Personal

De: Lee Child

Narrado por: Jeff Harding

Brought to you by Penguin.

Read by award-winning narrator Jeff Harding.

**NOW A MAJOR PRIME TV SERIES STARRING ALAN RITCHSON**

Jack Reacher walks alone.

Once a go-to hard man in the US military police, now he's a drifter of no fixed abode. But the army tracks him down. Because someone has taken a long-range shot at the French president.

Only one man could have done it. And Reacher is the one man who can find him.

This new heart-stopping, nail-biting book in Lee Child's number-one bestselling series takes Reacher across the Atlantic to Paris - and then to London.

The stakes have never been higher - because this time, it's personal.

Although the Jack Reacher novels can be listened to in any order, Personal is 19th in the series.

"Consistently pulse-raising. . .an exhilarating ride. . .Personal wrests back the sheer gusto of the earlier novels; it's the best Reacher adventure in some considerable time." (Independent)

‘Jeff Harding’s [...] narration captures Reacher’s character perfectly [...] you have to savour every minute.’ The Sunday Times

©2014 Lee Child (P)2014 Random House Audiobooks

A good read. On par for Lee Child

I’ve read five or so novels by Child and re-read each at least three times. He’s a good descriptive writer with interesting story lines. If you like the character of Jack Reacher then this book is as good as any of them. I worried the first person narrative would break the forth wall too much but it turned out not to, and maybe even gave a slightly different perspective of what’s going on in Reacher’s head. The last chapter felt a little rushed but still satisfying. Recommended if you like tough ex-army dudes, taking care of business, solving problems, with a sense of justice, peppered with humour and strong scenery and situational description.

A swing and a miss

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Story line needed more work. Overall needed more action and violence.

Would you recommend Personal to your friends? Why or why not?

No, out of all the Jack Reacher books this is near the bottom.

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

Yes, consistent performance.

Could you see Personal being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No. Definitely not Tom Cruise.

Any additional comments?

Jack Reacher needs to die. What a fantastic book that would be.

weakest plot line

this is the only Reacher novel I struggle to listen to . The story is too convoluted even for a Reacher plot and the supporting cast is lame at best . I guess 1 out of 20 plus is acceptable but still disappointing

Jack is back!

Jack Reacher takes time out from his solitary wandering for another adventure. Jeff Harding is the voice that perfectly portrays the rugged character. A totally enjoyable experience.

Not up to Mr Child's usual standard

Lee Child doesn't have a bigger fan than me. But this is a little disappointing - for two reasons. Firstly, he's spending way too much time explaining in minute detail how Reacher mangles bad toughguys and how he creeps through corridoors. And secondly - what was the Producer/Director thinking!?! Some of the characters' voices (brilliantly read by Jeff Harding) are inaudible (travelling in a car or where there's anything other than pristine silence). Didn't anyone look at the VU meters in the studio! This is a 'Childish' mistake - for which the Producer/Director must take responsibility.

One of my favourite Reacher's

Loved this one, fun that it took him outside his usual US small town wandering etc etc etc... very enjoyable. Great narration as always.

Tedious

I have enjoyed Jack Reacher sagas before, but this one did not engage me at all. Jeff Harding did well to put energy and some urgency into his reading of it, but even that could not rescue this book. Despite being tempted to ditch Personal, I limped on but the end did not redeem it.

as good as I expected

as I expect from Lee Childs. Mystery, drama , humour and a good story. More please

Very disappointing

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Much better casting of the voices, especially for Reacher. I can forgive the selection of Tom Cruise, but I don't understand why Reacher was made to sound angry and aggressive and suspicious all the time...he sounds like a caricature of Reacher...and all the other voices are worse.

What was most disappointing about Lee Child’s story?

It was a weak story, it felt like Lee went through the motions on this one. Dare I say it, it felt like he did a Grisham.

Would you be willing to try another one of Jeff Harding’s performances?

No

What character would you cut from Personal?

Ms Nice

Any additional comments?

I have read every Reacher book from the beginning and am a long term fan...but the audio version of this book is a fail.