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Last updated 6 June 2003


Commentary

By Lance Storm

Killing Floor

Book Marks: Parts 1 through 6

January 26,2003

I loved this book! It grabbed me right out of the gate and several more times along the way. A classic "page turner" I ran on far less sleep than I wanted to thanks to this book, I just couldn't put it down. A great blend of Thriller and Mystery. The first sentence created mystery, "I was arrested in Eno's Diner." After six words, I was now curious, who this guy was and why was he arrested. From there it kept getting better. The way Reacher described his arrest in absolute fact, pointing out what the arresting officers did both right and wrong made me wonder who this guy was and why he was so cool and knowledgeable. I was very much intrigued, by Jack Reacher; he was obviously a man to be reckoned with.

He was actually on the verge of being too much of a man to be reckoned with for my tastes. Reacher was arguably too tough and too good. I don't like a "baby face" that never sells. That has always been my problem with Steven Segal movies. Segal never sells during a fight so there is never any sympathy for him. True drama (in my opinion) comes from getting to a point where it seems the "face" has lost, then having him overcome insurmountable odds to triumph in the end. With the exception of a slight "sell" for Picard at the end in the warehouse Reacher never took a step back. I would have preferred him to be a little less invincible. He was after all up against 4 to 1 odds several times. (Even Superman sold for Kryptonite)

The quality of the story out weighted any concerns I had about Reacher invincibility. There were several "Oh my God" moments in the book. When Reacher and Hubble woke up on the wrong floor in prison, or when Reacher found out the dead investigator was his brother are a couple of my favourites. The story just kept moving on and I just kept turning the pages refusing to put the book down.

I also enjoyed Child's use of the first person narrative. Usually you only get the emotion and feeling of the main character with this kind of narrative but Child used Reacher's military training and experience in dealing with people to relay other people's thoughts, via his own perceptions of them. It struck me, as a way to cheat the narrative somewhat, but with Reacher's almost arrogant; know all attitude I found that it worked for him.

I also found the title a bit odd, "Killing Floor" great title but not really representative of the story. There were two killing floor references in the novel; the prison floor they were on and the slaughterhouse reference when describing the clothing wore during the Morrison family attack. Both great references but really a small part of the book as a whole. I don't mean to nit pick I was just curious if anyone else found that odd.

I am most definitely picking up more Jack Reacher novels and can't thank Maggie enough for recommending Lee Child to me.

Lance

Karen Brickhaus:

Killing Floor was a pretty interesting, intense novel. There were a few too many people to try to keep track of for my taste, but it was a very worthwhile read. The whole counterfeiting idea was a fairly original theme for a novel, I don't remember reading anything as detailed as far as counterfeiting goes. It was nice how Jack wanted to avenge his brother's death, even though he and his brother weren't close at all, he still felt the need to protect him. The murder of the police chief and his wife was a little too gruesome for my taste, usually blood and gore don't bother me, but this did. Not so much the murder, but the method of murder. This book kind of drug in the middle, I was thinking, get on with it already, but Roscoe and Jack sure moved fast. Their "romance" was a little farfetched for me. They meet, fall into bed, she gets taken hostage, he rescues her then they immediately break up? All within a week? I don't buy that. Not even with counterfeit money. LOL All in all this was a pretty good read, but I can't say that I find myself wanting to go out and read any more novels involving Jack Reacher.

"To each their own. You might find this interesting though (I know I did), Child changes narratives in the next few Reacher novels. He switches to a third person narrative, which should give an interesting new feel to Jack. I haven't read "Die Trying", the next in the series, yet but will before this gets posted. The romance issue I think is unavoidable. A little romance in a book is good, but most novels don't cover a long time frame and you don't want Jack attached leading into the next novel. TV shows have the same problem, which unfortunately makes it seem common place for people to fall in love, or at least have sex practically with in minutes of meeting each other."

