Better off Dead
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- Create Date：2021-10-15 08:51:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Lee Child
- ISBN：1984818503
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Reviews
Steve
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Jack Reacher， ex-military cop turned wanderer， is heading to California when he winds up near the Arizona/Mexico border。 There， another ex-military person， Michaela Fenton， is clearly in need of help in her search for her brother， yet another PTSD-affected veteran。 Reacher decides to team with her but is soon embroiled in an undefined conspiracy led by a really dangerous and evil character， Waad Dendoncker。 As always， Reacher uses both his brains and brawn to determine what is going on and punis Jack Reacher， ex-military cop turned wanderer， is heading to California when he winds up near the Arizona/Mexico border。 There， another ex-military person， Michaela Fenton， is clearly in need of help in her search for her brother， yet another PTSD-affected veteran。 Reacher decides to team with her but is soon embroiled in an undefined conspiracy led by a really dangerous and evil character， Waad Dendoncker。 As always， Reacher uses both his brains and brawn to determine what is going on and punishing those who need it。 This is the second collaboration on a Jack Reacher novel between Lee Child and his younger brother （Andrew， who also writes under the name of Andrew Grant）。 Reacher has been one of my favorites for a long time， but I waffled a bit on this rating - this was clearly not the best of the series， and quite frankly， I think it might be on the downhill side of its literary life。 I gave it the benefit of the doubt （between a 3 and 4 star rating） as I have read every book in the series and hope that some of the original appeal can return as Lee turns it over to Andrew。 My thanks to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the ARC of this novel。 。。。more
Dede Murphy
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Addictive。 Fast moving from beginning to end。
Miranda Young
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BETTER OFF DEAD（Part of the Jack Reacher Series）Written by Lee Child and Andrew ChildBantam Press。 Penguin Amazingly there are over 24 books in the Reacher series and now that legendary author Lee Child has said that he felt he was "ageing out， he has decided to pass the baton to his younger brother Andrew。 DNA definitely rules in this case and the new Reacher novels， “The Sentinel” and now “Better Off Dead”， are both brilliant and showcase a smooth as silk writing collaboration。The great man St BETTER OFF DEAD（Part of the Jack Reacher Series）Written by Lee Child and Andrew ChildBantam Press。 Penguin Amazingly there are over 24 books in the Reacher series and now that legendary author Lee Child has said that he felt he was "ageing out， he has decided to pass the baton to his younger brother Andrew。 DNA definitely rules in this case and the new Reacher novels， “The Sentinel” and now “Better Off Dead”， are both brilliant and showcase a smooth as silk writing collaboration。The great man Stephen King said it best- Jack Reacher， is "the coolest series character" Reacher is an appealing human avenger， with one set of clothes， all his personal effects in one pocket and some seriously Bond worthy survival skills。 This new thriller “Better Off Dead” nails its Thriller brief by telling a bloody exciting story about some seriously suss criminal activity。 The writing is quick and sharp and the tough dialogue is heartbeat addictive。 The detailed fight scenes in Better off Dead are like dancing chess moves and from the dramatic opening- “ He was Alone。 And Unarmed。 As Agreed” - through all the vibrant layers of this complex plot that refuses to sit still - it is a great read。4 stars Miranda Y， Reviewer。 。。。more
Ronald Roseborough
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Jack Reacher is back in this latest book， “Better Off Dead”， by the brothers， Lee and Andrew Child。 The book is a fast read， pulling the reader quickly into the action as Reacher tries to help an apparent victim of an auto accident on the side of a lonely stretch of road。 When the lone woman in the vehicle pulls a gun on him， Reacher figures there must be a lot more to this story。 He calmly talks his way out of trouble only to be sucked back in when a jeep pulls up with two malcontents inside， w Jack Reacher is back in this latest book， “Better Off Dead”， by the brothers， Lee and Andrew Child。 The book is a fast read， pulling the reader quickly into the action as Reacher tries to help an apparent victim of an auto accident on the side of a lonely stretch of road。 When the lone woman in the vehicle pulls a gun on him， Reacher figures there must be a lot more to this story。 He calmly talks his way out of trouble only to be sucked back in when a jeep pulls up with two malcontents inside， who are apparently looking for the woman， who is unbeknownst to them， lying in wait for them。 This is of course a mystery that Reacher cannot walk away from。 Quickly choosing sides， he helps the woman and thus starts on a mission to find her missing brother who may be being held captive by the malcontents henchmen。 Reacher’s character is the perfect hero for this job as he is a little larger than life， but not too inflated as to be unbelievable。 Another excellent book from this great team of authors。This book was provided by Delacorte Press for review。 。。。more
Gina Moltz
