Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
This latest Jack Reacher novel has all the fast-paced action that we, 15 Dec 2007
The characters are all well-developed and believable with Lee's trademark
strong women adding special dynamics to this story. Combined with an unusually twisted plot, it is probably one of Lee's best books yet. Written in the first person, Jack Reacher goes undercover, partly to help Duffy, a DEA agent chasing a major drug dealer in Maine, but mostly to try to find an old enemy he left for dead ten years ago while still in the army, an enemy who now seems to be associated with the dealer.
Reacher's motive is personal: unfinished business. Duffy's motive is personal: she sent a female agent in after being pulled from the case, and has lost contact with her. Everything is very off-the-record. It is a personal fight, and Reacher makes even more personal enemies with some spectacularly unsavory characters along the way. Expect some very dirty fights. The first person form does give a unique insight into the Reacher character and seems to work well, though I personally think Lee Child handles the third person better. The sentences do get very short, giving an almost staccato feel to parts of the story. Probably how Reacher is supposed to think, but at times the lack of rhythm makes the reading harder than it needs to be.
The characters are great. Duffy is a particularly fine portrait, and Dominique Kohl, the investigator in the original case ten years ago, is lovingly sketched. As usual, Lee excels in strong women. The weaker women are less convincing: Elizabeth Beck, the long-suffering wife of the drug dealer, is a good enough effort while the other women (e.g. Teresa Justice) are barely developed beyond their names!!! I would also recommend reading Tino Georgiou's masterpiece--The Fates--if you haven't read it yet.
|
|
|
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Jack Reacher as a Drifter Version of James Bond, 22 Oct 2005
I liked Persuader best of the Jack Reacher novels I have read so far. The plot is more deliciously complicated with little twists, there's a better use for all of that gun lore, high tech makes brief appearances and the bad guys are more complex than usual. In addition, Mr. Child provides us with a nice back story that develops along with the primary story line.This story revolves around serendipity. There's a chance meeting where Reacher sees a man who should be dead . . . and Reacher wants him dead. When approached by DEA agents for an illegal penetration of a suspect's operations, Reacher wants in to finish the job he started ten years earlier. The story revels in the sort of twisted villains, monster guards, pitched battles, and intrigue that make the earliest James Bond books so appealing. As a result, you get gore with a cutting edge of sadism. I don't recall a book about a different type of hero that's so much like Bond in the action. Perhaps You Only Live Twice.
|
|
|
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
A Powerful Thriller, 15 Mar 2003
Persuader, is a powerful thriller, the latest in the Jack Reacher series. After the surprise opening, Jack finds himself on a mission. His task is to infiltrate and become an undercover agent, in the castle like home of drug baron, Zachary Beck. But it is not just the mission which is motivating Jack. It is almost as if a ghost from the past has reached out to him, with his one brief glimpse, of a man in Boston - Francis Xavier Quinn. A man whom Jack had been certain he had killed ten years ago. The events of this initial and extraordinary confrontation create a strong counter plot. Adding yet another layer of tension, intrigue and suspense enhancing the twists and turns, of an already pulsating main story line. Throughout the novel, the characters remain clearly defined. The lingering romance ensuing between Jack, and DEA Agent, Susan Duffy, and his ongoing concern for her throughout the story, gives us yet another insight into the gritty, tough character of Jack. Creating another interesting layer of perception, which in no way interferes with the strength of the action. Lee snaps off his words like pistol shots, and Persuader takes off running, the pace holding right to the final nail biting pages. Edge of the seat, hold your breath suspense, combined with a confrontation with a killer, who is in every way as formidable as an enraged elephant, leads to the thrill laden climax and it is one that demands to be read in one sitting. With Persuader, there is no other way.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
(23)
£4.99
(40)
£5.00
(25)
£4.42
See all Product Description
(37 customer reviews)
