Cover Image: Better Off Dead

Better Off Dead

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Member Reviews

Reacher is always traveling. Sometimes by bus and sometimes he is walking. Today, he is traveling west on foot when he sees a single car crashed into a lonely tree. The woman in the car looks injured, but she isn’t. Michaela is an army veteran who became an FBI agent. She believes her twin brother is involved with dangerous people and she is trying to find him or answers. Reacher knows he is good at locating people, so he volunteers to assist her. It seems that Dendoncker has everyone in his organization scared. They are willing to die instead of risking his wrath. Will Reacher be able to find the answers Michaela is looking for?

Better off Dead is the twenty-sixth Jack Reacher book and it is jammed pack with twists and turns to keep the reader going. This story goes forward without giving any new tidbits about Reacher’s past, but that is OK because that means there were more words devoted to this new storyline. Child always has big shoes to fill as he continues a saga that has spanned so many novels …how to keep Reacher fans happy without repeating stories? Admirers of Jack Reader will enjoy this newest escape into the Reacherverse.

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Jack Reacher at his best! Novel starts out with Jack walking in middle of nowhere and still he finds trouble. This time it's an international terrorist and nerve gas. Jack steps in to save a pretty girl. The Child's have written another hit!!

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Another win in the Reacher series, written by Lee Child jointly with his brother Andrew. The series continues to follow Jack Reacher as he travels around the country and manages to find trouble just about anywhere he stops.

In this book, Reacher comes across a woman on the side of a deserted highway who appears to have just been in a car accident. Hoping to help, he approached the vehicle and finds Michaela Fenton very alive and well, holding a gun on him. This starts the adventure off to find Michaela’s brother Michael (yes, twins), and the bad guy he’s working for, Dendoncker..

There are a lot of twists and turns throughout the story, some violence, but the descriptions aren’t really graphic or drawn out. There is just enough mystery and intriguing plots to keep the book moving along. I think this is a great addition to the series, but if it’s your first time reading Reacher, it’s also ok on its own..

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

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Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title. I am a longtime Lee Child fan, and have read every book in the series. Unfortunately, this may have been my least favorite. It felt formulaic and I wasn't gripped by the story. Also, the violence is starting to feel overwhelming and gratuitous - not enough of the behind the scenes though from Reacher.

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How do you get close enough to a villain who only meets his victims when they're dead? The convoluted but entertaining new Jack Reacher adventure - number 26 in Lee Child's best selling series and the second one written with his brother Andrew - shows more of their hero's brain than his brawn, although there's plenty enough of that to satisfy the requirements of the genre..Jack Reacher is the quintessential loner, with a heart that beats steady and true, a bit of a romantic with a need to set things right despite the obstacles.. One if this reader's is how to review the book without giving the plot away. Suffice it to say that his fans will love this, and so did I.

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Jack Reacher, ex-military cop turned wanderer, is heading to California when he winds up near the Arizona/Mexico border. There, another ex-military person, Michaela Fenton, is clearly in need of help in her search for her brother, yet another PTSD-affected veteran. Reacher decides to team with her but is soon embroiled in an undefined conspiracy led by a really dangerous and evil character, Waad Dendoncker. As always, Reacher uses both his brains and brawn to determine what is going on and punishing those who need it. This is the second collaboration on a Jack Reacher novel between Lee Child and his younger brother (Andrew, who also writes under the name of Andrew Grant). Reacher has been one of my favorites for a long time, but I waffled a bit on this rating - this was clearly not the best of the series, and quite frankly, I think it might be on the downhill side of its literary life. I gave it the benefit of the doubt (between a 3 and 4 star rating) as I have read every book in the series and hope that some of the original appeal can return as Lee turns it over to Andrew. My thanks to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the ARC of this novel.

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Better Off Dead met all my expectations! Lots of action, Reacher rescuing people who have gotten over their head, strong women assisting him, good wins over evil. This book seemed to have more action and less dialogue than other Reacher books. I did miss seeing more of the human side of Reacher.

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I missed The Sentinel, but I didn't find this book as good as the earlier books in the series. It doesn't have whatever I loved in all of the other books. Is it really Reacher or a doppleganger?

