Book #26 in the Jack Reacher series. There are two kinds of people in the world, those that love Jack Reacher and those who have never read a Jack Reacher book. To read them is to love him. Every reader has their favorite or two and every reader will argue with you over why their favorite should be yours too. Each book can be read as a stand alone, but once you join this fan club, you'll want to read the others too. I've read them all.
Better Off Dead finds Jack in Arizona, not far from the border with Mexico. Jack has standards and expects everyone to follow the basic rules of law. He's often disappointed and often dispenses his form of justice, with or without the help of the local law enforcement agencies. This story follows those guidelines and provided this reader with another excellent trip on the road with Jack Reacher.

This was a well-written, entertaining book. It was fast-paced, action packed and I didn't want to put it down. This is a standalone book, though it is one of a series of books featuring the same main character, Jack Reacher. Though overall it was a great story, I did find it to be a little disappointing in some areas. The initial connection did not completely resonate with me, both the fact that Reacher was walking down a random road, and how easily he connected up with the person he met. There were some action scenes that did not make much sense, such as a group of bad guys "taking turns" and coming at Reacher one at a time, or Reacher going through a whole prolonged episode of hand to hand fighting when he could have just shot someone if it was that dangerous of an encounter. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

I don’t know if he’s always the right man in the wrong place, the wrong man in there right place, but let’s face it, Jack Reacher has the same uncanny habit of finding trouble that Jessica Fletcher had of finding bodies! (Yes, I really did just make a Murder She Wrote reference!) And in Better Off Dead, you guessed it, Reacher once again finds trouble.
Better Off Dead has everything I’ve come to expect from a Reacher novel. A solid story with a ton of action. That being said, like the previous novel this one does feel a little different. Long time fans of the series know that for most of the series the Reacher books were written exclusively by Lee Child, but that’s changing. Lee is in the process of passing the Reacher torch off to his younger brother Andrew, who is also a writer that has been publishing for years under the name Andrew Grant. The transition started with the last Reacher novel: The Sentinel. I’m not sure how their collaborative process works, but you can definitely feel the difference in style from Lee’s solo works. Lee’s Reacher is just so dang iconic. And I don’t know if Andrew is still trying to get a firm handle on the character or if this is just how it’s going to be from now on, but the books just feel different, Reacher feels different. The first person POV in this book definitely felt different. It’s been a while since I read the previous books, but off the top of my head I don’t recall any of the other books using that before. I don’t want to say that’s a bad thing, it’s just … well, different. In a way it feels a little like the transition of the Bond film, each new actor that took on the role gave the character a different feel, though of course here we’re talking authors not actors. Though speaking of actors, if I could accept and even enjoy Tom Cruise as Reacher (one of the most unlikely of actors I’d ever have imagined to be cast as Reacher) then I can probably get used to Andrew’s take on the character. As long as the stories are full of action and continue to entertain you can count me in.
I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Better Off Dead.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RN9XVR3QF363Y/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

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Better off Dead is the 26th book in the Jack Reacher series. However it's the 2nd book that Lee Child has collaborated with his younger brother Andrew Child. I did not read the previous book collaboration, The Sentinel.

It's sad to hear Lee Child is retiring. And after reading the beginning of this book, I thought it was the end for Reacher too. Just like the other Reacher books, the plot is complex and action-packed. The only difference I really saw was that Reacher's character seemed a little bit more cockier and that there was more explaining of how he will win the fights. Overall it's a solid installment in the Jack Reacher series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Lee Child/Andrew Child for a copy of "Better off Dead" in exchange of an honest review.

"Oh no," I screeched when Lee Child announced that he was retiring from writing his Jack Reacher novels. Child is only in his sixties, and I was expecting at least ten more years of books from him. I was somewhat mollified, and a bit hopeful when he said he had found another writer to take over the Jack Reacher franchise.

Lee Child's brother, Andrew Grant, himself a novelist, agreed to write the further adventures of Jack Reacher. Horrible crisis averted. The brothers wrote this one together, with Grant adopting his brother's pseudonym of Child. My guess, based on media reports, is that Andrew Child wrote most of this one, unlike the preceding installment. I couldn't really tell the difference, but then I am a fan of Ace Atkins' iterations of the iconic "Spenser" series. I may just be more accepting of change than other readers.

