Better Off Dead
- Downloads：6730
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-19 00:16:17
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Lee Child
- ISBN：178763373X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Digging graves had not been part of my plans when I woke up that morning。Reacher goes where he wants， when he wants。 That morning he was heading west， walking under the merciless desert sun—until he comes upon a curious scene。 A Jeep has crashed into the only tree for miles around。 A woman is slumped over the wheel。
Dead？ No， nothing is what it seems。
The woman is Michaela Fenton， an army veteran turned FBI agent trying to find her twin brother， who might be mixed up with some dangerous people。 Most of them would rather die than betray their terrifying leader， who has burrowed his influence deep into the nearby border town， a backwater that has seen better days。 The mysterious Dendoncker rules from the shadows， out of sight and under the radar， keeping his dealings in the dark。
He would know the fate of Fenton’s brother。
Reacher is good at finding people who don’t want to be found， so he offers to help， despite feeling that Fenton is keeping secrets of her own。 But a life hangs in the balance。 Maybe more than one。 But to bring Dendoncker down will be the riskiest job of Reacher's life。 Failure is not an option， because in this kind of game， the loser is always better off dead。
Reviews
Martin Oliver
，
I’ve read all of the Reacher novels and I have to say that they are going downhill。 The previous novel was simply poorly written with the same stock phrases appearing over and over again。 It’s like he forgot how to write。 This one was little better。 There was entirely too much Tom Clancy in this Lee Child book。 Not enough of the action and irony that we had come to expect from Lee Child and Jack Reacher。 Disappointed。
Linda
，
I love the Jack Reacher series。 Now I just need to wait for the next one to be published。
Richard Burrage
，
This was basic beach reading: not too cerebral， kinda fun， and just interesting enough to keep reading。However， I've noticed the franchise get thinner and thinner as time has gone by， whether that is the collaboration or simply poor Jack running out of ways to get into trouble。 Let's face it， how often can he stumble into these situations？ This was basic beach reading: not too cerebral， kinda fun， and just interesting enough to keep reading。However， I've noticed the franchise get thinner and thinner as time has gone by， whether that is the collaboration or simply poor Jack running out of ways to get into trouble。 Let's face it， how often can he stumble into these situations？ 。。。more
Steve Thomas
，
While I am big fan of all things Reacher， this book definitely did not have the feel of our great protagonist Jack Reacher。 More like ordering a Coca-Cola and getting a Diet Coke， our protagonist appeared much more adroit and exact that our normal Reacher （who was more of a blunt instrument with exceptional insight， processing ability， and fighting skills）。 I hope our next Reacher book brings back our well-worn Jack Reacher！
EllijayT
，
Not Typical Reacher Have read all Child's Reacher books。 This one left a gap and disappointment for me and a lack of suspense and live action。 Not Typical Reacher Have read all Child's Reacher books。 This one left a gap and disappointment for me and a lack of suspense and live action。 。。。more
Todd
，
Not the best Reacher book。 I'm not sure sure exactly why chapter 1 was repeated almost verbatim as chapter 15。 It may be my imagination， but it doesn't seem as if Reacher is as raw in the last 2 books as he was previously。 Not the best Reacher book。 I'm not sure sure exactly why chapter 1 was repeated almost verbatim as chapter 15。 It may be my imagination， but it doesn't seem as if Reacher is as raw in the last 2 books as he was previously。 。。。more
Mitchell Waite
，
Impressive how Lee’s son recreates Reachers thinking so well。 It's one of my fav thing about the character。 The story is exceedingly complex and at times I struggled to recall the characters。 Not the main ones。 At some point I started to question the premise。 I'd love to read about what drives Reacher。 Impressive how Lee’s son recreates Reachers thinking so well。 It's one of my fav thing about the character。 The story is exceedingly complex and at times I struggled to recall the characters。 Not the main ones。 At some point I started to question the premise。 I'd love to read about what drives Reacher。 。。。more
Ronpoet
，
A Must Read for Teacher FansAbout ten years ago I began reading Reached novels and can not get enough of them。 Now that both Child brothers are writing the books they still get better and better and Better Off Dead proves the point。 A definite Five Star read。 Everything you expect in a Reacher are in this book。 Highly recommend。
Gerry
，
I liked this last episode of Jack Reacher。 More like the Reacher books of old。 Not perfect but getting closer。 The thriller aspects were all there， but it lacked that little spark of romance that was always there。 Keep writing and I'll keep reading。 I liked this last episode of Jack Reacher。 More like the Reacher books of old。 Not perfect but getting closer。 The thriller aspects were all there， but it lacked that little spark of romance that was always there。 Keep writing and I'll keep reading。 。。。more
Susan Sievers
，
Not my favorite Jack Reacher book， storyline too predictable and format seemed different。
Paula
，
A wonderful addition to the Jack Reacher series。 You cannot beat reading one of the Child books every year。4 out of 5 starsPublished October， 2021Review posted to Goodreads 11/17/21Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC of BETTER OFF DEAD in exchange for an honest review。
