Book Review - A Wanted Man by Lee Child

Lee Child is quickly becoming one of my favourite thriller writers, mainly for the fast-paced, punchy chapters and dialogue that just make you want to continue reading long past the time you should have put the book down. Jack Reacher is a wonderful character, a tall, imposing figure who also has a quick intelligence to take in the entire situation and make a decision on how to deal with it. This is especially helpful when he's about to get in a fight.

Child's latest Reacher novel, A Wanted Man, is a very intense novel that takes place over a couple of days. It's a continuation of the character arc that was begun in 61 Hours and continued in Worth Dying For (before the interruption of The Affair) and it's still not quite over yet. Each book is self-contained, so no worries on that account. It's a character arc that's going over a few books, and it will be interesting to see the results when they finally come.

This is once again an excellent book.

My review is up now on Curled Up With a Good Book.

From the review:

"Fresh from his experiences in Nebraska, Jack Reacher is hitchhiking his way to Virginia. A car stops, the two men and a woman inside apparently debating whether or not to pick up this drifter with a broken nose. They finally seem to reach an agreement, and Jack gets in. Thus begins a harrowing journey across the state of Iowa as the true nature of Reacher's new companions becomes apparent. Police roadblocks won’t stop them, and FBI Agent Julia Sorenson is trailing them the entire way. Just what is the story behind the trio, and why is the FBI after them? Reacher's about to find out, and the answer may put an end to thoughts of his dream Virginia meeting."

It's the character interplay between Reacher and the people he ends up travelling with, as well as the sheriff and Sorenson, that really make this book enjoyable.

There are a couple of problems with it that bring it down a notch. Mr. Child, I respectfully have to inform you that McDonald's doesn't serve burgers during breakfast. A&W does, though!

Also, the timeline doesn't exactly track, or at least it feels kind of off. It didn't mar my enjoyment of the novel that much, but it was nagging at me throughout my reading. They were driving a fair distance in a limited amount of time.

Despite that, I highly recommend the book.