I am not going to give any spoilers, but this is vintage Reacher. Reminiscent of "Paladin'' before him, he travels around righting wrongs, often against fearful odds. It is a tremendous guilty pleasure, and wonderful to read. If you loved Reacher before, don't be afraid to try him now.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Better Off Dead
By Lee Child and Andrew Child
Jack Reacher #26

a Riveting thriller with A Diabolical Bad Guy and An unconquerable Superhero


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Michaela Fenton, an army veteran and FBI agent, is desperately trying to find her brother, who has gotten mixed up with some dangerous people. Dendoncker, a shadowy figure, rules the Arizona Border desert town with an iron fist while staying out of sight. His loyal employees would rather die than defy their leader. And Dendoncker is the one that has Michaela’s brother.

Jack Reacher, is on his way into town and finds Michaela slumped over the steering wheel of a Jeep. She has plowed into the trunk of the only tree for miles around. But not everything is what it seems. Reacher’s expertise, among other things, is finding people who can’t be found, and he offers to help Michaela find her brother. But to get to Dendoncker, Reacher will face one of his most formidable opponents ever. He may even end up in the morgue.

REVIEW
BETTER OFF DEAD is a dark and dangerous Jack Reacher thriller in a different town, with a diabolical bad guy. Reacher, at six-foot-five and two hundred and fifty pounds, is an unforgettable character. He is intelligent, strategic, strong, and empathetic. He goes where he wants, when he wants, and has the uncanny ability to find trouble wherever he goes. Reacher, like any superhero, will never turn a blind eye to a person in need; and Michaela Fenton needs his help.

Lee and Andrew Child have skillfully written another action-packed Jack Reacher story. The tension and the fighting are non-stop and the read is riveting.

If you have not read Reacher before I highly recommend the series, especially if you like a continuous flow of suspense. Each book in the series can be read independently, but it’s so much more fun to start at the beginning to see how Reacher became the man he is.

For those of us that are Jack Reacher mega-fans and have read them all, BETTER OFF DEAD is definitely worth the read. The writing is taut and atmospheric, but I must admit that for me, the formula is getting a little stale and the story seems to be lacking the sensitivity that earlier books had. Reacher has devolved into a fighting machine who is bulldozing his way across the country. It’s still a great series, with an unconquerable character.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Publisher Delacourt Press Random House Publishing
Published October 26, 2021
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

Way back with the first Jack Reacher I knew on that day when I first laid eyes on that bloody hand print on the cover, I had found a great series. The hardback was fresh out of the carton and I needed to treat myself to a book. There went my lunch hour and my bus ride home wasn't long enough. I was hooked on Reacher and nothing has changed. Lee and Andrew keep that literary magic going. With Better Off Dead I still got the story I expected.
Reacher is the larger than life - but still real - character you would want to come to your rescue. His nomadic life with his toothbrush in his pocket and his attitude towards his attire often make me wish I could be more like that. As for the acti0n and nerves of steel, well nobody does it better and in this one all of the things we like about Reacher are present.
Set at the US-Mexico border the action starts in the first sentence and we wonder who is Michael? Then a classic Reacher fight with four against one or is it? I won't give away anything else but I will give you this advice: find a nice comfy chair, pick your beverage of choice plus snacks and get ready to immerse yourself in another "seat of your pants" adventure with the one and only Jack Reacher.
My thanks to the publisher Delacorte Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

3.25 Hearts Holy heck… This is #26 in the Jack Reacher series. How are they still coming up with stuff?

Jack is still on the way to the Pacific Ocean and this time he makes it as far as the Arizona/Mexico border. When Reacher finds a veteran who needs help he can’t help but step up.

So let’s be honest. Reacher has to be about 70 now, right? Not really but it seems he has managed to stay young and is still able to hold his own. Yes he is a vet but he never seems to have time in his life to work out or even eat healthy. So each time I am waiting to read that he has finally aged.

Anyway, This is a typical Child book and the second one co-writing with his brother. I can read the difference but mostly it is exactly what readers expect from a Reacher book.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I hesitated before reading Better Off Dead, the latest Jack Reacher novel, and the second written by Lee Child and his brother Andrew Child (AKA Andrew Grant). I received an ARC of the bo0k courtesy of NetGalley and publisher Delacorte Press. I have thoroughly enjoyed the first 24 novels in the series, so why the hesitation? I truly disliked The Sentinel, the 25th in the series, and the first written in collaboration with his brother. I almost abandoned the book midway, but, out of loyalty to the series, I didn't. The book lacked the tension, energy and pacing of the earlier books. It meandered through the plot. However, as a loyal reader, I wanted to give the collaboration a second chance.