martin bradbury
，
Very disappointingRead all lee child's ， jack Reachers books， two before this one good and all before these excellent， this one very long and boring to me， jack Reachers was always helpful nice helpful character good personality， he was not himself， very violent， not very personable， couldn't wait for it to end， ， miss the real jack Reachers Very disappointingRead all lee child's ， jack Reachers books， two before this one good and all before these excellent， this one very long and boring to me， jack Reachers was always helpful nice helpful character good personality， he was not himself， very violent， not very personable， couldn't wait for it to end， ， miss the real jack Reachers 。。。more
Ronald
，
Frankly， I was disappointed。 The plot developed waaaaay too slowly for me。 At times I wondered if the author（s） were just trying to get to the "magic number" of approx。 300 pages so they could finish writing。 Then， when they did begin to wrap up the story， it seemed to go almost too quickly and， when I'd finished reading the book， I wasn't certain that I understood exactly how all the clues and pieces of the mystery came together！I have read all the previous Reacher books and rated each one at 5 Frankly， I was disappointed。 The plot developed waaaaay too slowly for me。 At times I wondered if the author（s） were just trying to get to the "magic number" of approx。 300 pages so they could finish writing。 Then， when they did begin to wrap up the story， it seemed to go almost too quickly and， when I'd finished reading the book， I wasn't certain that I understood exactly how all the clues and pieces of the mystery came together！I have read all the previous Reacher books and rated each one at 5 stars。 Yet， as I told my wife， if I'd read this tome first， I probably wouldn't be "hankering" to read any other books in the series。 However， even with that written， I DEFINITELY will read any future books that come out by the author（s）。 All in all， I have thoroughly enjoyed the Jack Reacher series。 And。。。 we all understand that everyone has a bad "at bat" once in a while。 。。。more
Carter Rise Sr
，
Exactly what you expect
Eli Pollack
，
This is no more a Lee Child book then Tom Cruise is Jack Reacher。I am sure Andrew Child is a great guy and， may， a good writer in his own right。 But he is not Lee Child。 Reading this book reminded me of the line from the first Men In Black movie， where the woman describes the alien as "wearing an Edger suit"。 Andrew is trying to wear a Lee Child suit and it doesn't fit， especially the dialogue but also the Reacher's actions and reactions。But see for yourself， it is a very quick read。 This is no more a Lee Child book then Tom Cruise is Jack Reacher。I am sure Andrew Child is a great guy and， may， a good writer in his own right。 But he is not Lee Child。 Reading this book reminded me of the line from the first Men In Black movie， where the woman describes the alien as "wearing an Edger suit"。 Andrew is trying to wear a Lee Child suit and it doesn't fit， especially the dialogue but also the Reacher's actions and reactions。But see for yourself， it is a very quick read。 。。。more
Todd Heath
，
Same Page TurnerNot much to say， I got what I expected。 A page turner I couldn't put down until it was over and now I'm sad there's not another one ready for me to devour。 Same Page TurnerNot much to say， I got what I expected。 A page turner I couldn't put down until it was over and now I'm sad there's not another one ready for me to devour。 。。。more
Alex
，
Favourite parts:* Reacher breathes and sits up。* Reacher likes the diner without flowers， ornaments， knickknacks or other customers。 * Reacher orders a full stack breakfast。* Reacher insists on stopping for coffee often， without negotiation。* "Will that work？" "Of course。 It's the way we always do it。" Favourite parts:* Reacher breathes and sits up。* Reacher likes the diner without flowers， ornaments， knickknacks or other customers。 * Reacher orders a full stack breakfast。* Reacher insists on stopping for coffee often， without negotiation。* "Will that work？" "Of course。 It's the way we always do it。" 。。。more
Lawrence Levine
，
Solid tense exciting intelligent Jack Reacher book with very thin plot For Reacher fans only as he is more brutal than usual for the sake of being brutal
Luka
，
An improvement compared to the last book。 I have become more optimistic about Andrew Child taking over
Dave Butler
，
something seems off in these new coauthored versions - Reacher is like a cloned version gone slightly wrong - a little like the Tom Clancy books without Tom Clancy - still pretty good but not the same。
Dr M Holmshaw
，
Better off gone forever。 A very bad bookJack Teacher is indeed better off read。 He has undergone a total personality transfer with the kind of vicious deadly violence suitable to a psychopathic devoid of all emotion。 Was this book， very rapidly， written by a family member who hugely overcompensated？ For me it is better if gone。 Never to read again
Rich Buickerood
，
I have read and enjoyed all the Reacher books， but for some reason this one didn't resonate with me。 It seemed to jump all over the place， with an ending which wasn't quite clear。 I have read and enjoyed all the Reacher books， but for some reason this one didn't resonate with me。 It seemed to jump all over the place， with an ending which wasn't quite clear。 。。。more
Gene
，
