Tripwire: Jack Reacher, Book 3

I continue the saga of the Jack Reacher series, this one was performed very well by Mr. McClain. I think I read a review that was a little rough on this narrator in the series, I would have to say that Jonathon did an excellent job in my eye. I really like this series, different than a normal cop and robber story line, but still every bit as engaging. I think of this as a Columbo on steriods. A bit odd, but great story lines and character development. Good work.

The narrator

Jack Reacher is an interesting character-Tough but kind.

His various voices just brought the story to life. He made the story exciting!!!

Two of the three books rolled out and purporting to fill the gap in the Jack Reacher series were already available on Audible read by Dick Hill. This one read by Jonathan McClain is not totally awful but it is a pale imitation of the real thing. If you are a Jack Reacher fan from the previous books available in the Audible series, you will be sadly disappointed.

If you're a Jack Reacher fan, you might already have this in your Library. After I downloaded it and listened to it, I found I had a Dick Hill version of Tripwire I downloaded in 2009. It doesn't seem to be available in the Audible store, but I'll take Dick Hill over this narrator any day. McClain isn't a bad narrator, and if I didn't already feel that Dick Hill IS Jack Reacher, I would have probably liked him OK.

If you think Tom Cruise is going to make a believable Jack Reacher in the movie, you might like this narrator, and if you don't already have this book in your library, and you're a Jack Reacher fan as I am, you might not have any choice but to go with this book. The Dick Hill version doesn't seem to be available.

It was difficult to rate this book. McClain is an OK narrator. It's just that he's not Dick Hill, and after downloading this version, I discovered I already had the Dick Hill version. Luckily, after 3 years and 700 or so books, the story was fresh. I had forgotten most of it. I might go back and listen to the Dick Hill version to compare the two. Since I already had that one, it was a waste of a credit.

I found the narration to be involving and nicely done. Some others have voiced displeasure with the narrator, but he does an excellent job of giving each character a distinct voice that is consistant through the entire book. Makes it very easy to disinguish who is who in conversations. This is the third book in the series and it moves at a slightly slower, more controlled pace than the first two. Sort of gives us a more detailed view into Jack Reacher's mindset and motivations overall and I for one, enjoyed that. There was a decent twist to the story and if you're paying attention you will figure it out pretty early on and if not, then it's a nice enough surprise at the end. On to book four now.

Slightly different tack on the Jack Reacher series.

Jack comes full circle and introduces his first commanding officer character.

Absolutely but I never have that much time. I prefer the unabridged series.

If you are a Jack Reacher fan (movie version not withstanding) you will not be dissapointed!

It meets expectations for a Jack Reacher book. If you liked the first two, you will like this book.

As a spy/mystery/thriller buff, I'm no stranger to the concept of a "series" of novels all featuring the same protagonist. As a kid, I read Ludlum's "Jason Bourne" books decades before Matt Damon made them mainstream with his portrayal of that character in the similarly named movies. In more recent years, I've had the great pleasure of reading Michael Connelly's "Harry Bosch" books, and Timothy Hallinan's "Poke Rafferty" novels, among many others. And while the series concepts offers a great deal of appeal to both author and reader--such as the slow, steady evolution of a character over time--there are disadvantages as well. One is that the stories can occasionally become formulaic. And while overall I enjoy Lee Child's "Jack Reacher" books very much, there are some that I've found to be a bit predictable.

This book, however, is a standout among Child's prodigious, and entertaining "Jack Reacher" output. In the character "Hook Hobie" Child has created one of the most uniquely sinister villains ever encountered in the genre. As a series of events unfolds, drawing Reacher and Hobie into an inevitable and mortal struggle, the fascinating back-story of Hobie's existence is revealed. By the time Reacher has finally put all the pieces of this puzzle together, Hobie's evil has reached it's crescendo, and the reader can hardly wait for Reacher to unleash his can of whoop-ass on Hobie in the fashion that only Jack Reacher can.

The narrator, Jon McClain, does a nice job with this Reacher novel, as he has on many others. In this case though, it is the story itself that is the star. For those looking for a great introduction to the Jack Reacher series, or for those long-time fans looking for a somewhat unconventional Reacher story, this is the one.

I found listening to the first two Reacher novels soothing, Child's sparse, almost documentary-style prose with its focus on facts and street names and physical routines, combined with McClain's calm but never dull voice, create a rhythm that I enjoy.

I also like the idea that Reacher is the competent but detached alpha male who will punish evil-doers and save the beautiful woman, even though we all know he won't stay with her.

"Tripwire" is darker and more serious than its predecessors. The serious side of the book allows for the fact that when drifting becomes a conscious choice, it is a rejection of the world that suggests something is broken. It presents the possibility of Reacher staying with the girl and even having somewhere of his own for them both to stay. It asks the question whether Reacher can do that and still stay Reacher. All good stuff that makes Reacher more real.

The darker side of the book spoiled it for me. The evil-doer in this book gets off on inflicting humiliation and pain. The pain mostly takes place "off camera", for which I was grateful but the humiliation is described in great detail. It is convincing and completely repulsive. It's not gratuitous. It drives the story and it is not glorified but it left me feeling angry and soiled and degraded by my own voyeurism.

This is a tribute to Child's writing but it violated the expectations I came to the book with and filled my head with things I'd rather not give house room to.

I'll try one more Reacher book, but if this focus on the anatomy of evil continues, I will look for my entertainment elsewhere.

Reading the other reviews, I got the impression that this book was not going to be as good as I hoped. But, since I decided to read the entire series in the right sequence, I bought it anyway. I was pleasantly surprised!

McClain is a good narrator. No, he's not Dick Hill, but if you can get over this fact, you'll enjoy this book as much as most other books in the series. Actually, I found that McClain makes the bad guys sound creepier, and the women sound smarter, than Dick Hill does.

The story is good; Reacher investigates an old Missing In Action case in order to protect someone very dear to him, whom he never really thought he'd see again. If you like the Reacher series, there is no real reason why you shouldn't like this book.