Nothing to Lose, by Lee Child

April 24, 2009 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: book review, Lee Child, Thriller 

It was a coincidence that I picked up this book. I was at the library to pick up some books. While I was waiting, I saw it lying there. So I picked it up. Looked at it and borrowed it. And later I read all the other books I had waiting for me. Finally I started on Lee Child’s book with the boring cover.

And reading it, at first I thought it was simply odd. Nothing to Lose, by Lee Child A lone hero walking into trouble for no apparent reason other than his stubbornness. Walking from the strange city of Hope into the even stranger city of Destiny. It all seemed odd to. Simply.

But I continued to read, curious as I am. And gradually the book grew on me. Partly because I wanted to find out what was going on – thinking there had to be something more. Partly because this represented to me a kind of new genre of thriller. A bare bones, no frills thriller if you want. No spying, no agents, no super duper huge or advanced or whatever organization. Just a guy. And, admittedly, a somewhat strange guy. Named Jack Reacher.

Later I have read up on the book, the author and the series. I have noted that a book reviewer in New York Times, Janet Maslin, calls Jack Reacher a “minimalist character”. I think that is an apt description. He is minimalist. The thriller is minimalist!

But Child’s Reacher is actually, when you get to know him, an utterly addictive hero. He is a 6 feet 5 inches ex-military cop that excels in unarmed combat, and he is as cool as a cucumber. He may get a little worried when he is up against six guys in a bar, and start to ponder their combined body weight relative to his and such things. But he delivers the goods. And, as well, his powers of deduction are second to none and a joy to observe!

So, yeah, I liked this guy. I liked the way Reacher dealt with power abuse, crime and corruption. And I liked the way he dealt with a disgusting born-again businessman impatient for apocalypse.

I don’t actually think this is the best book in the series, having now read several of them. But it is more than good enough, and quite spectacular in it minimalism. Nothing to Lose is a book I recommend!

Links to Lee Child’s books at amazon US, amazon UK, and amazon CAN.

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