Cover Image: No Plan B

No Plan B

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Member Reviews

Another terrific Jack Reacher story in a long, long line of terrific Jack Reacher stories. Just when you think they can't get any better, here comes a new one, better than the last.
Jack witnesses a woman being pushed to her death in front of a bus - that another witness swears was a suicide. He follows the sweatshirt hoodie killer and the story is off and running. Lots of side stories that actually all meet up in the main plot - Reacher does his usual thing of pulling many seemingly loose strings into one continuous ball. He travels with Hannah, a woman he meets while he is searching for clues as to why the woman was killed & who she was. Hannah is searching for the people who are responsible for the death of the man she loved - a loose end that Reacher is pulling into the circle.
Throw in a suspicious prison warden with nefarious intentions, crooked guards, people impersonating prisoners and the ball of string starts getting larger and larger and rolling faster and faster toward Reacher and Hannah.
A winner in suspense, action and just plain great Jack Reacher style.

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Another Jack Reacher masterpiece by Lee Child and his son. It's non stop action and a mystery that only Jack Reacher can solve. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Well worth the read!!

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No Plan B, the new Jack Reacher crime thriller by authors Lee and Andrew Child, is an entertaining read not lacking in ambition and imagination. It’s another step in the right direction toward restoring the Jack Reacher franchise to its former glory.

As Jack Reacher continues drifting across the country, he stops at the small Colorado town of Gerrardsville to visit some Civil War related museums he’s heard of that interest him. There he witnesses a man shove a woman to her death beneath the wheels of a city bus. Reacher pursues the man on foot into an alley, intent on confronting him and holding him for the police. But fate and an accomplice intervene, which allows the killer to escape. Then when he returns to the scene to contact the police to tell them what he saw, the local detective assigned to investigate the woman’s death informs Reacher that the authorities are ruling the death a suicide based on the statement of another witness. That doesn’t sit well with Reacher, who knows what he saw and despises injustice. So, he begins his own investigation. That leads him to another recent death in the town of a man believed to have died a natural death from a heart attack. But as Reacher keeps digging, he learns of a longstanding connection that existed between the heart attack victim and the murdered woman and he grows even more suspicious, believing someone also murdered the man. Eventually Reacher establishes a private prison in Mississippi, has some connection to both deaths and soon he is on his way to Mississippi with the ex-wife of the dead man to determine what the connection is.

It’s easy to imagine the challenge of coming up with new ways to get Reacher, a retired military cop who drifts aimlessly across the country, into believable situations where he must use his past investigative skills and knowledge to right wrongs that the local cops either can’t or won’t address. Especially in a series this deep. But I think this may be one of the most imaginative plots in a long while. Another thing about the book that impressed me is it’s also one of the most ambitious Reacher novels in a long while in that the story features two subplots that move parallel to the main plot throughout the books until all three threads naturally intersect near the end. I can’t recall any previous Reacher book like it in that respect. And the subplots do much to add complications to the story to grab and hold the reader’s attention.

Minimal character development has always been a hallmark of the Reacher novels. That has changed little with No Plan B. The books in the series are not character-driven as much as action-driven, which has always been part of the appeal. So, Childs hasn’t ever spent much time on character development, except for Jack Reacher and a precious few recurring characters that have appeared over the life of the series. But here the authors have spent enough time with the characters involved with the subplots to make them three-dimensional. And that’s another thing I like about this book.

This review is based on an uncorrected advance review copy, not the final copy for publication. So, perhaps the editors will make a few changes before the book’s release. But one thing I noticed worth criticizing is the copy I read contains more than a few blatantly British colloquialisms and manners of speaking that feel a little jarring because they don’t fit with a story set in America with only American characters. Even given Reacher’s history growing up on Marine Corps bases all over the world as a military brat, it’s unlikely he would have adopted specifically British ways of speaking into his speech. There’s nothing wrong with two British authors writing a book set in America and filled only with American characters, but they should avoid the use of terms and colloquialisms almost only ever spoken and written in British English. As only one example, “fishmonger” is a mainly British term for a storekeeper who sells fish which in my entire life I’ve never heard uttered in the United States, though Americans may have used the term in the colonial days.

While I enjoyed Better Off Dead, I liked No Plan B a little more and see it as another step in the right direction toward restoring the Jack Reacher franchise to its former glory and perhaps winning back some of Reacher’s past fans. It’s well worth a read.

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No Plan B by the Child's - father and son - was a typical Jack Reacher. Reacher finds himself in a combative situation, decides it's up to him to serve justice and finds a woman for transport. I wasn't completely unhappy - the paid-to-play prison angle was certainly interesting, but not enough to propel me to the end like many of the early Reacher books. If you love Jack Reacher (and I always have) you will want to reach No Plan B, but don't expect an exciting ending.

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This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope they writes more! I am totally hooked!

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Another in the Jack Reacher Series which follows the ex US Army Military Police Major as he travels the country with only a tooth brush and the clothes on his back. In this installment, Reacher arrives in Gerrardsville, Colorado after hitching a ride on a truck delivering alfalfa bales to visit a museum.  He witnesses someone push a woman under a bus and stealing her purse. He cooperates with the local police but when he finds that they closed the case as an accident, he  does what he does best. A fast read that will keep you guessing.

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Free ARC from the great NETGALLEY!!!!!!!!

Okay, partner writing usually signals the end but so far so good.

This is #2 of the partnership and the story was slightly different, a couple of the 'formula' parts were pleasantly missing!

