Jack Reacher Series

I've realized that I have time for reading, but not for blogging about it. For example, two weeks ago on a Saturday night, I finished reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, a beautiful, compelling, touching story-To Kill a Mockingbird set in Nazi Germany. I shuddered, smiled, and wiped away a couple of tears at the end, closed the book, and thought about the story and the similarities to TKM for a few minutes, yet a half-hour later I had picked up a Jack Reacher novel and was half-way through it before I fell asleep. What does that say about me? I think I really need to find a hobby or maybe spend more time cleaning my house.

Jack Reacher. What can I say about him? He is the brain-child of author Lee Child, but who cares about that? It's Reacher that interests me. He's 6'5" inches, 240 lbs. of solid muscle, ladies. After serving as military police in the United States army for thirteen years, Reacher travels the US with just the clothes on his back, a few dollars to his name, and all of the sense of honor and killing skills that the US military could afford him. There are 14 (going on 15, I think) books in the series and well, I hate to say it, but I've read most.

In Die Trying, the second in the series that I've just read (I don't read series in order-another tragic flaw) Reacher is kidnapped by accident, along with an attractive female FBI agent out of Chicago (how convenient), the daughter of a general, and the god-daughter of the US president.
Holly, the agent, and Reacher are taken to a paramilitary compound in rural Montana where lots of people die, and Jack Reacher gets to show off his shooting skills. Unbelievable what this man can do with a rifle, and the shooting bit is an interesting departure from his usual methods of killing with his bare hands.

Lee Child's books are all page turners and this one did not disappoint. I won't give away any more of the plot, but will say that if you like thrillers, particularly thrillers featuring tall, blonde ex-US Army MP's, then the Jack Reacher series is for you. Highly recommend. 374 pp.