Nothing to Lose: A Jack Reacher Novel

I have read all Reacher novels and have liked all of them to date. I wait for a new novel to be published every year and could not wait until this one was available.

This book started off ok but jumped the shark when reacher threw his hand into the political arena. I feel Lee Child wrote this novel to take a shot at the military and administration. Seems like a lot of setup for a lackluster and frustrating ending.

Lee Child is my favorite writer. But in this one, you feel like you are the one trudging back and forth from Hope to Despair, the two towns in the novel. Many parts are not believable but mostly it is just boring.

Until listening to "Nothing to Lose" I was a loyal fan of Jack Reacher. He was a patriot and a man with a moral compass who believed in always doing the right thing. Suddenly he has morphed into a christian-hating, anti-war, cardboard superhero. Hollywood should love this one!
When did Lee Child decide this was the lecture that his (previously) loyal readers needed to hear?
Jack Reacher really does have "nothing to lose". He has already lost his soul.

Very disappointing, to my mind Jack Reacher would never promote desertion and he would never dis the military. It was a slap in the face the men and woman serving. I really liked the character up until now. Time to drop this author.

Definitely the worst Jack Reacher saga and possibly the worst book ever. Its cardboard characters CRAWLED to the finishing line. First time that I've ever set the audible speed on my iPod to "Fast" (only because I'm one of those people who can't NOT finish a book, no matter how bad). And absolutely the most convoluted plot ever.

Once authors develop a following, why do some of them feel the need to start using their books as soap boxes? Get off your soap box, Lee Child, and go back to what you're great at doing: telling edge-of-your-seat stories through Jack "Dirty Harry" Reacher. PLEASE, turn off your inner Michael Moore. It just doesn't jive with Jack Reacher.

Child hides the plot twists well and all details come together in the end... HOWEVER... Child uses this book as a podium to promote his liberal-athiest political convictions: mixing incorrect assumptions about US military into ideas plausible to the naive & reproach for anything religious.
We read fiction to divert our minds from CNN, ABC, etc. Why inject personal convictions and viewpoints into the story as though they are established societal norms? Sure, provoke thought and inspire concern, but don't assume we should all share the author's value system and political beliefs! Child should stick to mystery and suspense and stay out of "politically correctness" indoctrination.

After reading all of Lee Child's books you feel like you know the lead character. In this book, Jack Reacher is not the same person. I do not feel he would support a wartime deserter or even be sympathetic towards them.
The plot is overly complex and borders on boring.
Lee Child has become too smart for his own good. I am not a fan of an author placing their political views in a fiction book, especially when it would contradict the main character's psyche.
It may be time to bury Reacher and work on a new character.

This Jack Reacher, had nothing to lose. Actually, this Jack Reacher was a stranger to me. After reading all the other reviews about this book, it is very clear that we, the readers know Jack Reacher better than the author who created him. Lee Child was intellectually dishonest and unfair to his readers by giving Jack Reacher a personality transplant after 11 previous books. I have listened to every previous Reacher book in order, and I know Jack Reacher, and I tell you, this was no Jack Reacher.
So, to Lee Child I would say, you wasted my time, and caused me to waste my money on this poor excuse for a book. Do us all a favor and kill Jack Reacher off, rather than put him through this kind of humiliation again. The Jack Reacher your readers know would prefer that, I'm sure. It's painfully obvious, that you no longer know who Jack Reacher is.

This was my first Jack Reacher, the man with Dan Rather's mind in Chuck Norris' body. I don't see how an internally conflicted person with no money, no job, and no unifying principles has survived as many novels as he has--only to hitchhike off into the sunset. If you listen to this you're going to have to endure lectures against military leadership, Christians, and care of veterans, lectures in favor of desertion by thinking soldiers issued by a wooden military policeman who should know better. If you're like me, when Child springs his trap on you 5/8s of the way through the book, you won't want to admit the last 10 hours have been a waste and you'll persevere to completion. With all these popular books by Child, I feel like I chose the booby prize with my first pick on Let's Make a Deal.

I've listened to all 11 Reacher novels prior to this one and I think author Lee Child lost some of his magic with Nothing to Lose. After a typical strong beginning, Child has his listeners wandering aimlessly between Hope and Despair along with his protagonist. The sub-plot centering on the plight of other visitors to Despair did little more than give Child an opportunity to turn Reacher into someone who more convincingly resembled Jeanine Garofalo than he did Superman. Officer Vaughn was not a believable character, even for a Reacher novel. And the reception that Vaughn and Reacher received during one of their visits to Despair ruptured credulity. My biggest question during the listen was whether Child was going to let Reacher and the Giant finally get it on before the book ended. Luckily Child didn't disappoint me here. Even with its weaknesses, Nothing to Lose will keep Reacher fans entertained. I'm taking a Lee Child break before moving on to Gone Tomorrow. I remain hopeful that the Man of Steel returns for the 13th installment.