I really liked this series in the beginning， I even took to buying hardcovers rather than wait for the paperbacks， but that's done。 I've had the feeling with the last few books， Lee has been just sort of phoning it in， that's not improved with the addition of Andrew to the mix。This just wasn't the keep reading kind of book for me， took me several days to get through as I simply couldn't keep going， unlike the new Michael Connelly which I finished in one sitting。 I don't feel anything compelling I really liked this series in the beginning， I even took to buying hardcovers rather than wait for the paperbacks， but that's done。 I've had the feeling with the last few books， Lee has been just sort of phoning it in， that's not improved with the addition of Andrew to the mix。This just wasn't the keep reading kind of book for me， took me several days to get through as I simply couldn't keep going， unlike the new Michael Connelly which I finished in one sitting。 I don't feel anything compelling about this character anymore， there's nothing new， the plots are hackneyed， the writing tepid。 I think I'm done with this series。 。。。more
James Laurence
，
A Lee Child book this is not。 I was so disappointed in the long boring narrative and the continuous detailed description of every nook， cranny， widow and door in every building that Jack Reacher entered。 Andrew Child will never be the author that Lee Child is， however I do wish him luck in the future。 This will be my last purchase of these series as long as they are co authored by Andrew。
Mari
，
Forced myself to read 30 pages。 It started off bad and didn't get better。 I miss Lee Child。 Forced myself to read 30 pages。 It started off bad and didn't get better。 I miss Lee Child。 。。。more
Stephen Molloy
，
Pretty poor overall :（
Susan
，
Better off Dead is the latest Jack Reacher offering （#26， November 2021 release）， and it is written by Lee Child and his son， Andrew Child。 This Reacher book is based in a small town of Texas， near the Mexico border and opens as Reacher stumbles across a young woman in an altercation as he meanders down the highway on his way to the Pacific coast。 Turns out there is a mystery in the town that Reacher is drawn into。 Like most of Child's books， this involves the military and a super bad guy， plus Better off Dead is the latest Jack Reacher offering （#26， November 2021 release）， and it is written by Lee Child and his son， Andrew Child。 This Reacher book is based in a small town of Texas， near the Mexico border and opens as Reacher stumbles across a young woman in an altercation as he meanders down the highway on his way to the Pacific coast。 Turns out there is a mystery in the town that Reacher is drawn into。 Like most of Child's books， this involves the military and a super bad guy， plus a woman he can collaborate with to solve the problem。Some observations: 1） The writing style has always relied on physical descriptions of towns， buildings， people and places。 The number of steps people take。 How many inches the knife moved into the wood。 How many inches into the dirt the knife moved。 How many feet between the sidewalk and the door。 What direction he walked。 In this book I wanted a map and fewer descriptions！ I would say physical descriptions make up 50% of the verbiage of the book。2） The writing style also prefers short， pithy sentences。 "He was alone。 Unarmed。 As agreed。" But it is too much - we need more nuance。3） There are lots of fights with lots of bad guys。 News flash - Reacher wins them all。 I recall a few books with a giant foe - this book is no different。 I estimate 20% of the book is Reacher fighting。4） The wrap up at the end was too little of the book。 It was a little confusing and I wanted it to be a bit more drawn out and detailed in its explanation and follow up。 No spoilers。 Wrap up was about 5% of the book and should have been 10-15%。I've read many Jack Reacher books and they've been some of my favorites， but lately， they are just too formulaic for me。 Sorry， but only 3-stars for this one。 。。。more
Donald
，
I was quite disappointed with this novel， having read every other Jack Reacher book。 BETTER OFF DEAD is quite devoid of originality。 In fact the last few Reacher novels have been almost carbon copies of each other with just the location and a few other details differentiating them。 It's so sad。 The first Jack Reacher novels described an eccentric but highly interesting character with a firm moral code。 But recent novels have turned Reacher into a cold-blooded and thoroughly unlikeable killer。 At I was quite disappointed with this novel， having read every other Jack Reacher book。 BETTER OFF DEAD is quite devoid of originality。 In fact the last few Reacher novels have been almost carbon copies of each other with just the location and a few other details differentiating them。 It's so sad。 The first Jack Reacher novels described an eccentric but highly interesting character with a firm moral code。 But recent novels have turned Reacher into a cold-blooded and thoroughly unlikeable killer。 At least I got this book from the local library so it didn't cost me good money to be so hugely let down by the storyline。 。。。more
kimballsoup
，
It physically hurts me to say this， but this book is terrible。 In no way is it like any of the other Reacher books。 Excruciatingly simple dialogue， and the first-person narration sounds nothing like the Reacher we all know and love。 😔🙁😔
Patti
，
Sadly this one did not hold my interest as much as previous reads have
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Better Off Dead
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Better Off Dead&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Better Off Dead&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0