Lance

Terra:

Killing Floor was an excellent book. Once I started reading it, it was hard to put it down. It had so many shocking parts in it from the beginning of the book all the way up to the end. It was strange seeing a guy get arrested at the beginning of the book and seeing things through his point of view. When Jack Reacher got arrested, I knew it couldn't have been him since there is no way he would stick around where the murder took place. Even if Jack committed the crime, he had some good reasons on why he didn't do the murder. At first I didn't really think much of Officer Baker escorting Jack to the bathroom without any cuffs but once Jack pointed out that is behavior that officers don't do, I became suspicious of Baker. Margrave, Georgia seemed odd since everything was perfect, and there seemed to be no faults on the outside but there were plenty of faults in the inside. The faults started with the Kliner Foundation giving business owners a lot of money. In reality, a foundation would not give out money to everyone in the community unless they were doing something evil. The way they killed the Morrison's was kind of sick and the wife shouldn't have had to endure that but that's what made it all good for Reacher to kill off all of the people involved in the scam. I have to give credit to the scammers that they had a pretty clever idea but not clever enough. It was sad and ironic that Reacher's brother Joe was murdered and at first Reacher thought nothing of it and then he seeked retribution on the enemies. FBI agent Picard fooled me since he seemed like he was a credible investigator. As for Finley, I liked the way Jack kept on calling him, 'Harvard Guy'. That's some good stuff. I enjoyed Reacher's relationship with Roscoe and thought it should have lasted longer. They had great chemistry from the beginning right through to the end. All in all, it was a great novel and it would be nice if Roscoe and Reacher got back together and there seems like there is a chance of that since he knows her number by memory.

"I haven't gotten around to reading any more Reacher novels to see if Roscoe reappears or not, but I do plan to. If I had to bet money I'd say no. I have a feeling Jack will move on. He seems like the loner type to me. Attaching him to someone would change his character too much."

Lance

Bob

I knew I was going to like Lee Child's Killing Floor when Jack Reacher, the main character, remembers to tip as the police came to arrest him at a local diner. Killing Floor is an intriguing, intelligent, irresistible thriller. The story sounds basic, stranger in small Southern town is framed for a crime he didn't commit but Lee Child throws in enough plot twists and solid characters to make the story fresh. The aspect of Jack Reacher that may resonate with people is that he takes out a lot of bad guys, but what I liked is his vagabond spirit. It's refreshing to see a character that doesn't want to settle in one place. Lee Child demonstrates a fast paced, smooth narrative. There are no throwaway characters and no holes in the story. The side story about Reacher's search for a blues musician was one of my favorite parts of the story, because it brought out a more human side to him and made the conclusion even more of a surprise. Killing Floor is a great example of a thriller that actually thrills and establishes a main character that I want to read more of.

"Fortunately there is more for you to read, I'm up to "Running Blind" which is the 4th in the Reacher series and I haven't been disappointed yet."

Lance

Erik:

I loved this book. I thought it was one of the best books that I have read. I really like the character of Jack Reacher. My favorite thing about Reacher is that he his always calm under pressure. He is able to maintain his cool in order to survive. I like the way he is very aware of his surroundings. He knows when to take action and he knows when to wait. I felt that his abilities and actions are believable because of his military background. I thought this story was very suspenseful. I kept having doubts about who was in on it and who was not. Overall, I thought this book was excellent. It was one of those books that I hated to put down. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. As I finished, I was glad to know that there were more Jack Reacher books out there for me to read. I have read Die Trying, Tripwire and I'm halfway through Running Blind. I can't get enough of this series.

"Sounds like we are on the same page, literally. I'm up to Running Blind as well. We are as they say, "Reacher Creatures"."

Lance

Evan Crum:

Killing Floor was a great book to read. From the second I picked it up it was hard for me to put down, and I read it every chance I could. Child does a great job with the descriptions in the book, and really makes you fall in love with the main charecter Reacher. The only negative of the book is the extreme violence in it. Although in some parts it was necessary. This book is a must read for any who have not read it already, and let me say Lance that you did a good job at picking another good book.

"I'm starting to feel the pressure of keeping up the quality of my selections. Glad you liked it. I'm a huge Reacher fan now as well."