In Better Off Dead, Reacher, after stopping to help a young woman who seemingly crashed her Jeep into a tree, finds himself facing the wrong end of a gun. Learning that she had set a trap for men who may have kidnapped her brother, Reacher agrees to help her. This leads Reacher into a complicated plot involving foreign revolutionaries and sympathizers, bombmakers, and a plot to unleash poisonous gas in American cities. Sounds exciting, right? It does, but unfortunately, in this case, it isn't.

Better Off Dead seems to drag on forever. The pacing is completely off, and the book gets bogged down in meaningless details and complications. It's kind of tragic, as there are two wonderfully written villains (Mansour - an enforcer, and Dendocker, the villain) - both of whom who deserved better than the book offers.

I recognize the series is in the middle of a transition. It is not going as smoothly as I had hoped. I am not willing to abandon the series just yet, as I thoroughly enjoyed the previous books, but I'm getting close. Loyalty only goes so far.

Another very satisfying Jack Reacher novel. There is no reason to worry that the franchise will be diminished by having Andrew Child taking over the reins. He is an accomplished author in his own right.

Better Off Dead is the 26th book in the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child and now his brother, Andrew. Pick a fight with Reacher and soon find out you are better off dead. Hence the perfect title!

In a huge plot twist, the latest installment of the series begins with our main character dead on a slab in a morgue. Panic set in immediately since I am nowhere near ready for this series to end. The story rewinds to a few days prior when Reacher is doing what he does best—roaming west with no destination—when he comes upon a Jeep crashed into a tree with a woman slumped over the wheel.

Enter Michaela Fenton, an army veteran turned FBI agent searching for her twin brother who is mixed up with some dangerous people led by a mysterious man named Dendoncker. He rules from the shadows and rarely comes into sight. But leave it up to Reacher to seek Dendoncker out and help find a missing person.

For those unfamiliar, I am reading the Jack Reacher series in the most untraditional way (backward). I read every new book soon as its published (S/O to the publisher for an advance copy); in between new releases, I read from the beginning of series. Each book may be read as a standalone and the mysteries do not overlap so it is not confusing. There is nothing much to Reacher's personal life that needs to be revealed in chronological order far as I can tell. And might I say, this series continues to impress me with its thrilling storylines, attention to detail, descriptive action and consistency.

Don't let the page count fool you! I know 520 pages sounds like a big ass commitment but I assure you Better Off Dead is fast-paced, full of action and a really good mystery that will keep you interested. I turned the pages faster than Reacher could disarm a threat. It only took a few days for me to read the entire book and I actually want more! This brother duo is doing an awesome job co-authoring what I now call the Jack "Fucking Fearless" Reacher series.

Happy Early Pub Day, Lee and Andrew Child! Better Off Dead will be available Tuesday, October 26.

~LiteraryMarie

Some months back I reviewed the Jack Reacher title The Sentinel. I noted that some of the dialogue in the story seemed to reflect the new shared authorship (Lee Child and his younger brother, author Andrew Grant/Child). Since then, I have read interview excerpts from Lee Child admitting that his brother Andrew is doing virtually all the story writing. In the most recent Reacher entry, Better Off Dead, that new authorship is obvious and often jarring to the reader.

The Jack Reacher of this episode tells the story in first person narration. Often in fragments. And in unnecessarily detailed descriptions, especially of his defensive moves during fights with the bad guys. His comments are sometimes flippant, often lack self-assurance, and alternately are clumsily worded or just plain unnecessary.

The plot had some suspense, but was more convoluted, less believable than Lee Child’s Reacher plots. In one of those passing-the-baton interviews, Child said he expects readers not to clamor for the next lee Child NOR Andrew Child title, but for the newest Jack Reacher title in the series. For this to keep happening, I believe Andrew needs to carefully review and study the Reacher character presented in the first 24 novels and use that research to inform his future writing of Reacher novels. The hero in Better Off Dead was largely unrecognizable as Jack Reacher.

I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley for review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jack Reacher - this one captures you immediately, like all the others. Once again, Jack Reacher just happens upon trouble. Being a Good Samaritan, he involves himself unintentionally in some big trouble. The only way out is “Reacher style - hard and heavy “.

This is a classic Jack Reacher story! It has lots of ups and downs, the story starts off capturing the readers, with surprises along the way. I'm always amazed by Reacher's ability in combat, his ability to solve puzzles, and his ability to embody humanity and love of fellow man, even when it blurs the lines of good and evil. I'm also impressed with Lee Child's ability to make this quite an enchanting and encapsulating story. I highly recommend.