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Better Off Dead met all my expectations！ Lots of action， Reacher rescuing people who have gotten over their head， strong women assisting him， good wins over evil。 This book seemed to have more action and less dialogue than other Reacher books。 I did miss seeing more of the human side of Reacher。
Chris
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Ah， what can I say about Jack Reacher that hasn't been said already。 If I was in a bad situation I would rather have Jack Reacher on my side than anyone else。 Once again Jack Reacher comes to the rescue of a woman in a bad spot and solves the problem in typical Reacher style。 Loved it。 Ah， what can I say about Jack Reacher that hasn't been said already。 If I was in a bad situation I would rather have Jack Reacher on my side than anyone else。 Once again Jack Reacher comes to the rescue of a woman in a bad spot and solves the problem in typical Reacher style。 Loved it。 。。。more
Jen
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I missed The Sentinel， but I didn't find this book as good as the earlier books in the series。 I missed The Sentinel， but I didn't find this book as good as the earlier books in the series。 。。。more
Ryan
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Once again Jack Reacher is back and once again tries to help someone who has an issue that they can't fix on their own。 The title makes you think this might be the end of Jack Reacher but don't be fooled！ Jack is back and as strong as ever。 Jack still drinks his coffee black， still wakes up without an alarm clock and still kick everyone's butt！ Fans of the Reacher series will not notice any difference with Andrew at the helm。 Great book and cannot wait until the next one！ Once again Jack Reacher is back and once again tries to help someone who has an issue that they can't fix on their own。 The title makes you think this might be the end of Jack Reacher but don't be fooled！ Jack is back and as strong as ever。 Jack still drinks his coffee black， still wakes up without an alarm clock and still kick everyone's butt！ Fans of the Reacher series will not notice any difference with Andrew at the helm。 Great book and cannot wait until the next one！ 。。。more
Kaye
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I can't say that I "get" Jack Reacher。 I don't relate to him， and I seldom understand his motivations -- but he has always fascinated me， and still does。 Having read every one of the 25 books that preceded Better Off Dead， I couldn't see any stylistic pivot in the last two collaborative books， when Andrew Child joined his brother Lee。It's the same old Reacher， who has perhaps evolved a bit， but not so much as to lose his appealing freakiness。 What holds the series together is his moral code， whi I can't say that I "get" Jack Reacher。 I don't relate to him， and I seldom understand his motivations -- but he has always fascinated me， and still does。 Having read every one of the 25 books that preceded Better Off Dead， I couldn't see any stylistic pivot in the last two collaborative books， when Andrew Child joined his brother Lee。It's the same old Reacher， who has perhaps evolved a bit， but not so much as to lose his appealing freakiness。 What holds the series together is his moral code， which draws trust from the people he helps and from his reader/fans。This time， Reacher trudges into another deceptively complex incident when he stops to help a woman he thinks was injured in a roadside accident。 Michaela Fenton instead surprises him （and us） repeatedly。 We think the story is about finding her brother， who has disappeared while on a covert assignment -- but there is much， much more， and getting to the bottom of matters requires some of Reacher's government contacts。I'm throwing my lot in with Jack Reacher for the long haul。Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advance readers copy。 。。。more
Jan
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Reacher agrees to help find the missing brother of a female veteran he has met on his way to the Pacific Coast。 As in Reacher's way， nothing is as it seems and things are always harder than you think。 Reacher agrees to help find the missing brother of a female veteran he has met on his way to the Pacific Coast。 As in Reacher's way， nothing is as it seems and things are always harder than you think。 。。。more
Gordon Mcghie
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The name’s Reacher。 Jack Reacher。I can’t quite picture Reacher introducing himself with the smooth confidence and utter self assurance of James Bond。 Yet I read Better Off Dead in the week the new Bond film （No Time to Die） was just hitting cinemas and I was struck by some similarities between the Bond and Reacher franchises。 26 Reacher Books， 25 “official” Bond movies。 One lead character who can accomplish pretty much anything he sets out to do， against all odds， surrounded by the corpses of hi The name’s Reacher。 Jack Reacher。I can’t quite picture Reacher introducing himself with the smooth confidence and utter self assurance of James Bond。 Yet I read Better Off Dead in the week the new Bond film （No Time to Die） was just hitting cinemas and I was struck by some similarities between the Bond and Reacher franchises。 26 Reacher Books， 25 “official” Bond movies。 One lead character who can accomplish pretty much anything he sets out to do， against all odds， surrounded by the corpses of his enemies and more often than not both guys get the girl too。What the Bond fans have had many decades to come to terms with is that their leading man changes now and then （but he is still James Bond）。 Also changing is the feel of the franchise when the lead actor changes。 