Lance

Chris V:

In my last review, I assigned a star rating to various parts of a Repairman Jack novel. I was so pleased with myself, I intended on resurrecting the gimmick in this review. But then a pang of guilt struck me deep in the pit of my stomach. Guilt because this is Lance's website after all and who was I to assign pompous star ratings when I had never in fact worked a novel myself? Oh, I did try it once, a sci-fi western, but that fell apart when the editor insisted I include "cool mechanical flying horses...so Silver can literally be made of Silver!" I don't suffer fools easily, which explains why I would never fly on Southwestern Airlines or eat at Kings. So, without further ado, my new and improved Work rate Report for KILLING FLOOR by Lee Childs.

WHAT WORKED

1) Finishes - Childs books the best finishes of any Bookmark novel I've read thus far. By that, I mean the final paragraphs of each chapter, sometimes even the final sentences, were so intriguing, mysterious and curiosity provoking that they literally define the term "Page-Turner." For example, at the end of the chapter where Roscoe's house is broken into, the finish describing how the bad guys were wearing rubber overshoes and thus, came intending to mutilate her, was chilling. The end of another chapter where Jack spies the bad guys and thinks to himself "They are already dead, they died 5 days ago (when Joe was murdered)" DEMANDED that you read on to find out what happens next. My reading Modus Operandi is to put the book in the John. By the way, why is a bathroom called a John? How is masculinity equated with poo-poo? Lance has two girls, I'm sure he'll testify that they can fill a diaper with the best of them. Besides, why not call it a Jill? Or an Allie? I dated an Allie and that relationship sure was the shits. Why pick on the name John? I propose a name change. How about calling it The Albert? Wrestling fans can attest, when you think of crap, that name sure springs to mind. But back to KF. I usually get one, maybe two chapters done at a sitting...or even more if I had dinner at Taco Bell. But with Childs and his damnable chapter cliffhangers, well, let's just say this book should come with a coupon for Preparation H.

2) Roscoe - Other than a really dumb name that had me flashing back to the bumbling sheriff from the Dukes Of Hazard (and thus ruining any heat I might've gotten from the numerous love scenes), I really liked her and Jack's relationship. Mostly because they didn't stay together in the end. It's so realistic. True love is always doomed in this cruel cruel world. Look at the white-hot passion and spectacular flameout of Angelina and Billy Bob or Nic Cage and Lisa Marie. Or how about the tragic love story, the Romeo and Juliet of our time, the saga of Dawn Marie and Al Wilson. Her of the heaving cleavage and vanilla ice-cream booty, he of the giant twin woods (personality and package). A tear truly rolled down my cheek both when Al expired from overuse of his wrinkled warrior and when Jack had to leave his little spunky pistol-packing sheriff behind. I think I liked Roscoe so much because Jack wanted, no NEEDED, to protect the woman he loved at all costs. What guy isn't into that? I mean, it's so Lois Lane. Yes, this is the 21st century, women have come far, baby...but let's be honest here...kick-ass babes are nice every now and then, especially when they show cleavage and wear leather, but for every guy who gets excited watching Trish throw chops (uh, or so I've heard), I bet there's three who dream of rescuing Stacy from Y2J's evil clutches. Hell I'd take a chair shot for her…who cares about memory or cognitive thought if you could get a taste of that sugar? Trust me, this is why Elizabeth will always be the most popular wrestling chick...guys are and will always be suckers for the Damsel-In-Distress gimmick.

3) Jack Reacher - Lance's favorite wrestler is Stone Cold Steve Austin. How do I know this? No, it's not because we have deep, soul-searching conversations 'til four a.m. It's because I'm a Bookmark reader and, as our fearless leader, Lance has without fail picked book after book with the same archetypical hero. The ANTI-HERO. Repairman Jack, Reacher, and Saul (actually, most of Morrell's characters, and who is Lance's favorite author?) are all very similar characters if you think about it. Anti-authority loners, guys with tremendous skill but who choose to use their skills for their own narrow purposes and according to their own narrow sets of beliefs. They all do what they have to do to protect what they value and if that means killing or destroying, so be it. This sort of moral relativism pretty much defines the anti-hero. When Reacher told DEPUTY that killing the bad guys was no different than laying out traps for vermin, Child should have just ended the sentence with "And that's the bottom line, 'cause Reacher said so." Of course Austin never actually murdered anything except the ability for me to enjoy a promo without hearing a bunch of buffoons shout "WHAT?" but hey, it's wrestling, you have to accept there are some things you'll never see like say Benoit winning a world title, Undertaker selling, or Test getting wildly cheered. Anyway, I happen to like anti-heroes because like I said before, sometimes you get sick puppies in the kennel and the anti-hero is the perfect way to thin the litter.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK

