Without Fail (Jack Reacher)

Child, Lee

ISBN 10: 1585472581 ISBN 13: 9781585472581

Publisher: Center Point Pub, 2002

Synopsis

Jack Reacher is back, this time In the Line of Fire.

Someone who was once close to Reacher’s brother, needs help in her new job – saving the Vice President of the United States from being assassinated.

We all know Jack Reacher is a loner and a drifter. But with every book, he finds himself in a new, often dangerous environment, where his native cunning, surly charm and brute strength help him to be quickly accepted as an insider, the only man who can save the day. In Without Fail, the secretive, closed organisation that invites him in is the Secret Service, the organisation that protects the Presidency.

About this title

Review:

Lee Child has inexorably pulled himself into the upper echelons of thriller writing with a series of tough, lean and perfectly crafted novels featuring ex-US military cop Jack Reacher. Without Fail is the sixth outing for the resourceful Reacher, and far from showing any signs of incipient fatigue, the series just goes from strength to strength as Child hones his abilities.

As in such previous books as Die Trying and The Killing Floor, Jack Reacher is a maverick. He carries no ID, and any place he hangs his hat is home. And while he's more than capable of dealing out massive violence to the bad guys who take him on, he's a sucker for a plea for help--particularly from a woman. This time, he's asked by the persuasive Ms Froelich to help her protect the Vice-President of the United States from an assassination attempt that's on the cards. So Reacher, with only the clothes he stands up in, finds himself deep in the rarefied world of the United States Secret Service in Washington, where his problems come from the stiff-necked bureaucrats as much as from the utterly ruthless killer who soon has Reacher in his sights as much as the Vice-President.

If the plot here is a tad reminiscent of the Clint Eastwood movie In the Line of Fire, that's no coincidence--Child has his characters discuss the echoes of their situation with that film at length. But, boy, does Child ring some powerful variations of his own on the theme: this the most kinetic Reacher novel yet, full of the brilliantly orchestrated set-pieces that are a specialité de la maison with the author (the final climax in a snowy ravine is a pip). The action here is relentless, but never at the expense of character--Child is canny enough to keep dark shadows from Reacher's past a key part of his motivation. And the skill that the British-born Child is so proud of--his faultless evocation of the American landscape--is the final icing on a very tempting cake. --Barry Forshaw

Review:

"If "Without Fail" doesn't hook you on Lee Child, I give up."--"The New York Times "

"Absolutely mesmerizing."--"Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"
"Reacher is convincingly tough, clear-headed, and street smart...everything falls into place like a well-assembled time bomb."--"The Boston Globe"

"A hero in the Dirty Harry style...Child still produces a surprising twist when it's least expected."--"The Sunday Telegraph "(London)

"A razor-sharp update of "The Day of the Jackal" and "In the Line of Fire" that's begging to be filmed...Relentlessly suspenseful and unexpectedly timely."--"Kirkus Reviews "
"IF "WITHOUT FAIL" DOESN'T HOOK YOU ON LEE CHILD, I GIVE UP." -"NEW YORK TIMES" "The best thriller writer of the moment." -JANET MASLIN, "NEW YORK TIMES"

If "Without Fail" doesn t hook you on Lee Child, I give up. "The New York Times"
""
Relentlessly paced...and absolutely mesmerizing. "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"
""
Everything falls into place like a well-assembled time bomb. "The Boston Globe"
""
A stunner...The suspense becomes nearly unbearable. "Booklist"
""
The best thriller writer of the moment. Janet Maslin, "The New York Times"

"From the Paperback edition.""

If Without Fail doesn t hook you on Lee Child, I give up. The New York Times

Relentlessly paced...and absolutely mesmerizing. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Everything falls into place like a well-assembled time bomb. The Boston Globe

A stunner...The suspense becomes nearly unbearable. Booklist

The best thriller writer of the moment. Janet Maslin, The New York Times

From the Paperback edition."

-If Without Fail doesn't hook you on Lee Child, I give up.---The New York Times

-Relentlessly paced...and absolutely mesmerizing.---Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

-Everything falls into place like a well-assembled time bomb.---The Boston Globe

-A stunner...The suspense becomes nearly unbearable.---Booklist
-This is a knockout.---Library Journal
-[The] plot is ingenious...This is a superior series.---The Washington Post Book World
-If you haven't read a Reacher story, do yourself an exciting and engrossing favor and pick one up. Grade A.---Rocky Mountain News

"If Without Fail doesn't hook you on Lee Child, I give up."--The New York Times

"Relentlessly paced...and absolutely mesmerizing."--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Everything falls into place like a well-assembled time bomb."--The Boston Globe

"A stunner...The suspense becomes nearly unbearable."--Booklist

"This is a knockout."--Library Journal

"[The] plot is ingenious...This is a superior series."--The Washington Post Book World

"If you haven't read a Reacher story, do yourself an exciting and engrossing favor and pick one up. Grade A."--Rocky Mountain News

About this edition

• Publisher: Center Point Pub
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1585472581
• ISBN 13: 9781585472581
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 504