Craig is action packed， Moore felt lighter in tone， Brosnan was dark and Connery retains the classic feel of the novels。Reacher fans are now experiencing a subtle change in their leading man。 Reacher is still Reacher but the voice has changed as Andrew Child takes over from brother Lee。 For the casual reader the change will not be noticed， it has been a subtle transition and Reacher is Reacher， he gets the job done。 But for the committed fans， the ones that read and re-read all the books， they will notice a new hand at the helm and this is their Live and Let Die – the second outing with a different “face” to the one they were so used to。 But Live and Let Die was rather good so should we be too worried about background semantics？ I guess that depends on whether you think James Bond and Jack Reacher should go on for ever or if the curtain should， one day， be allowed to fall。But what of Better Off Dead？ I enjoyed it a lot more than Reacher 25 （The Sentinel） as Better Off Dead felt distinctly more punchy。 Which is to say Reacher seemed to punch lots more people。 There is also a very real “big bad” enemy in the form of Dendonker – a man so feared by his own staff that they will take their own life rather than face his wrath。It’s a very traditional Reacher opening。 He is walking alone and spots a car which has hit a tree。 He goes to investigate and to establish if the driver is okay; only to find himself looking down the barrel of a gun。 This in itself is alarming but when the opening chapter had already hooked readers with a big fight sequence that ended with Reacher getting shot， this retrospective scene isn’t good news for our hero。As you can see from the blurb， Reacher is on a rescue mission。 A missing twin。 This isn’t the first time Reacher finds himself in a small， seemingly quiet， town tasked with finding a missing man。 The man he needs to find is probably dead but his sister implores Reacher to help track him down。 The fact his disappearance may link to a possible terror threat is more than enough reason for Reacher to stick around and help。Looking for leads in a quiet town where most people are unaware of the monster in their midst gives Reacher good cause to dig around。 His attention isn’t welcomed and Dendonker sends his staff to handle the situation。 This is always fun for a Child reader。Reacher’s digging uncovers more questions than answers。 Dendonker made money from selling airplane meals， his products go onto planes which fly around the world so when the idea and potential threat of terror attacks raises its head Reacher’s rescue mission takes on a whole new angle。Reacher against the bad guys trying to stop their plans – it’s what we come back for time and time again。If we consider Better Off Dead on a numbers basis （I hope Reacher would approve） I am sure tens of thousands of casual readers will be more than satisfied with this action thriller。The smaller proportion of fanatic readers may miss the lack of Reacher analysing numbers， question the fact he makes frequent of use of mobile phones and there will be lots of small differences individual readers will feel changes “their” Reacher。 But at the end of the day the big numbers will carry it。 It happens with Bond， it happens with Spider-Man and it happens with our television soaps and drama shows。 Writers change， the characters go on， some episodes land and pack a punch， some tick the box and move on。 A new generation of fans will not flinch at two names on the cover of Better Off Dead and will soak up the excitement。Reacher endures， Better Off Dead delivers the drama and excitement and we will be back for the next one because we are Jack Reacher fans。 。。。more
Louise Pledge
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I simply love Jack Reacher; that is， I did until this book。 Now I only like him a lot。 😃 He is still on his walking trek to the Pacific Ocean when he runs across a vehicle that appears to have crashed。 I think I was much more in awe of the woman he found in the car， Michaela Fenton， than I was with Jack。 Wow， she was like a female Reacher， maybe even better。 I just couldn't retain my interest like I have with all of the other JR books （and I'm pretty sure I own all of them）。 If it was really And I simply love Jack Reacher; that is， I did until this book。 Now I only like him a lot。 😃 He is still on his walking trek to the Pacific Ocean when he runs across a vehicle that appears to have crashed。 I think I was much more in awe of the woman he found in the car， Michaela Fenton， than I was with Jack。 Wow， she was like a female Reacher， maybe even better。 I just couldn't retain my interest like I have with all of the other JR books （and I'm pretty sure I own all of them）。 If it was really Andrew Child， rather than his brother， Lee， who wrote it， that could be the reason。 。。。more
patrick Lorelli
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I received this ARC for an honest review。 I have not read a Reacher book in a while， even though I found the character to be the same for the most part。 I am beginning to wonder when he will be slowing down as he gets older？ That said I still found the story entertaining and moved fast-paced for the most part。 The characters still go with the story and the fight scenes are not as drawn out as when he was younger or in the first books。 The story overall was good and should keep the old Reacher f I received this ARC for an honest review。 I have not read a Reacher book in a while， even though I found the character to be the same for the most part。 I am beginning to wonder when he will be slowing down as he gets older？ That said I still found the story entertaining and moved fast-paced for the most part。 The characters still go with the story and the fight scenes are not as drawn out as when he was younger or in the first books。 The story overall was good and should keep the old Reacher fans engaged。 He still has to use his mind as well as his muscles and really that is what we look for from this character。 Overall a good book with good characters。 I received this book from Netgalley。com I gave it 4 stars。 Follow us at www。1rad-readerreviews。com 。。。more