1) Dialogue - When it came to writing paragraphs that packed a wallop, Child was the Man. But he did have one weakness that began to annoy me as time wore on. On many occasions, he would convey plot information via a set up such as this: Character 1: "So what was the plan?" Character 2: "Don't you see you dumbass? The plan was blah blah blah" for like 3/4 a page instead of having the characters talk in a normal conversational manner. It is extremely uHHH, annoying uHHH, to hear a character uHHH, drone on and on delivering a huge long boring explanatory promo uHHH. That's something you never see on WWE TV for instance. What subliminal message? You're seeing things.

2) Harvard Grads Are Stupid - Chris Nowinski should cite this book as an example of propaganda against Harvard graduates. Finlay is supposedly this really smart, highly-educated, Boston-city, Ivy-league detective (but was he a bald-headed, stiff-working badass? He may be a Finlay but he's sure not FIT) yet he couldn't figure out like over half the public servants in a small redneck town were up to no good? Gimme a break. Harvard nerds may not get laid often but figure things out, that they can do, especially considering hicks aren't exactly known for being subtle. They scream HEE HAW when they get a yo-yo to go up and down, I doubt that an entire town could keep such a deep secret. Childs kind of fell into one of my pet peeve clichés when it comes to mysterious, twist-filled thrillers; he made one character extremely smart (Reacher) but as a result all the other characters (Roscoe, Finlay, Joe) were really dumb. It always bugs me when a bunch of characters stand around scratching their butts wondering "Duh, what's going on"...while the one uber-genius runs around figuring out everything the other dimwits couldn't. I know from personal experience that even the losers get lucky sometimes...even a blind squirrel finds a nut eventually...even a Canadian wins an argument every now and then.

3) Oh Brother - Yes, the "shocking" revelation that the dead body was Joe Reacher, Jack's brother, felt more contrived to me than Kane and the Undertaker. And mind you that's a storyline where Kane may or may not of been committed as a child because he may or may not of set the fire that burned down the people who may or may not be his parents...of course this was before he went to college, learned how to wrestle, and got freaky with a ring rat named Katie Vick. The thing is, I hate coincidences. Whenever they show up in books or movies, it always feels like a cheat. Probably because it is. The world is much too big a place for two people to just happen to end up in the same place like that. I don't understand why the book just didn't pick up with Joe Reacher's murder and Jack's arrival in town to claim the body and lay some whupass on the guy who killed him. I guess Childs wanted to maintain that the brothers hadn't spoken in a loong loong time (what, were they on different brands?) but I can buy being contacted about a relative you haven't seen in years a lot more easily than I can buy that they both happened to the exact same little town at the exact same time at exactly the time when big doings were afoot. It just seemed too fishy and you know what they say about fishy smells…time to break out the antibiotics.

Overall, I felt KILLING FLOOR was the best Bookmark selection yet and I will definitely try to read some of the other Jack Reacher books when I get the chance.

"Well Chris your reviews have now been up graded to their own section so you have some standards to up hold now. You took a few cheap shots at me, which is fine, (as they say in wrestling, "You've got a receipt coming"). I am still amazed at the amount of criticism you can produce for a novel that you liked. I guess that is the writer in you; it makes for a more rounded review. I'm willing to over look the unlikely coincidences if it makes for a good read, which these certainly did, and I have no problem believing in the dim wittedness of people, as should be evident in my "Darwin's Blade" commentary." As usual we sort of agree, we both liked the novel but when it comes down to the actual details we have different views. Mine being the right ones and yours being… well yours."

