Never Go Back

Jack Reacher, Book 18

By: Lee Child

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • THE BLOCKBUSTER JACK REACHER SERIES THAT INSPIRED THE STREAMING SERIES REACHER

Never Go Back is a novel of action-charged suspense starring “one of the best thriller characters at work today” (Newsweek).

Former military cop Jack Reacher makes it all the way from snowbound South Dakota to his destination in northeastern Virginia, near Washington, D.C.: the headquarters of his old unit, the 110th MP. The old stone building is the closest thing to a home he ever had.

Reacher is there to meet—in person—the new commanding officer, Major Susan Turner, so far just a warm, intriguing voice on the phone.

But it isn’t Turner behind the CO’s desk. And Reacher is hit with two pieces of shocking news, one with serious criminal consequences, and one too personal to even think about.

When threatened, you can run or fight.

Reacher fights, aiming to find Turner and clear his name, barely a step ahead of the army, and the FBI, and the D.C. Metro police, and four unidentified thugs.

Combining an intricate puzzle of a plot and an exciting chase for truth and justice, Lee Child puts Reacher through his paces—and makes him question who he is, what he’s done, and the very future of his untethered life on the open road.

©2013 Lee Child (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Child is a superb craftsman of suspense." (Entertainment Weekly)

“A breathless cross-country spree . . . some of the best, wiliest writing [Lee] Child has ever done . . . Child’s bodacious action hero, Jack Reacher, has already tramped through 17 novels and three e-book singles. But his latest, Never Go Back, may be the best desert island reading in the series. It’s exceptionally well plotted. And full of wild surprises. And wise about Reacher’s peculiar nature. And positively Bunyanesque in its admiring contributions to Reacher lore.” (Janet Maslin, The New York Times)

“An adrenaline-charged, action-packed thriller . . . impossible to put down.” (Lansing State Journal)

Audible is making me put a heading here. Done.

This was my second Reacher novel and now I'm completely sold. I love the character and how nonchalant he is when stuff gets real. I left I immediately bought another.

Good book but...

Four stars because lack of brutal action. I understand Reacher isn’t exactly young at this point, but he should still have it. Dick Hill makes Reacher sound old and makes the women characters sound butch wish they would use a female for the female roles

good story

Nearly stopped after 1st hour. Narrator had a very annoyingly sarcastic tone. Terrible female voice

narrator performance irritating

the narrator seemed to not have enough breath to complete a sentence. Thus, the ends of sentences seemed pinched.

Better than the Second Movie

I knew fairly early that the second Reacher movie was modeled on this book. It’s different. I saw the movies before I read any of the novels. I liked this story. Much better than the movie’s modification/adaptation. Dick Hill is a solid narrator, as always.

Modulated Audio

the latter chapters suffered from significant audio modulation that was very distracting. Surprisingly poor, given I've enjoyed several previous releases.

Really hated the reader

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I've never had a visceral reaction to a reader before. Yes, some are great and some are just ok but Dick Hill was so wrong. One of the things that makes Reacher books so good is that the writing is cool. Never over-excited or over-heated. But this reading is up two or three notches too high. He pushes the words way too hard and there's none of the laid back roughness that characterizes the series. And his rendering of female dialogue was just plain awful. Does Lee Child approve the readers of his audio books? How could he? Well, he also likes Tom Cruise in the role so go figure.

Another great Jack Reacher story

Great story. It moves well and keeps you interested with great action and suspense you have come to expect from the Jack Reacher stories.

Another solid Reacher novel from Lee Child

What did you love best about Never Go Back?

As always, Jack Reacher is the man. I have read/listened to every Jack Reacher book and I love the series. This is another solid book. While it's probably not the best Jack Reacher book (maybe a little less action than some others in the series), it is certainly well worth the listen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Reacher....who else.

What does Dick Hill bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Dick Hill is a solid narrator and always does a great job.

Any additional comments?

This and every Reacher book are solid. If I were you, I'd start with Book 1 and enjoy the whole series. Then you can be like all the other fans of this series - counting the days until the next one comes out.

a fun ride- like always

If you could sum up Never Go Back in three words, what would they be?

A fun listen-however, there seems to be not much new here. Don't get me wrong, if you are a reacher fan, and I am one, you have to read it. Is it as compelling as the earlier ones, I dont think so. His best effort, not really. However, I find even a middle of the road work by Lee Child more enjoyable than most others. I just think Lee has more to give and look forward to reading all his future works. Long may he continue to write.

Have you listened to any of Dick Hill’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Always good

Any additional comments?

See above