CaraDico
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*Thank you to NetGalley， Random House， and Lee Child， Andrew Child for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion*Previously published at https://www。mysteryandsuspense。com/be。。。Better Off Dead is the 26th thriller in Lee Child’s long-running Jack Reacher series， now co-written with his brother， Andrew Child。 I embarrassingly admit that this is my first Jack Reacher novel， and I was a little skeptical。 Usually， the “beat up the bad guys” type of books are not my genre， but I absolutely loved this *Thank you to NetGalley， Random House， and Lee Child， Andrew Child for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion*Previously published at https://www。mysteryandsuspense。com/be。。。Better Off Dead is the 26th thriller in Lee Child’s long-running Jack Reacher series， now co-written with his brother， Andrew Child。 I embarrassingly admit that this is my first Jack Reacher novel， and I was a little skeptical。 Usually， the “beat up the bad guys” type of books are not my genre， but I absolutely loved this book。Within the first couple of chapters， I am completely enamored of Jack。 He is a Six foot five ex-military police officer who has had trouble fitting in as a civilian。 He has no home， no car， no regular job; Just the clothes on his back。 Literally。 He goes where life takes him and tries to stay out of trouble， though it seems to find him wherever he goes。 This one finds Reacher headed to San Francisco， where he comes upon a woman in an old jeep， smashed into a tree on the border of Arizona and Mexico。 Michaela Jenson is looking for her brother， Michael， who has sent her an SOS message and then disappeared。 When he tries to help her， he finds a gun pointed at his head。 He immediately finds himself in the middle of a missing persons case， which ends up very complicated， involving bombs and CS gas and many villains， including a German who should be in a James Bond movie。This book is fast-paced， and there is so much action。 A lot of beating up the bad guys， but also， Jack Reacher’s mind is fascinating。 In an almost “Idiot Savant” way， he is obsessed with numbers， time， and measurement。 He figures each plot twist out quickly。 Usually， before the reader can figure out what the twist is， and gets left behind。 This can get confusing， as there are a lot of characters in this book， and quite a few different locations。 What is always clear is that Jack will always do the right thing。 I enjoyed his moral stance and his way of figuring everything out。 He went above and beyond to save a woman he has just met， but also to stop a bomb from killing hundreds of thousands of people。 Lee Child has a unique voice which will appeal to all readers， including the ones who don’t necessarily reach for the action books。 Better Off Dead has something for everyone to enjoy， including a tiny touch of romance， action， missing persons， and a solid hero。 I loved the fast pace and the interesting characters。 。。。more
Cornmaven
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Many thanks to Random House/Delacorte Press for providing an ARC of this title。 I was very disappointed in this story， which is the first time I've had to say that about a Jack Reacher novel。 Here's why:The storyline is very good， and keeping with current events。 Reacher happens upon a world of drugs and political assassination attempts， enlists the aid of a currently involved undercover FBI agent， and off we go。 The settings were fine， interesting， and provided good tension at points。The fatal Many thanks to Random House/Delacorte Press for providing an ARC of this title。 I was very disappointed in this story， which is the first time I've had to say that about a Jack Reacher novel。 Here's why:The storyline is very good， and keeping with current events。 Reacher happens upon a world of drugs and political assassination attempts， enlists the aid of a currently involved undercover FBI agent， and off we go。 The settings were fine， interesting， and provided good tension at points。The fatal flaw: Moving the narration from third person omniscient to first person （Jack's voice）。 First， the "distance" that third person creates in a narrative is part and parcel to the distance Reacher creates in his life， his arm's length association with the world that is just in his DNA， and allows him instant reaction times and immediate insights into situations。 Second， the writing in first person was just not aligned with Reacher's character; it felt like a young nephew had inhabited his body。 And it felt so totally off， I was dismayed the entire way through。Please Andrew Child， please go back to the original formula in future endeavors - you will be truer to this magnificent character than you could ever be with this new effort。 。。。more
DM Dondero