Lance

Josh Skufca:

I really enjoyed this book. The mystery was paced nicely. Child continuously releases little tidbits of information. The book very rarely has a dull moment where nothing happens. It had everything that makes a book worth reading: lots of action, very solid characters, and a followable, logical plots. Jack Reacher is the type of character that interests me. He does not have a solid connection to society. He would prefer the world to not know he is even there. Roscoe was a character that sort of bothered me. She was a well-developed character. She has no faults that the story reveals. She is the perfect person. Finley was a character that came off very well in my opinion. He was a good cop, but it came out later that he was capable of breaking down. Picard was a good character. He seems to be on Jack's side all the way until the end. You could see it coming but it still came off well. His physical description probably gave me the clearest picture of any character. Teale was also a good character, but I always saw him as a bad guy. He had no change that bothered me. Overall I really enjoyed Killing Floor. It had a solid story line. Most of the characters were well developed. The only problems I had with it was the few average developed characters, and that there were too many coincidental occurrences.

"You aren't the only one bothered by the coincidences. I was fine with them; I guess I give a little more artistic license than most. This is after all fiction."

Lance

Azalea Breeze

I really liked the Killing Floor by Lee Child. I was a little apprehensive given the title and the book jacket. I thought it might be too gory but it is a great book. Killing Floor gripped me right away and held my interest all the way until the end. I didn't have to get into it; the first page sparked my interest in the story. I think Lee Child did an excellent job of telling this story. There were many aspects of the story that I didn't expect and I liked that. The violence was intense but I didn't find it out of place for the novel. I liked the Jack Reacher character but I really prefer the hero to be something other than a wanderer. In real life I don't believe a woman (Roscoe) would be as attracted to or quick to get involved with a wanderer as Roscoe did in the story. Then again this is fiction and it is supposed to take me somewhere I would not normally go. Living in the South, I enjoyed seeing the southern atmosphere in print. I will be looking for more of Lee Child's work.

"I was worried you would dislike the book because of the violence. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. There was a lot of great suspense so as long as you didn't dwell on the few gorier scenes it's not too upsetting. I agree with your point about Roscoe. I think I mentioned in another review about relationships in books or movies. A love interest is always a great addition but when the story takes place in a short period of time artistic license is needed to speed up the relationship. This usually makes people come off way to eager to hope in bed with people they hardly know. I'm not sure there is a way around this."

Lance

Jason Thompson:

I really enjoyed this book. The first person narration really drew me in. For the first few pages we are not even told who is telling the story. The plot was really well layered. As it went on you, including a nice heel turn, you wondered how deep this went. The hero, Jack Reacher, simply wants to see the country. While looking for information about a blind blues guitarist, he's arrested for murder & drawn into a town basically built on counterfeit money. The death of his brother makes it personal for him. We're given information slowly about the town & Jack. He's an interesting character. His honor & family loyalty keeps him after the mystery. I enjoyed how in his own words he simply did what needed to done, no matter the circumstances. Thanks Lance, you picked another winner.

"Actually a new friend of mine named Maggie picked the winner. I just agreed with her. The first person narrative and not even knowing who is telling the story at the beginning makes this an instant hook. Another book we will be reading soon uses a similar approach and it works just as well."

Lance

Amy Star:

Well, this book lured me back after several missed novels (hey, I've been busy and what with working in a bookstore I had a good many other books that caught my attention...) and I have to say, it was worth it. I'll be the first to admit, Jack Reacher is not my kind of hero (or is it anti-hero?) but he is a riveting enough character that I could forget about my dislike of him as a "person" and start rooting for him long before the end. In fact, Reacher is really my only problem with the book. I found it hard to get into someone who seems so cold, distant, and generally aloof from all life on the planet. Even as much as he says he's getting even for his brother, and protecting Roscoe (do we ever find out her first name? Or does that just further my point that he seems to hold himself so apart from society that he doesn't even care what her name is?) It seems more to me that he just is getting off on killing people who pissed him off by making him spend a weekend in jail. Don't get me wrong here... I really did like the book. In fact, I'm gonna go read the sequels. I even read the whole thing in under 2 days. I just think Reacher's an ass. The only other thing that irked me was what I felt to be a bit of reliance on throwaway characters. People who serve only to further the plot briefly. I can forgive using Stoller, because it was part of a key element and it was used well, but the ex-soldier who saw the starfighter? That was plot contrivance all the way. There must have been a better way to get that information known to Reacher than just introducing a character that tells him that one thing and then is gone. Now that I sound like I'm completely trashing the book, I have to say again that I really did like it. The pacing was good, the plot twists, while not entirely unpredictable, worked well, the dialogue was crisp...I really feel that the style helped make this an easy read. The sentences were short and to the point, which in some cases can make things feel choppy, but here it really worked to the advantage. And another thing is most of the book is written in a way that people really do speak. There aren't any grandiose speeches, or absurdly large words, or unnecessary verbosity (my favorite quote from a teacher in high school!) to distract from the gritty realism. It was intense enough to sustain interest from beginning to end, even though my own taste runs towards things a little less... ruthless. The fact that no one seemed to think twice about killing someone (with the possible exception of Roscoe) did throw me for a while, but I was just so eager to know what would happen next that I let it go. Considering it was a first effort, it was great, and I expect the sequels to be even better! I'm looking forward to reading more!

"I think you will enjoy the sequels a lot. They aren't in the first person narrative, which I think warms Reacher's character somewhat. He is a very HARD EDGE type character but more personality does come out in further novels. Feel free to send me your thoughts on the sequels. Thanks for getting back into the club. I hope you hang around for a few more. I've got some good books lined up for 2003"

Lance

Silvia G:

Lee Child did a good job of grabbing my attention. Right from the get go, you could tell Jack wasn't just an ordinary drifter. And, with the story being told from his perspective, we got to know him very well. We got inside his head. It's a great way to introduce this character who appeared in at least one more novel since. I was impressed with all the detail. First of all, in the murders. Very graphic, and brutal. And, you could just imagine Roscoe walking into her home, knowing what could have happened to her, and how she felt at that moment. Second, is the detail in the counterfeiting, and how it all worked.

It sounds like a very complicated topic, but it all made sense. More, and more layers appeared in the story. Just when we thought we knew what was going on, there was something else that was unexplained. It made sense also to have Jack leave in the end. The fairy tale, happily ever after bit, just wouldn't have worked here. And, it leaves you wondering "Where does Jack go from here? What's the next adventure?" Plus, this seems like a new Jack. Like, he became more human. The wall built around him because of his upbringing was thinner now. It seemed that way mostly by what he learned from his brother, Joe. Another interesting character even though he was already gone at the start. At first, it seemed like only Jack's duty to finish the job. No feeling in it. Then, it changed, and became what he needed to do to for his brother, and the others he cared for. It kinda bugged me how easily he found Hubble. And, the explanation he gave... I was thinking, "WHAT?! That's impossible" He knew where he was, what names he used on each night, and everything. It just seemed like he knew way too much on that one. It happened once more. When Jack was reading in Hubble's house, and he found the footnote about the paper that the experts who studied it for years had missed. And, that's just after one hour of reading. All in all, I really enjoyed the book. Full of mystery, and suspense. I hope to get my hands on "Die Trying" soon, to see what Jack is up to next.

"Jack is almost completely infallible, which can be a bit hard to believe at times. No one is perfect or at least incapable of mistakes. Reacher does grow as a character in the next novels. Die trying will not disappoint you."

