A Wanted Man

Jack Reacher 17

By: Lee Child

Narrated by: Jeff Harding

Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

When you're as big and rough as Jack Reacher - and you have a badly-set, freshly-busted nose patched with silver duct tape - it isn't easy to hitch a ride. But Reacher has some unfinished business in Virginia, so he doesn't quit. And at last, he's picked up by three strangers - two men and a woman. But within minutes it becomes clear they're all lying about everything - and then they run into a police roadblock on the highway. There has been an incident, and the cops are looking for the bad guys....

Will they get through because the three are innocent? Or because the three are now four? Is Reacher just a decoy?

With his signature Swiss-watch plotting and heart-thumping suspense, A Wanted Man shows Lee Child at his sublimely skilful best.

©2012 Lee Child (P)2012 ISIS Publishing Ltd, Random House Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“He could take out Bond, Dirty Harry, Jason Bourne and Ethan Hunt with both hands tied behind his back. And then sleep with their girlfriends two at a time before getting the last bus out of town” ( Sun)

Great first half, faulterin slightly

If you’ve listened to books by Lee Child before, how does this one compare?

This a great listen, sections of it being amongst the best Lee Child has done. The opening section of the book, from the point where Reacher accept a lift hitchhiking, to the point he eventually leaves the car, is fantastically tense and intriguing. Both Child and Reacher are in their element here: a tightly controlled environment, with three strangers to suss out and very little to go on, and the dawning realisation that no one in the car is telling the truth... Child's meticulous description of environment and people, Reacher's methodical, pin-sharp throught-narrative, play out fantastically as he tries to get to grips with the mysterious situation. The parallel narrative of a FBI murder investigation interplays very very with Reacher's story as we begin to understand how the events are connected. When Reacher does leave the car, his teamwork with the FBI agent continues to be tense and fascinating. All the Bourne-style evasion tactics, and Sherlock-Holmes-style investigation tactics get a thorough workout. And then I feel the bottom drops out of the story a bit. Without wishing to give anything away, when What's Going On finally becomes clear about three quarters of the way through, a lot of the impetus from the two third of the book seems to be lost. There are some great twists, but perhaps at the expense of a lot of the final third not feeling like its been sufficiently set up by the rest of the book. The ending is a great set piece for any action thriller, though, so it;s hardly a major critisism.

What aspect of Jeff Harding’s performance would you have changed?

He seemed well cast for the tone of the book - measured, laconic and dry, like Child's writing. However, on occasion his determination to intone every line of the narrative in the same way did annoy me. I know Child's writing style is repetitive: he likes to list everything Jack Reacher is thinking about or looinkg at in short, neutral sentences. Harding would give each sentence the exact same rhythm and tonal pattern which got to be a bit grating as the sentences piled up, especially when there were long stretches of narrative with no dialogue to break it up. I wasn't totally convinced by his perfromance of some characters either. He gave the female characters the same exact voice, and delivered Sorrenson's lines in particular in a way I felt was at odds with how they were written (e.g. he made her sound calm where I thought the dialogue implied she was annoyed, or angry where I thoughtthe line was amused etc). I've heard a lot worse performances, though, and Harding certainly kept my attention.

Jack the riddler.

Would you listen to A Wanted Man again? Why?

In probably, the most complicated Lee Child logic to follow, Jack inadvertently falls down the rabbit hole into explosive drama.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

This is the weirdest Jack plot, and some of the others are weird enough.

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

Jeff is the Reacher maker. Good man, good fellow and kind to puppies - I'm sure.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Reacher in a hitch!

Great

I love this series. Intricate plot. Fantastic characters. Great final twist. Jack Reacher Rules. O.K. More please Mr Child.

Lee has done it again

A good solid read ( listen) that kept the interest up right through.
Reacher has done it again,kept us on the edge.
Cant wait for the next one!.

More Classic Reacher

As a self-confessed fan of the Jack Reacher series I was not disappointed by this latest offering from Lee Child. It contains the usual tight and clever plot line as well as plenty of the kind of dry humor and fast paced action you'd expect.
Jeff Harding is a brilliant narrator and captures Reacher perfectly.

Jack Reacher always delivers in his special way.

Where does A Wanted Man rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Right up there, probably the best so far.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Excellent plot . This one totally changes as you go along. One of Lee Child's best in my view. He seems to be getting better each time. So looking forward to the next one.

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

Jeff Harding is my favorite reader. He has the ability to capture all the different voices with total conviction. You forget about the reader and are swept along by the personalities of the different characters. Keep it up Jeff.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, absolutely. Totally absorbed in story. Loved the changes in the plot. Needed to listen non stop.

Any additional comments?

Lee Child always my favorite. May Jack Reacher never age or change as he is one in a million.

Good to see Reacher is back

If you could sum up A Wanted Man in three words, what would they be?

A wanted read

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, always something happening, some good twists and turns.

Which character – as performed by Jeff Harding – was your favorite?

Jack Reacher

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

N/A

Any additional comments?

Reacher books are good, but I think Lee is getting carried away with the scene and history descriptions that sometimes appear to go on with no actual relevance to the rest of the story. Sounds a little picky i know, but the first books in the series weren't as bad as they are now. Not bad, but you know what I mean.... :-)

Just another great Reacher story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes but start with the older books and work your way to yhis one

A bit of a story arc for Reacher now...and this is a goodie

The story had enough unpredictability to be edge-of-seat material, and Reacher is in his prime.

Jeff Harding IS Jack Reacher for me - his resonant slightly nasal voice drives the vocal performance - listen to an early Reacher story narrated by someone else and Reacher somehow shrinks and gets softer. A great match!

A back on form Reacher - a very good listen

Typical format with new scenery, Jack must need a holiday by now. I did enjoy this though and I found myself lingering in the car park so that I could hear a little more... I am still clearly hooked on Reacher.