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Thank you Random House， Dellacorte Press and Net Galley for the gifted copy of Lee & Andrew Child's newest Jack Reacher page turner， Better Off Dead， in exchange for my honest review。 Reacher is an enigma。 A enforcer and a rule breaker。 Part hero， part vigilante。 Never a dull moment。 Always edge of your seat action， and in Better Off Dead， Child & Child do not disappoint。 From the first chapter， the reader is kept in a constant titillating atmosphere， where excitement and angst fuse together in Thank you Random House， Dellacorte Press and Net Galley for the gifted copy of Lee & Andrew Child's newest Jack Reacher page turner， Better Off Dead， in exchange for my honest review。 Reacher is an enigma。 A enforcer and a rule breaker。 Part hero， part vigilante。 Never a dull moment。 Always edge of your seat action， and in Better Off Dead， Child & Child do not disappoint。 From the first chapter， the reader is kept in a constant titillating atmosphere， where excitement and angst fuse together in a page turning thrill ride。 Never certain of where the truth really lies， Better Off Dead， kept me wondering from the onset if Reacher was being played。 I'm not sure if this was the effect the authors were going for， but for me this perspective played an important part in the mystery of the story and kept me glued to the pages and totally guessing until the last few pages。 Lee Child created one of my favorite action characters and the writing team of Lee & Andrew Child have scored another best seller with Better Off Dead。☆☆☆☆ 。。。more
Nancy Goldberg Wilks
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Better Off Dead， by Lee Child and Andrew Child， is the 26th installment in the Jack Reacher series。 Its anticipated publication date is October 26， 2021。 In Better Off Dead， Reacher is heading west and entering a small border town in Arizona。 He meets another army veteran， Michaela Fenton。 She is looking for her twin brother， Michael， who has gone missing。 Naturally， Reacher offers to help。 I am a longtime fan of Jack Reacher， having followed each of his adventures， wherever his wondering has t Better Off Dead， by Lee Child and Andrew Child， is the 26th installment in the Jack Reacher series。 Its anticipated publication date is October 26， 2021。 In Better Off Dead， Reacher is heading west and entering a small border town in Arizona。 He meets another army veteran， Michaela Fenton。 She is looking for her twin brother， Michael， who has gone missing。 Naturally， Reacher offers to help。 I am a longtime fan of Jack Reacher， having followed each of his adventures， wherever his wondering has taken him。 But after I began reading Better Off Dead， I was taken aback; this was not the Jack Reacher whom I know and love。 For example， Reacher is described as scruffy and unkempt， like a hobo。 Although the quirky Reacher buys， wears， and tosses cheap clothes， he is rarely scruffy and unkempt。 It is mentioned about Reacher being a civilian。 Reacher might be "separated" from the army， but I do not think that he sees himself as a civilian; his entire life has been the military， and his entire being is military。 There does not appear to be a military presence in this Reacher， not in his demeanor or in his thinking。 And， although Reacher has no qualms about using force， he does so only if needed， only if there is no other way， and even then， only to the level required; much of the violence I was reading about in Better Off Dead felt gratuitous。 Both the character and the writing were unsettling。 They seemed flat， lacking the usual depth found in Reacher books。 Facts about Reacher seemed to be thrown out there， almost as a second thought rather than incorporated within the plot。 And， the plot of Better Off Dead also felt linear and flat， lacking the usual robustness and complexity I recall from prior Reacher adventures。Yet the conclusion to this book felt overly complicated; I still do not understand the resolution， and it does not seem to fit nicely together like prior Reacher books。 Near the end of my reading Better Off Dead， I read that Andrew Child has taken over writing the Reacher books。 I don't know whether this is true or， if so， whether it is the reason for my discomfort with this book， but I do not like this incarnation of Reacher。 Better Off Dead was a nice experience with a new character， but as another adventure with Reacher， I was disappointed。 。。。more
Barbara
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Have read about half of the titles in the Jack Reacher series and have always enjoyed them - a "go to" character with thrilling adventures。 Not so much this time around。 Better off dead just didn’t get me involved and have me turning pages as quickly as the others。 My interest lagged as the pages went by instead of heightening。 Was it a thinner than usual plot or character development？ Perhaps。 Jack Reacher has been an interesting character that brought me back time and again。 Will look forward Have read about half of the titles in the Jack Reacher series and have always enjoyed them - a "go to" character with thrilling adventures。 Not so much this time around。 Better off dead just didn’t get me involved and have me turning pages as quickly as the others。 My interest lagged as the pages went by instead of heightening。 Was it a thinner than usual plot or character development？ Perhaps。 Jack Reacher has been an interesting character that brought me back time and again。 Will look forward to the next before saying goodbye。FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Woman Reading
