Night School

Jack Reacher, Book 21

By: Lee Child

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's Summary

Discover the thriller series that The New York Times calls "utterly addictive". After 11 straight global number one best sellers, Lee Child sends listeners back to school with the most explosive Jack Reacher novel yet.

It's 1996, and Reacher is still in the army. In the morning they give him a medal, and in the afternoon they send him back to school. That night he's off the grid. Out of sight, out of mind.

Two other men are in the classroom - an FBI agent and a CIA analyst. Each is a first-rate operator, each is fresh off a big win, and each is wondering what the hell they are doing there.

Then they find out: A jihadist sleeper cell in Hamburg, Germany, has received an unexpected visitor - a Saudi courier seeking safe haven while waiting to rendezvous with persons unknown. A CIA asset undercover inside the cell has overheard the courier whisper a chilling message: "The American wants a hundred million dollars."

For what? And who from? Reacher and his two new friends are told to find the American. Reacher recruits the best soldier he has ever worked with: Sergeant Frances Neagley. Their mission heats up in more ways than one, while always keeping their eyes on the prize: If they don't get their man, the world will suffer an epic act of terrorism.

From Langley to Hamburg, Jalalabad to Kiev, Night School moves like a bullet through a treacherous landscape of double crosses, faked identities, and new and terrible enemies as Reacher maneuvers inside the game and outside the law.

©2016 Lee Child (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"Narrator Dick Hill's gruff, laconic voice continues to be a pitch-perfect match for swaggering hero Jack Reacher.... Hill's considerable range of accents also breathes life into a diverse supporting cast. Hill's voice remains an indispensable asset to Reacher's characterization." ( AudioFile)

Disappointing

I am a huge Jack Reacher fan. I usually buy the next book in the series the day it comes out, devour it quickly and then wait impatiently for the next offering. I had been counting the days for Night School's release and bought it as soon as the audible book was available. I can only compare my disappointment with this book by comparing it to my disappointment in watching Tom Cruise portray my beloved Jack Reacher on film. Both just don't work. I'll leave the Cruise discussion for another format. Night School starts with Reacher making his typical deductions as to why he finds himself sent to a "multiagency cooperation school" with two other successful investigators from other government agencies. Unlike past efforts, these deductions were not difficult or interesting. Unfortunately that also described the rest of the book. It plodded forward, with limited flashes of the Reacher I love. I was even indifferent to Reacher's "love interest" that came across as two people using the other for sex with little effort put forth into even a friendship. I finished the book, disappointed that the improvements I kept hoping for never came. I honestly felt more vested in the "bad guy's" plot and future plans than in Reacher's efforts to stop him. Will I read the next book in the series? Absolutely, and I will hope this was just a one off boring book and not a sign of future offering.

NOT MY FAVORITE JACK REACHER BOOK

When I start struggling with a long-awaited book by a favorire author early on, something is wrong. I had difficulty focusing on the story right away. because things seemed too quiet for Reacher's character. I could not imagine Jack Reacher sitting in a room on a too-small desk, waiting patiently, chitchatting, and swapping information with the other two students. He seldom ever shares information, especially about himself, with those whom he does not know or trust. He does trust Garber, but even there, Jack is not apt to taccept a new, unusual assignment without doing some personal vetting of his own.

Frances Neagley remains one of my favorites, but too many of the other characters seem too bland.

I have always enjoyed Dick Hill, one of the best, but some of his German accents were out of Hogan's Heroes at times.

I still remain a devoted Lee Child fan, but I think I want Reacher home again, sauntering along roads that turn complicated, sometimes mysterious, as he triumphs over evil, mostly alone or aided by trusted friends.

Reacher iis getting old. That's for sure!

Jack Reacher was born in 1961 and at 55 has been of age to join AARP for 5 years, so Lee Child takes us back to 1996 when Reacher was 35 year old and a military police major in the US Army. In Night School Reacher is selected with a guy from the FBI and another from the CIA to find out what an American is trying to sell for "millions of dollars" to a suspected terrorist cell in Germany. It turns out that it is a package containing 10 miniaturized (50 pounds each) US nuclear bombs. The 10 are part of 110 that were produced at the Livermore Laboratory in California. You know that the novel is going to be good when Sargant Frances Neagley joins Reacher; she's likely tougher than Reacher. Manuel Orozco, also from Reacher's MP Unit, joins in the effort. (To learn more about Reacher's MP unit members listen to Bad Luck and Trouble which is Book 11 in the Reacher series. It is set about 10 years after Reacher leaves the Army. Frances Neagley appears in major roles in several Reacher novels before and after he left the Army.)

The novel contains lots of action as well as suspense. Reacher has a love interest who is his boss on the team that is seeking to find the 10 bombs. It seems to me that Lee Child adds more explicit description to the sex scenes that usual for him. The plot jumps around more geographically than most other Reacher novels.

Overall I enjoyed the story and I am awarding it 5 stars, but it is not among my top 10 favorites in the Jack Reacher series. Dick Hill's narration is superb. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Night School for those, like me, who enjoy the type of over the top action thrillers that Lee Child writes. As with many audiobooks by famous authors the initial ratings here at Audible are low, but those low ratings will increase dramatically as more listeners rate it.

