“Reacher sees every threat for what it
is, and despatches the antagonists one after the other, leaving a trail of
broken and sometimes dead bodies in his wake” (Review by Barry Meehan)
There are a number of quotes from famous crime-writers on the inside cover of this latest Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child and Andrew Child. One of them is by best-selling author Patricia Cornwell, best known for her excellent novels featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta. The quote reads “Sometimes you just want someone who can beat the s**t out of people! I pick up Jack Reacher when I’m in the mood for someone big to solve my problems.”
In this latest Jack Reacher novel, he does indeed beat the s**t out of people – an awful lot of baddies, one after the other as he embarks on a long cross-country road trip with a woman whose husband has been murdered. It would appear that his murder and the murder of an elderly woman witnessed by Reacher are entwined. It all turns out to be a secret and very sinister conspiracy effected by a bunch of power-hungry villains operating from a model prison.
Reacher and the woman are not alone on their quest, however. A young lad is making his way to the prison at the same time, as is another criminal bent on revenge after his son’s suicide, both coming from different locations, but heading for the same endpoint at the same time.
The baddies are made aware of Reacher’s quest, and send minions to kill or capture him whenever and wherever he stops on the trip. Of course, Reacher sees every threat for what it is, and despatches the antagonists one after the other, leaving a trail of broken and sometimes dead bodies in his wake. There would appear to be an inexhaustible supply of enforcers in the employ of the baddies, and they keep on coming, all meeting the same fate.
Unfortunately, there’s not much more to this latest episode in the life of one of the world’s most popular fictional heroes, and it is certainly not one of the best of his adventures. I’m convinced this has to do with the writing style of Andrew Child, who has taken over the creation of the latest novels from his older brother, Lee, the originator of the series. There are times when Andrew describes something which somehow doesn’t form a picture in the reader’s brain, and needs to be read over to make sense.
If you’re one of the millions of Jack Reacher fans around the world, (like I was) you might well still enjoy No Plan B, so please don’t take this review too much to heart. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I thank you for allowing me to share mine. – Barry Meehan
No Plan B is published by Transworld Publishers, Penguin Random House, UK: ISBN 978-1-7876-3376-6
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