I love me some Jack Reacher and I have loved every Jack Reacher book I have read. This one was different, not bad...just different.

This book followed the same outline that all Jack Reacher books follow, kicking ass... saving the day, but it just didn't flow as well as the others. I didn't feel as invested in the story as I have before. I am hoping that this is an anomaly, and not what we can expect in the future. 3.5⭐

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House/ Ballantine Books, Lee Child and Andrew Child for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2021/10/21/better-off-dead-by-lee-child-andrew-child/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

I have really enjoyed the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/40549-jack-reacher"><em><strong>Jack Reacher</strong></em></a> series and have read them all, including novellas.  Jack Reacher started out wandering when he was maybe mid-thirties, and as the books went along he aged.  Then, the books seemed to go back in time and cover times when he was in the military or freshly a civilian.  I'm uncertain as to his age in <strong>Better Off Dead.  </strong> I would read the earlier books in order but later books could be read standalone.

Now, Lee Child is joined by his younger brother, Andrew to write these adventures.  It seems to be going well.  I liked <strong>The Sentinel.  </strong> The world events and modern conveniences suggest Reacher is somewhat older.  He doesn't have many specific plans but he was headed to the Pacific Ocean this time.

I didn't like the start because it gave a dire situation and then went back in time leading up to the situation.  This only went on for a few chapter but it didn't work for me.  The rest of the book was pure Reacher style.  He is always helping the underdog, making things right, jamming up the bad guys.  Luckily, he has his old military type contacts to handle some aspects, be it information or arrests.

He is not afraid of a fight and uses excellent strategy which we get to hear about half in his stream of thoughts.   Even when he gets into a dire place, he works out of it.   He isn't worried about just disposing of villains, particularly if they try to kill him.   It seems like he perhaps has had more violent fights when not in the military, first when he was growing up and now once he has retired from the military. He doesn't carry a gun but he has skills with them and often ends up with one from the bad guys.

Reacher is a classic for me with compassion, thrilling action,  and intelligent strategy.  It's also great to see the good guys or the innocent win and the bad guys get taken down.

I've always liked the Jack Reacher books and I like this one - but not as much. Something seems different about Jack's personality. In the past there seems to have been more humor and less violence. Of course there's always violence where Reacher is concerned, but in this book it seems more like violence just for the sake of violence.

The book starts out with a shocking premise and I was glad that was soon remedied! Anyone looking for lots of action will enjoy this book.

The 26th book in the Jack Reacher thriller series starts right off with a shocking scene which leaves the reader asking, Wait? How can this be?? Then when more is revealed, we can sigh with relief and think, Well, that was certainly well done!

Our hero, Reacher, is a 6'5", 250 pound ex-MP, drifting across the USA, heading slowly towards the Pacific Ocean, but in no particular hurry. He is currently in Arizona, close to the Mexican border, when he comes across a woman who he thinks needs his help: she appears to have crashed her car into the only tree in sight. Reacher is soon set straight about what is going on here--it seems there's an evil man who may be holding the woman's twin brother captive, forcing him to take part in a dastardly plot.

This is the second book in Lee Child's series now co-written with his younger brother Andrew Child (aka the writer Andrew Grant). I didn't care much for the first book Andrew helped write, The Sentinel, which I found overly violent. This one has its share of violence of course but it is not wholesale. There is a difference in Reacher's persona now that is hard to put one's fingers on. Less humor perhaps?? Less humanness? A lot of the story involves Reacher thinking through each move he and his opponent(s) make in every fight scene. As a long-time reader, I could do with less detail there. I did enjoy how he thinks things through and figures out what is really going on and what needs to be done to thwart the evil doer. There you go! That's the kind of hero we need.

I received an arc of this new thriller from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

I've always liked the Reacher books for how he helps an underdog, rights wrongs, and goes for justice. Yes there's violence but there's also always been strong characters. This is not that Reacher. This starts with a fight and then it's one fight after another as Reacher helps Michaela Fenton look for her brother Michael who has disappeared into some sort of shadowy enterprise involving bombs. Unfortunately, none of this was clear early on- the who, the why, the what-and I actually found myself confused by the plot. And the villains. Fenton, who lost part of a leg to an ied, while dynamic in her way, should have been but wasn't appealing as a character. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. The Childs have gone for heavy action and less humanity this time, which others might enjoy bur I was disappointed.

I've read many books by Lee Child and have enjoyed them all. This one, like all of them was easy to read and fast paced. Good characters and pacing. Having Andrew along for the ride is a good thing. I highly recommend this book.