercenary’s trophy wife. Reacher soon discovers that said mercenary doesn’t possess many redeeming qualities, even for a mercenary, and Reacher begins to suspect foul play.
The narrative moves along at a brisk pace without inducing seeming far-fetched, which is a common pitfall for the thriller genre. There isn’t much in the way of character development, but that really isn’t the point in books like these. It’s all about plot twists, which Child delivers in a well-crafted manner. When I’m in the mood for another breezy read, I’ll be happy to return to the world of Jack Reacher.
Next up is The Store, Bentley Little’s critique of consumerism disguised as a horror novel.