Lance

Eric the Dread:

This book reminded me of sort of a twisted episode of "In the Heat of the Night" as it took place down south in Georgia and involved the police (only, no Archie Bunker... I mean Carroll O'Conner.) The main character ex-MP Jack Reacher reminded me a lot of Repairman Jack from "The Tomb" as he had quite the street smarts, was skilled in kicking ass, and had no real identity (didn't use credit cards or anything with a paper trail.) Sort of weird how it started with him getting arrested at a diner for murder. At first I thought it was going to be a flashback story. Y'know, he gets arrested and then the story cuts to the events leading up to the arrest... Nope. He turned out innocent but found that the murder victim was his own brother Joe. I really liked the character of Finley, the chief of detectives as he was from Boston (which I live 25 minutes away from) and was a real straight shooter. Didn't care who was in charge, just did his job the best he could. I marked out when he diverted the bad FBI agent Picard by emptying his revolver into the guy's back so Reacher could take him out with the .44. The hostage situation was pretty much what you'd see in a movie or one of those In Heat of the Night episodes... But it worked. Some of the book was rather disturbing like what happened to that fat police chief Morrison and his wife. I was reading that part at work while on my break and co-workers were noticing the looks of disgust on my face as I had my eyes glued to the book. LOL! I must admit I didn't see Paul Hubble turning up later in the book, ALIVE. It was a nice touch to have the wishy washy guy as part of the rescue mission at the end. I liked the idea of the counterfeiting racket pretty much funding the town of Margrave. It was cool how it unfolded through out the story as you got further into the book. The part with Blind Blake the blues guitarist was a nice touch to pretty much give Jack Reacher more character. What happened to Blake made you hate Mayor Teale even more. I was so sure Reacher was going to say something like, "That was for Blind Blake!" After he blew away Teale in the warehouse. This is like all those other crazy stories we read before. How do these people live normal lives after living through that kind of chaos? Not a bad story, it would make a good movie of the week. Too bad it didn't work out for Reacher and Roscoe... Did they ever mention what Roscoe's first name was? LOL

"I think this could make for a legit Block Buster type movie, not just a movie of the week; a strong lead character and a ton of action. I liked the Blind Blake stuff too but couldn't help but think during the part about his being beat to death that if I was walking with a blind friend and needed to step out of the way of someone important, I'd grab that friend by the arm and make sure he stepped out of the way too."

Lance

Damien Paris:

This was a very intense book! I really enjoyed it! The main character (Reacher) has an air of mystery about him. Even though you are seeing the story from his perspective, you don't really know a lot about him when the story begins. But as the book progresses, little by little, more details about him are revealed. This helps the reader stay interested in the character though out the story. Another aspect of the book I liked was the way that you could get inside of Reacher's head and hear what he is thinking. This is especially effective when his military training takes over in confrontation-like situations. You can see how he analyzes each situation, and tells himself what to do. He will also explain why he took the course of action that he did, and what would have happened if he hadn't done it or if he had done it a different way. I remember that this was what also made "The Cassandra Compact" and "Brotherhood Of The Rose" so appealing to me, so I was glad to see it in this book. "Killing Floor" by Lee Child was an action-packed mystery that keeps you guessing, and throws in some good swerves that you never see coming! I won't spoil the end for those of you reading this that haven't read it, but I greatly encourage you to check it out! Another great Book Marks experience!

"Child's unique use of the first person narrative was the high light of this book for me. It was just slightly different and it created a lot of suspense both in the story and the character."

Lance

Gayle:

What an excellent read! I was unfamiliar with Lee Child's work before this, but I'll be sure to read more of his books now. Jack Reacher is a strong character, though not your typical sympathetic hero (he did kill about 20 people in a week's time). And I liked Jack's dry sense of humor and fierce loyalty to those closest to him. I was saddened when he left Roscoe, but it was a realistic ending. Jack is not the type of man to stay in one place for too long, especially a place with so many terrible memories.

"I had never heard of Lee Child before this book either. I owe Maggie (the person who put me in touch with him) a huge thank you. I am a Reacher Creature now. I'm into the 4th in the series now and won't stop till Mr. Child is done writing them."

Lance

Tom

Lee Child is one of those rare writers that make a film of the book to be unecessary. He's words allow your minds eye to create such a vivid realty, that one believes you are a ghost watching events unfold not reading a book.

"I think Killing Floor could be a great movie, but it would be hard to do Reacher justice without a real cheese "Magnum PI" type narrative. So much of this book's charm is in the narrative inside Reacher's head. I'm not sure how you would relay that on film."