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Once again Jack Reacher is back and once again tries to help someone who has an issue that they can't fix on their own. The title makes you think this might be the end of Jack Reacher but don't be fooled! Jack is back and as strong as ever. Jack still drinks his coffee black, still wakes up without an alarm clock and still kick everyone's butt! Fans of the Reacher series will not notice any difference with Andrew at the helm. Great book and cannot wait until the next one!

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I can't say that I "get" Jack Reacher. I don't relate to him, and I seldom understand his motivations -- but he has always fascinated me, and still does. Having read every one of the 25 books that preceded Better Off Dead, I couldn't see any stylistic pivot in the last two collaborative books, when Andrew Child joined his brother Lee.

It's the same old Reacher, who has perhaps evolved a bit, but not so much as to lose his appealing freakiness. What holds the series together is his moral code, which draws trust from the people he helps and from his reader/fans.

This time, Reacher trudges into another deceptively complex incident when he stops to help a woman he thinks was injured in a roadside accident. Michaela Fenton instead surprises him (and us) repeatedly. We think the story is about finding her brother, who has disappeared while on a covert assignment -- but there is much, much more, and getting to the bottom of matters requires some of Reacher's government contacts.

I'm throwing my lot in with Jack Reacher for the long haul.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advance readers copy.

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Reacher agrees to help find the missing brother of a female veteran he has met on his way to the Pacific Coast. As in Reacher's way, nothing is as it seems and things are always harder than you think.

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I simply love Jack Reacher; that is, I did until this book. Now I only like him a lot. 😃 He is still on his walking trek to the Pacific Ocean when he runs across a vehicle that appears to have crashed. I think I was much more in awe of the woman he found in the car, Michaela Fenton, than I was with Jack. Wow, she was like a female Reacher, maybe even better. I just couldn't retain my interest like I have with all of the other JR books (and I'm pretty sure I own all of them). If it was really Andrew Child, rather than his brother, Lee, who wrote it, that could be the reason.

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This novel by the Child brothers, is one of the best Reacher books yet. It was non-stop action and lots of suspense. It only got 4 stars instead of 5, because it was a bit confusing at the end. I wasn't sure who did what to whom. Other than that, it was a great book, and I've read all the Reacher books. Not really necessary to read them any any particular order. Highly recommended that you start at the beginning of the series as always.

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I received this ARC for an honest review.


I have not read a Reacher book in a while, even though I found the character to be the same for the most part. I am beginning to wonder when he will be slowing down as he gets older?
That said I still found the story entertaining and moved fast-paced for the most part. The characters still go with the story and the fight scenes are not as drawn out as when he was younger or in the first books. The story overall was good and should keep the old Reacher fans engaged. He still has to use his mind as well as his muscles and really that is what we look for from this character. Overall a good book with good characters.

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*Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Lee Child, Andrew Child for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion*

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/better-off-dead/


Better Off Dead is the 26th thriller in Lee Child’s long-running Jack Reacher series, now co-written with his brother, Andrew Child. I embarrassingly admit that this is my first Jack Reacher novel, and I was a little skeptical. Usually, the “beat up the bad guys” type of books are not my genre, but I absolutely loved this book.

Within the first couple of chapters, I am completely enamored of Jack. He is a Six foot five ex-military police officer who has had trouble fitting in as a civilian. He has no home, no car, no regular job; Just the clothes on his back. Literally. He goes where life takes him and tries to stay out of trouble, though it seems to find him wherever he goes.

This one finds Reacher headed to San Francisco, where he comes upon a woman in an old jeep, smashed into a tree on the border of Arizona and Mexico. Michaela Jenson is looking for her brother, Michael, who has sent her an SOS message and then disappeared. When he tries to help her, he finds a gun pointed at his head. He immediately finds himself in the middle of a missing persons case, which ends up very complicated, involving bombs and CS gas and many villains, including a German who should be in a James Bond movie.