Another disappointment

I used to look forward to a new Reacher novel every 12-13 months, but there have been enough recent stinkers that I'll probably get my annual Reacher fix by re-listening to some from earlier in the series. Night School could have had another protagonist with a different name (let's pick Snopes) and the only clue the listener would have that it was a Reacher novel was the handful of "Snopes said nothing" sprinkled throughout the 13+ hours. And was this storyline even believable? I'm not a weapons expert but my first guess is there is no way this could have ever happened, even in a suspended-reality world. Reacher had a couple of physical confrontations with burly antagonists but his "take no prisoners" persona was pretty much absent during most of the book. This offering by Childs wasn't quite as bad as the installment several books back when Reacher spent most of the story sitting in the back seat of a car. But it was close. Reacher fans will be disappointed by Night School. Listen to an earlier series offering instead.

Boring and tedious

What would have made Night School better?

It would have been better if it had never been written. Is Lee Child running out of ideas to try to make Reacher interesting?

Would you ever listen to anything by Lee Child again?

I have loved most of the Jack Reacher books, however I am beginning to wonder if an author can carry a character too far. I certainly will wait for reviews the next time before I order another one.

Would you be willing to try another one of Dick Hill’s performances?

Dick Hill is not a narrator I care for much. I certainly wouldn't pick a book based on him being the narrator.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Definitely disappointment! I couldn't even finish it and didn't care if I did. I will return it for sure.

Any additional comments?

I have enjoyed the Reacher books in the past that took him back to his army days and his old comrades. That is why I bought this one. I think Lee Child's character has run its course and there isn't a good story left to tell. The old formula just doesn't work anymore. In this book, Reacher is just plain stupid and ponderously boring.

Lacking action, too descriptive

Too much explanation and not enough action. Did not hold my attention like all the other Jack Reacher books. Huge fan.

Ugh! Love Reacher, Not this one.

Would you try another book from Lee Child and/or Dick Hill?

Yes

Has Night School turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

Any additional comments?

I usually devour the Reacher books, but this one just isn't a grabber. After listening to the first chapters for the 3rd time, I'll return it (love Audible's return policy). The book turns to white noise as my mind wanders off to where I was and what was happening around me during Y2K. After 6 chapters, 3 times, it's time to move on. Disappointing.

Not worth a credit or a star

Drivel. Absolutely and completely a total waste of however many hours it took to finish this mess. WHO WROTE THIS? If this is what Reacher has become, i'm finished with new ones and will only re-read the old ones; i wanted to stop 2 hours in but kept going, hoping, hoping, hoping it would improve. It didn't. There is profanity which is one of the reasons i like Reacher novels, very little profanity if any; there are sex scenes .... yuck, phooey, blah! I know he is a virile man but i don't have to hear about it. It was draggy, slow, ponderous and altogether a bore and i do not bore easily. It just kept droning on and on and on and on and on and ..... (get my drift?) Sooooo did not live up to my expectations for what i'm accustomed to with this author and character. Maybe i'm expecting too much but i know this, I am NOT keeping this title because i will NOT be rereading it. Ever.

Boring

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

I usually love Jack Reacher and this reader but this book just didnt hold my attention.

Below average for the Reacher series. Not fun.

The events supporting the plot were not interesting. Reacher did a couple stupid things (see spoilers). Most or the story had bad guys being “lucky” and Reacher always a minute too late. Witnesses were not helpful, more bad luck. I prefer stories with less “luck” and more smart moves and counter moves. I’m a huge fan and have read all the Reacher books. This is one of the weaker.

I always look forward to Reacher’s beat-em-up scenes. There were just two of those - some local thugs who liked to beat up strangers. The thugs were unrelated to the main bad guys. I’m ok with throwing in scenes like that but I’d prefer more fights connected to the bad guys.

SEXUAL CONTENT:
There was one scene of women performing sex acts with animals on a stage and men urinating on a woman. There were three sex scenes of Reacher with a woman, briefly described. Reacher does not do foreplay. Apparently Reacher’s women are ok with insert tab A into slot B. I’m not complaining - just describing.

CAUTION SPOILERS:
The Hamburg chief of police “C” is helping Reacher investigate. Reacher calls “B” who is in charge of traffic cops asking B to do something. B doesn’t do it and tells C that Reacher cancelled the request. That should tell Reacher not to trust B. So why does Reacher ask B to do something else for him? Of course B says he’ll do it but he doesn’t.

Reacher locates the bad guy’s apartment and searches it with his team. They leave the apartment without proper surveillance. The bad guy soon returns to the apartment and then leaves. One cop “D” is assigned to watch the apt. D calls C to say the bad guy just left. C asks D to follow the bad guy, but D says that’s not my job. So the bad guy gets away. They should have had a team of people watching the apartment and ready to apprehend or follow the bad guy. Just stupid.
END SPOILER.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Dick Hill was great - as always.


Narrative mode: 3rd person.
Genre: mystery suspense thriller.