Author: Lee Child
“Die Trying” is the second novel in Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series and it is just as good as “The Killing Floor,” Child’s first Jack Reacher novel. In Die Trying, Reacher is kidnapped by an Idaho militia along with a female FBI agent whose dad is Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and whose godfather is the US president. Everyone except General Leon Garber, Reacher's old Army commander, believes Reacher is part of the kidnap plot. General Garber and especially his lawyer daughter become major characters in later Reacher novels in the series.
Despite my ‘negative’ reviews on some of the recent Jack Reacher books, I am a big fan of Jack Reacher - even the movies, regardless of the short little guy playing a 6'5" 250 pound bulk of a man! This earlier Reacher novel ‘is’ early - Reacher wearing a wrist watch? Go figure…but the story is good, actually it’s very good! After having read the more recent books, it's been kind of fun to go back and see where Reacher started and how.
The Die Trying story, as many of the others, has a great plot, interesting characters and the usual twists and turns - and the turns keep coming and coming and coming! You learn a bit more about Jack Reacher, the people in his life, and why he is like he is. The plot was fast paced and balanced as it moved between the various sub-plots. There's a scene where someone has evil ugly intent for someone and Reacher ends up making them pay for it! I loved it!
This was the Jack Reacher I came to admire and revere. Whenever Reacher is upset, he is so cool, calculating and excited by violence. Those qualities are embedded into him very well. So when he breaks or shows humanity, I personally can relate to his emotions.
Die Trying has lots of action and intense suspense and was one of my early favorites of the series. Some parts are a little dated now (fax machines and videotape) but the heart of the story holds up great. It kept me guessing about the "bad guy" until the end.
Die Trying is definitely a Jack Reacher series must read! I really liked this book…
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