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3。5 ☆ rounded upIn Better Off Dead， Jack Reacher is continuing his westward trek to the Pacific Ocean （presumably the itinerary he kicked off with Past Tense #23）。 As he approaches a dusty little town in Arizona， close to the border with Mexico， trouble quickly finds Reacher。 There's an appealing variant of a "damsel in distress，" as Michaela Fenton is ex-Army and more than capable with firearms。 Michaela is facing something， however， that is more secretive， deadly， and numerous than one lone pe 3。5 ☆ rounded upIn Better Off Dead， Jack Reacher is continuing his westward trek to the Pacific Ocean （presumably the itinerary he kicked off with Past Tense #23）。 As he approaches a dusty little town in Arizona， close to the border with Mexico， trouble quickly finds Reacher。 There's an appealing variant of a "damsel in distress，" as Michaela Fenton is ex-Army and more than capable with firearms。 Michaela is facing something， however， that is more secretive， deadly， and numerous than one lone person can hope to tackle。 Empathetic to another veteran， Reacher interrupts his journey to provide assistance。 But I'm sure what loyal Reacher fans want to know is whether this second collaboration between Lee Child and his brother Andrew is better than their first - The Sentinel #25。 Overall， yes， which is why I'm rounding my 3。5 star rating up。 I haven't given 4 stars to a Reacher novel since Night School #21。A little suspension of disbelief is still a prerequisite because middle age and a diet from diners have not impaired Reacher's impressive 250-pound physique。 There are still fight scenes depicted in careful detail， long enough for me to question the plausibility。 There's a body count， but the authors know not to repeat the cartoon-ish arcade scenes from the finale of Blue Moon #24。Better Off Dead begins with a great hook and it easily makes the first third a page-turner。 The middle third settles into a slower but still interesting pace。 The last third doesn't quite match the page-turner status of the beginning as the plot becomes a bit convoluted。 The conclusion leaves me with a couple of questions。 I feel that the Reacher stories which involve other military personnel have tended to be the stronger novels。 I like Michaela。 Reacher remains， of course， a loner; it's part of his mystique。 But， I really do miss Frances Neagley as Reacher's loyal and highly capable Sargeant and adjutant。 My one minor gripe with Michaela is her speech pattern in the beginning of the book。 Staccato， fragmentary style。 Phrases posing as sentences。 Just like Reacher's。 （It reminds me of the woman who morphed into G。I。 Jane in Blue Moon #24， one of the many mis-steps in that installment）。Overall though， I'm happier with Better Off Dead than with The Sentinel。 In hindsight， Andrew was too intent on proving his familiarity with Reacher， and that made his bona fides seem like clunky information dumps in The Sentinel。 That's not a problem here， so Better Off Dead is an easy recommendation for fans of both Jack Reacher and thrillers。 It can be read as a standalone because it gives sufficient detail about Reacher while his other escapades aren't mentioned。 Thank you to Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 As the ARC is an uncorrected ebook， the publisher requests that no parts of it should be cited in a review。 Tentative publication date is October 26， 2021。 。。。more
Carl
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Cannot believe I blew through this one in just three days！ I had a blast reading the latest Reacher novel and although I've been away from the character for some time， it was like coming home after a long journey。 The action started very strong and continued throughout with some lulls just to break up the tension。 I did a few times think how was Reacher able to be so physical in his actions when he is now supposedly getting on a bit in age - however， it is fiction and I am more than prepared to Cannot believe I blew through this one in just three days！ I had a blast reading the latest Reacher novel and although I've been away from the character for some time， it was like coming home after a long journey。 The action started very strong and continued throughout with some lulls just to break up the tension。 I did a few times think how was Reacher able to be so physical in his actions when he is now supposedly getting on a bit in age - however， it is fiction and I am more than prepared to suspend reality as required。 This is the first Lee Child/Andrew Child collaboration that I have read and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is of excellent quality in my opinion。 I was amused to see Reacher using FaceID on a phone and actually making some phone calls on mobile as well。 The best fight scene for me for the whole book was the one with Mansour at the end。 It reminded me a lot of the fight scene with Paulie from Persuader。 The entire book was filled with top-quality action scenes， but there was definitely something special about this one。 When Reacher stepped on his neck to crush his spine， I literally heard that snap （this is hardly a spoiler - you know he wasn't getting away）。 I was very impressed with how the authors tied the story into something from much earlier in the series to pull everything together。I am very grateful to the publishers and authors for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review of this title。 I think Lee Child said it best - at the end of the book I was left feeling that justice had certainly been done and the bad guys got more than a stern talking to。 Very much look forward to the next book in the series。 。。。more
Bruce Reynolds