While they did bring all the parts together at the end they seemed disjointed. Don't get me wrong but the runaway, and the medical supplier was just a reach throughout the story.

The sale of bad goods did end up fitting but the runaway portion always seemed just like that, a runaway or extra story line.

It was strange.

Overall I did enjoy and while the description of violence has never reached the "Killing Floor" high marks it seems on the upswing here.

Reacher still lives

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I am such a big fan of the Jack Reacher series…..and Lee Child! This book did not disappoint!
Hooked me right from the beginning and I couldn’t stop reading.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy!
Lee Child has a way with words and winding story lines. I get so involved that I forgot stop!
If you are a fan of the series, I highly recommend!

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I usually drop everything to read a Jack Reacher book. Historically some have been better than others, but even the not so great ones were fun to read. Here it is still Jack Reacher, with his trademark demeanor and skills, but he seems a little softer with Andrew's touch. There are more moments of some reflection, along with his trademark violence. Not that I have any problems with the ones he dispatches or the creative ways he does them in.
It isn't quite as fun as the more vintage Reacher, but always an entertaining ride. The ending could have used a little more attention and discussion but ok, we know he has to move on.
Bottom line, a little phoned in while still plenty of fun.

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I have been a fan of Jack Reacher since the beginning, so it was a delight to receive an early copy of No Plan B. After a bit of a confusing start, the story settled into an intriguing road-trip story broken down into three separate characters heading to a showdown in a small town. Not to ruin any surprises, I enjoyed the threads of Reacher & Hannah and of Jed, but felt the third thread with Emerson was not really fleshed out enough to make me care about him. Reacher is still Reacher and this story provides a lot of the usual comeuppances for those who underestimate him. Thank you to Random House Publishing - Ballantine and NetGalley for the review copy in return for this honest review.

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See my full review on GoodReads, here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4950660240. Great job on returning to third person narration!!

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Typical Jack Reacher — start off with a bang, keeps you turning the pages until the very end, and then leave you wanting for more. That’s why I love this series.

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Another great book in the Jack Reacher series. This book had 3 stories going simultaneously and I wasn't able to figure out the connection until the author wanted me to. It kept me wanting to read more and I finished in just over a day. I was never bored and sometimes had to stop reading briefly because. the tension was too much - A sure sign of a great book for me.

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Typical Jack Reacher book. Characters are interesting. Story line progresses well. I do recommend this book.

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No Plan B is the latest in the Jack Reacher series by Lee & Andrew Child. Passing through Colorado Reacher finds himself involved in a suspicious suicide and begins the process of piecing together a lot deeper mystery. Fast paced thriller that you can’t put down!

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No Plan B is an action packed thriller that involves Reacher in a tangled group of crimes and cover-ups. It is also a book with heart. Reacher sees a young woman murdered in the street and in Jack Reacher fashion, he is compelled to find answers. This leads him to use his fighting skills and intellect to uncover a massive array of crime and cover-up. I recommend this book but it could keep you up at night as you unfold each layer.

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Book 27 in Lee Child's Jack Reacher series is another winner. As usual, the story starts with Reacher passing through a small town, planning to stop for breakfast and then continue on his journey. While crossing the street, he sees a woman fall in front of a bus. From most angles, it appears a suicide, but from Reacher's vantage point, he sees the man who pushed her and then stole her purse. Reacher chases the killer, almost retrieves the purse, sees a large envelope with notes and a picture, before the killer's friends beat Reacher back and the man escapes. Reacher tells the police what he saw, but they don’t believe him. Not unexpected, something Reacher often runs into, police wanting the easy solution rather than the right one. Reacher has no place in particular to go and has never been able to let injustice stand so decides to follow the clues he has and see where they lead. Soon, he is in the middle of an arsonist out for revenge, a foster kid on the run, a secret conspiracy, and murderers who aren't smart enough to realize their biggest threat is a motivated Reacher.

Lee Child's writing style is personal and touching in a way few authors manage. Always within a page--a paragraph--I am hooked, but not this time. Andrew Child gallantly tried to mimic his brother's style, did good-not-great, but did manage to hook me within 20% of the book and I couldn't stop reading. There were lots of clever connecting the dots and Reacher's trademark fight scenes. If this Child team keeps writing this well, I'll read everything they turn out.

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A new Jack Reacher novel is something to anticipate and treasure. In No Plan B, the authors have given us three story lines that culminate in one satisfying — albeit violent — conclusion. With Reacher on the hunt, the bad guys really have No Plan B. Highly recommended. #NoPlanB #Netgalley #SaltMarshAuthors

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Another solid addition to the Jack Reacher series. Jack witnesses a woman pushed in front of a bus in Colorado. Jack follows leads and crosses the country to find the truth. There are two other story lines that all wind together.

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Lee and Andrew Child have successfully collaborated, again, creating Jack Reacher's latest thriller, No Plan B. Reacher begins in Colorado, witnessing a bus murder; not by the bus driver, nor suicide, but a timely push. This is just a tip of the mountain of stuff he gets himself into. No Plan B seems to be an increase in violence, very creative. The Child brothers weave three story lines in this tight thriller. Following Jack across country to Mississippi, there's a twelve-year old foster home runaway heading east from Los Angeles; while a very successful arsonist begins his journey from New Jersey! There's murder, drugs, arson, corruption in a privately owned prison, and everything we expect! Each successive Reacher thriller improve upon the entire library! In particular, the Childs have Jack consider all angles of various outcomes before he wades in, simply adds to their artistic allure!
I highly recommend this outstanding thriller!!!

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