Ticket 2 Ride

In this week’s Words for Wednesday, let’s look at the new Jack Reacher thriller.

I approach this book with modest expectations. After reading every Reacher book, the last book, In Too Deep, I didn’t finish. I never thought I’d say that a Reacher book was not interesting or believable. It’s rare for me to give up on a book from a favorite author. I’m a Jack Reacher fan, but I have expectations.

Even though there are two names on the cover, the books are now written by Lee Child’s brother Andrew Child.

“You want a different story, of course, and a different villain and a different plot and a different issue, but you fundamentally want it all to be the same,” Lee Child said in a recent interview with USA TODAY.

Exit Strategy follows this formula. If you are a loyal follower of the Reacher books, you’ll enjoy this one too. If you’re looking for breaking new ground, you’ll be disappointed. If you’re looking for any of the humor and mojo of the Prime series, you’ll also be disappointed, Andrew Child follows the story and character template established by his brother.

While I didn’t finish the last Reacher book, I stayed with this one. I found the story intriguing, but not wholly original, but after 29 previous books, it might feel a little repetitive. The other thing I noticed, the story seemed overly complicated and the ending a bit weak, given the build-up. The villain was underdeveloped as well, as there were a lot of characters and only so much bandwidth to keep a thriller engaging.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, with a caveat: keep your expectations in check. As far as the Reacher books are concerned, slightly below average. I’m looking forward to the next season of Reacher on Prime.