This book is fast-paced, and there is so much action. A lot of beating up the bad guys, but also, Jack Reacher’s mind is fascinating. In an almost “Idiot Savant” way, he is obsessed with numbers, time, and measurement. He figures each plot twist out quickly. Usually, before the reader can figure out what the twist is, and gets left behind. This can get confusing, as there are a lot of characters in this book, and quite a few different locations. What is always clear is that Jack will always do the right thing. I enjoyed his moral stance and his way of figuring everything out. He went above and beyond to save a woman he has just met, but also to stop a bomb from killing hundreds of thousands of people.

Lee Child has a unique voice which will appeal to all readers, including the ones who don’t necessarily reach for the action books. Better Off Dead has something for everyone to enjoy, including a tiny touch of romance, action, missing persons, and a solid hero. I loved the fast pace and the interesting characters.

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I am a big fan of Lee Child. Now he has teamed with his younger brother Andrew for Better Off Dead. Like other Child offerings, this was a suspenseful thriller but even better the many twists and surprises began in the first scene.. I could not put it down and I highly recommend it.

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I usually enjoy Jack Reacher books, but this one was not as enjoyable as the others. As always, trouble has a way of turning up for Jack and he finds himself in situations he hadn't anticipated.
This book wasn't bad, just lagged a little for me in the middle. I like the series, and am will look forward to the next if there is one. .
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Please see my complete review and analysis of this book on GoodReads, here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4271876715.

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Thank you Random House, Dellacorte Press and Net Galley for the gifted copy of Lee & Andrew Child's newest Jack Reacher page turner, Better Off Dead, in exchange for my honest review.

Reacher is an enigma. A enforcer and a rule breaker. Part hero, part vigilante.
Never a dull moment. Always edge of your seat action, and in Better Off Dead, Child & Child do not disappoint.

From the first chapter, the reader is kept in a constant titillating atmosphere, where excitement and angst fuse together in a page turning thrill ride.

Never certain of where the truth really lies, Better Off Dead, kept me wondering from the onset if Reacher was being played.  I'm not sure if this was the effect the authors were going for, but for me this perspective played an important part in the mystery of the story and kept me glued to the pages and totally guessing until the last few pages.

Lee Child created one of my favorite action characters and the writing team of Lee & Andrew Child have scored another best seller with Better Off Dead.

☆☆☆☆

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Better Off Dead, by Lee Child and Andrew Child, is the 26th installment in the Jack Reacher series. Its anticipated publication date is October 26, 2021.

In Better Off Dead, Reacher is heading west and entering a small border town in Arizona. He meets another army veteran, Michaela Fenton. She is looking for her twin brother, Michael, who has gone missing. Naturally, Reacher offers to help.

I am a longtime fan of Jack Reacher, having followed each of his adventures, wherever his wondering has taken him. But after I began reading Better Off Dead, I was taken aback; this was not the Jack Reacher whom I know and love. For example, Reacher is described as scruffy and unkempt, like a hobo. Although the quirky Reacher buys, wears, and tosses cheap clothes, he is rarely scruffy and unkempt. It is mentioned about Reacher being a civilian. Reacher might be "separated" from the army, but I do not think that he sees himself as a civilian; his entire life has been the military, and his entire being is military. There does not appear to be a military presence in this Reacher, not in his demeanor or in his thinking. And, although Reacher has no qualms about using force, he does so only if needed, only if there is no other way, and even then, only to the level required; much of the violence I was reading about in Better Off Dead felt gratuitous.

Both the character and the writing were unsettling. They seemed flat, lacking the usual depth found in Reacher books. Facts about Reacher seemed to be thrown out there, almost as a second thought rather than incorporated within the plot. And, the plot of Better Off Dead also felt linear and flat, lacking the usual robustness and complexity I recall from prior Reacher adventures.Yet the conclusion to this book felt overly complicated; I still do not understand the resolution, and it does not seem to fit nicely together like prior Reacher books.

Near the end of my reading Better Off Dead, I read that Andrew Child has taken over writing the Reacher books. I don't know whether this is true or, if so, whether it is the reason for my discomfort with this book, but I do not like this incarnation of Reacher. Better Off Dead was a nice experience with a new character, but as another adventure with Reacher, I was disappointed.

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