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Reacher is now supported by Lee Child and Lee's younger brother， Andrew Child。 Has Reacher changed？ Not too obviously: his voice is still done in clipped sentences， measured hesitations， full analyses of threats， but there seems in this latest adventure a rush into mayhem without the patient discovery of the actual threat in the situation。 Reacher doesn't even buy a new set of clothes， nor press his pants under the motel bed。 When in previously books he sets up the bad guys for a fall， the plann Reacher is now supported by Lee Child and Lee's younger brother， Andrew Child。 Has Reacher changed？ Not too obviously: his voice is still done in clipped sentences， measured hesitations， full analyses of threats， but there seems in this latest adventure a rush into mayhem without the patient discovery of the actual threat in the situation。 Reacher doesn't even buy a new set of clothes， nor press his pants under the motel bed。 When in previously books he sets up the bad guys for a fall， the planning is open， and known to the reader。 In "Better Off Dead"， little is known about what Reacher and his contact in the FBI have set up， until the plan is being executed。 For the urban planning historians among us readers， who like Reacher's descriptions of the places where he has landed， his location this time， described as a town with layers of concentric structures， does not fit with the few border towns， such as Douglas or Nogales， although the link into 1930s WPA projects is spot on。 Very good， quick read， but not the best of the collection。 Four stars。 。。。more
Jan Cruysse
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I'm an absolute Jack Reacher fan and I've read every single Lee Child。 This latest book is not bad， but it's certainly not one of the best Jack Reacher stories。 Maybe the new co-authorship still needs to find the right balance。 I'm not convinced （yet） that it works for me but I'm willing to give it one more try with the next novel。 （by the way: a big cheers for the covers。 They have vivid colors， are easy to recognize as Jack Reacher books。 They work really well！） I'm an absolute Jack Reacher fan and I've read every single Lee Child。 This latest book is not bad， but it's certainly not one of the best Jack Reacher stories。 Maybe the new co-authorship still needs to find the right balance。 I'm not convinced （yet） that it works for me but I'm willing to give it one more try with the next novel。 （by the way: a big cheers for the covers。 They have vivid colors， are easy to recognize as Jack Reacher books。 They work really well！） 。。。more
Linda
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Another classic Jack Reacher book。 I can't get enough of these！ Another classic Jack Reacher book。 I can't get enough of these！ 。。。more
Louise Gray
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I keep waiting for Reacher to get a bit samey - still hasn’t happened with this latest instalment。 With new， fascinating characters brought into the frame， this book delivers all the action readers expect from Reacher。 Really enjoyed the clever aspects of the main plot line， including the use of transponders （won’t say any more in case I give anything away。）。 Another fantastic book featuring this timeless hero。
Mark Easter
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As Jack saunters toward San Francisco， he chances upon a damsel in distress seeking a brother， and bomb maker， gone missing and so begins another chapter in teh Jack Reacher saga。 This is typical Jack Reacher - he kicks butt， takes names， saves the lady and the world， and then continues his solitary journey down the road。 Jack Reacher fans will enjoy the read。
Jewels
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As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot （plenty of other reviews like that out there already）。Despite having read most of them （apart from "The Sentinel"） I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw that Andrew （Lee's younger brother） was billed as co-author。 Would this make a huge difference in the writing style， the plotting， Reacher？ The answer to all of those questions was no， not really。 Reacher is still himself， still beating the bad guys and outwitting their minions， still moving ar As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot （plenty of other reviews like that out there already）。Despite having read most of them （apart from "The Sentinel"） I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw that Andrew （Lee's younger brother） was billed as co-author。 Would this make a huge difference in the writing style， the plotting， Reacher？ The answer to all of those questions was no， not really。 Reacher is still himself， still beating the bad guys and outwitting their minions， still moving around without a single string attached。 There were a few differences - but if anything I took them to be a development of the character， rather than detracting from the book。The story features two strong female characters （one of whom could have been developed a bit more IMHO）， but they were integral to the plot and did not feel like they'd been added to tick some kind of "woke" box， which is a refreshing change these days！The main bad guy was on a par with a James Bond style villain in terms of the infrastructure he had built up， and the plot would definitely make for a great action movie。Another page turner （I couldn't put it down）。 Looking forward to further episodes in the Reacher franchise， which I understand will eventually be wholly written by Andrew。My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC。 All opinions my own。 。。。more
Stacy DeBroff
