One Shot

May 23, 2005
The final sentence of Child's ninth suspenser (after The Enemy
)—"Then he could buy a pair of shoes and be just about anywhere before the sun went down"—is quintessential Jack Reacher, the rugged ex-army cop who practically defines the word "loner" and kicks ass with the best of 'em. In the book's gripping opening, five people are killed when a shooter opens fire in a small unnamed Indiana city. But when ex-infantry specialist James Barr is apprehended, he refuses to talk, saying only, "Get Jack Reacher for me." But Reacher's already en route; having seen a news story on the shooting, he heads to the scene with disturbing news of his own: " done this before. And once was enough." Nothing is what it seems in the riveting puzzle, as vivid set pieces and rapid-fire dialogue culminate in a slam-bang showdown in the villains' lair. (And what villains: a quintet of Russian émigrés, the stuff of everybody's worst nightmares, led by a wily 80-year-old who makes Freddy Krueger look like Little Lord Fauntleroy.) As usual, Child makes the most of Reacher's dry wit, cut-to-the-chase psychology and stubborn taciturnity—in short, this is a vintage double play for author and leading man. Agent, Darley Anderson
.

February 1, 2005
Accused of five murders in what looks like an open-and-shut case, the bad guy fires his last shot: he wants to speak to Jack Reacher.

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2005
Jack Reacher has been doing his best to live off the grid, but his past as a military policeman keeps coming back to bite him. This time the biter is a former Gulf War sniper accused of killing six civilians in an unnamed Heartland city. Despite mountains of evidence, the accused claims he's innocent and says enigmatically, "Get Reacher." But why? Reacher, it turns out, has every reason to want the man convicted. Soon enough, though, Jack finds himself working for the defendant's attorney, who happens to be the DA's daughter. As he did in last year's " The Enemy" , Child combines detail-building procedural style with an all-systems-go thriller narrative, but this time the mix doesn't quite emulsify. In " The Enemy" , the procedural elements held our interest, but this time we feel like Child is keeping the reins on his story, like a jockey rating a horse that's begging to run. Child finally uses the whip--and the finale is a doozy--but it's a bit too little too late. Still, even a slightly off-stride Reacher can run away from most of the competition in the thriller sweepstakes. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)