The good, and there isn't much, includes the action sequences and the description of Reacher's tight squeeze, near death experience in the tunnels he The good, and there isn't much, includes the action sequences and the description of Reacher's tight squeeze, near death experience in the tunnels he must navigate to escape from a locked room. But that is it. This second Jack Reacher novel was simply too full of holes and convenient circumstances and good luck in Jack Reacher's favor that by halfway through the book, I wanted it to be over. I don't mind if the hero is given a second chance by the bad guy to make a comeback, (you know, the bad guy talks too much about his plans and rather than kill the protagonist he elects to torture him, but the hero escapes...that kind of jazz) but Reacher is captured, wreaks havoc upon his captors, is given a couple chances to say he is sorry, kills some more bad guys, is told to play nice, destroys munitions and supplies, is released into the wild (yeah, RELEASED) so then he can come back and put the bad guys down. WHAT? The actions of this paramilitary group that wants to become independent of the USA are so asinine and backwards that they deserve their own country...in a mental institution. Seriously, who allows this outsider, Reacher, to do what he does then hands him a sniper rifle to show what he can do, then, upon realizing how deadly accurate he is, basically lets him go. I haven't even mentioned the incredible luck he has in figuring out the bad guys' plan based on a couple things Mr. HeadBadGuy, a 400 pound fat ass by the way, has said. With time ticking against him, Reacher correctly guesses which way the bomb was headed on a hunch. Just too unbelievable for me....more
This was a fantastic murder mystery that included the subplot of Harry Hole's long standing hatred / mistrust of fellow detective Tom Waaler who he suThis was a fantastic murder mystery that included the subplot of Harry Hole's long standing hatred / mistrust of fellow detective Tom Waaler who he suspects was directly responsible for his partner's death in "The Redbreast"; an earlier entry in the series. The main plot revolves around an indiscriminate murderer who leaves a star shaped diamond at the scene of each of his grisly attacks. Harry is forced to work with his arch nemesis, Waaler, to try and solve the case, but of course that isn't an easy task for either man. The twists and turns aren't so far fetched that they are unbelievable, but some are very much unexpected and exciting. This was my favorite book in the series so far, and I would highly recommend it to any fans of crime fiction....more
Dan Simmons has written another great novel. This time, he accurately depicts Ernest Hemingway's foray into espionage during the early 1940s and WorldDan Simmons has written another great novel. This time, he accurately depicts Ernest Hemingway's foray into espionage during the early 1940s and World War 2. The fictional Joe Lucas is a part of Hemingway's group, and the intrigue, while fictional according to the author, most certainly could have happened as described. The novel starts off slow enough, but the final 250 pages were fast paced and impossible to put down. I hesitate to say much more, and give away any of the intricate plot, but needless to say it was worth getting through the leaden beginning....more
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