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This outstanding new addition to the Jack Reacher series finds Reacher in yet another random small town， just minding his business and going about his life as a drifter， when he stumbles across a woman in acute distress and a nefarious smuggling operation at work。 This is the second outing of Lee Child writing alongside his younger brother Andrew， and as a team they churn out exceptional thrills and chills that will have you reading late into the night。 Even if you have not read the extensive Re This outstanding new addition to the Jack Reacher series finds Reacher in yet another random small town， just minding his business and going about his life as a drifter， when he stumbles across a woman in acute distress and a nefarious smuggling operation at work。 This is the second outing of Lee Child writing alongside his younger brother Andrew， and as a team they churn out exceptional thrills and chills that will have you reading late into the night。 Even if you have not read the extensive Reacher series （confession: I have！）， you can jump right in。Reacher’s a decorated former military police officer who always been a brilliant maverick。 He won’t pause to break the rules to get to the truth and who post-military service has become a bit of a vagabond who continually comes up against small town evil。 There’s also usually a compelling， smart woman in distress and a deep corruption for financial gain that the town’s law enforcement has either been bribed or threatened to leave alone。 Ultimately， upon witnessing just how deep this corruption or evil runs and how vulnerable the woman is against it， Reacher against his better judgement gets involved。 Then his involvement gets personal。 Then things get violent and over-the-top， often involving multiple deaths， and Reacher turns vigilante。 Reacher brings to his table his towering physical prowess， fight-know how， keen investigative experience， weapon knowledge， gut instincts， and all out bravery。 Reacher often ends up calling on his old military and federal contacts for an informational or tactical lifeline。 And Reacher always wins after intense， all-out warfare。 Always with some physical and psychic damage， but he sets things right。 Justice gets served。 Then Reacher puts his toothbrush in his back pocket （this is all he travels with: money from his savings can be wired， new second-hand clothes can be bought， diners abound） and grabs a bus or a ride back to his meanderings。 So welcome to Better Off Dead， in which Reacher arrives in a small town on the U。S。-Mexico border。 The book opens with a jaw-dropping bang: a man fitting Jack Reacher’s exact description is shot dead by four men in a deal exchanging money for knowing where to find a guy named Michael goes off the rails。 Reacher beats the men fighting them only to get shot dead by a woman who steps out of the shadow。 The victim’s body， identified as Reacher， gets transported to the morgue and put into the cooler。 What， could Reacher actually be dead？ Cue the shock and horror to ardent fans。 But we haven’t yet got through the reliable and always thrilling formula of a Jack Reacher novel！To give away more would just deny you the thrill of another masterful Reacher book， with exceptional sparse and lean writing， edge of your seat twists， and vivid image that stays with you after your pounding heart has stopped hammering。 。。。more
Scott Caswell
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Trouble just has a way of finding Jack Reacher。 Reacher is just trying to make his way to the West Coast。 Sounds easy enough…。 Once again Lee and Andrew Childs have put together a thrill ride that will keep you turning pages until you hit the last page！ Another great Reacher adventure that will introduce you to some great characters and seat of your pants action。 If you have enjoyed past Reacher novels you will love this one too！ Keep them coming guys！
Richard
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I have read all 26 books in this series so I consider myself a fan。 Unfortunately， this series has "reached" its sell by date。 This book was really hard to even get through。1） The writing is clunky。 Full of sentences。 And fragments。 Like this。 Totally annoying。 2）Switching from third person to first after the first chapter also didn't work for me。 Third person works way better in these books。3）Stylistic qualms aside， the tropes are tired。 Reacher wanders in out of nowhere right into the middle o I have read all 26 books in this series so I consider myself a fan。 Unfortunately， this series has "reached" its sell by date。 This book was really hard to even get through。1） The writing is clunky。 Full of sentences。 And fragments。 Like this。 Totally annoying。 2）Switching from third person to first after the first chapter also didn't work for me。 Third person works way better in these books。3）Stylistic qualms aside， the tropes are tired。 Reacher wanders in out of nowhere right into the middle of some crazy crisis， gets sucked in within 25 pages and then ubermensches his way out of it。 Great fun for the first 15-18 books- now it's just silly。 How many times can this happen to 1 person？ 4） The plot made very little sense。 The whole bomb/Lebanon/Michael-Michaela/FBI jumping in right away was all just too convoluted and strained。 The bad guys （and Michaela） were cardboard at best。 Michaela just jumps right in with Reacher and vice versa based on that first scene？ And having to read "Dorndoecker" or whatever his name is over and over was annoying。 。。。more
Stuart
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Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of the new Reacher。 With a Reacher book， you know exactly what you are in for and the Child’s do not disappoint。 I thoroughly enjoyed this story。 Reacher is at his fighting best
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