Lance

~Angela~:

Overall, I thought Killing Floor by Lee Child was a very entertaining and fast paced book. The characters were likable, and it was written so well that I couldn't believe it when I saw that this was Child's first. I particularly enjoyed the first chapter. The detail with which the diner and Reacher's arrest were described was awesome. It allowed me to visualize the scene perfectly in my mind. Throughout the book, the details and the wording of the story are what impressed me the most. The only two "complaints" I have with the book (if you could even call them that) are that I would have liked to see more interaction with Reacher and Finlay at the end. While I enjoyed Reacher's relationship with Roscoe, I found his interaction with Finlay more compelling and would have liked to have seen closure to their whole experience. The other thing was that some of the things that occurred in the book seemed to fall into place too easily. I can't remember any specific examples, but I remember thinking to myself a few times that some things seemed way too coincidental. I don't think this took away for my enjoyment of the book, but it was just something I noticed. I think if you don't try to over-analyze everything, and just let yourself be entertained, then this is a wonderful book.

"I think not trying to over-analyze things is good advice with most things. Our goal after all should be to be entertained. I too loved the first chapter; it hooked me at once. Actually as I mentioned in my review, it took only the first sentence."

Lance

Chris Pirie:

Killing Floor was one of those books for me that from the moment I picked it up I was unable to put it down. I read the entire thing in less then a day while driving to Florida from Ontario. It is by far my favourite Book Marks selection to date. I loved the way Mr. Child went into detail with the action scenes. Also, even though from very early on in the book it was clear that the foundation was involved in a money laundering operation, there were still many surprises to come throughout the rest of the novel. The way that the dollar bills were being turned into 100's was very creative. I found the plot very easy to follow, but not due to lack of action, but due to the style of writing used by Mr. Child. I found this book somewhat similar to the Burglar in the Closet, but Jack Reacher is a much better character then I found Bernie to be. The way he explains his thought patterns and the internal conflict to continue worrying about the counterfeiting while really wanting to avenge his brothers murder was genius.

I'd really like to thank you Lance for introducing me to my first, but definitely not my last Jack Reacher book. Also, I would like to thank Mr. Child for taking time to take part in Book Marks.

"Thanks need also go to Maggie who is Lee Child's Web-master. She is the one who introduced me to Jack Reacher and put me in touch with Mr. Child. They are both great people and I too appreciate their involvement in Book Marks. I don't see the "Burglar in the Closet" similarity but agree with you on everything else. If you liked his detailed descriptions of action scenes, you should love "Die Trying", the next Reacher novel. There is a scene in which he takes maybe a page or two to detail a bullet traveling down the barrel of a gun to it's point of impact. This may sound ridiculous but it worked and was very suspenseful."

Lance

Sara Tammer:

I think Killing Floor is one of the better books I've read since joining Book Marks. It contains another strong main character in the mold of a Repairman Jack. They even share the same first name. Unlike Repairman Jack, Jack Reacher actually worked for the government. He was born into a military family and even worked as a military police officer. At one moment he can be tender when dealing with Roscoe but in the next Jack can brutally kill 4 men. He is the type of person you would definitely want on your side in a fight. Even the secondary characters come alive in the story. Finlay, Roscoe, and Hubble are all diverse characters that you come to care about by the end of the book. There were several twists in the book that really surprised me. I don't want to give away the 10 people who are in on the counterfeiting ring but the tenth person did come as a good swerve. The way they were counterfeiting the hundred dollar bills was brilliant. I enjoyed reading about how Kliner's business worked more so then some of the more action packed scenes. That's not to take anything away from those scenes because they were really well done too. Also there wasn't the typical they lived happily ever after ending which I thought brought a little more realism to the story.

Thanks to Lance I have another series of books I'm going to have to start reading. Killing Floor is a great page-turner that I didn't want to put down.

"Sorry for back logging you with reading so often our next few books will not be part of a series so perhaps you will be able to catch up."

Lance

Dale: I do not stand out in a crowd, but I do stand out in life

Having said that, I really enjoyed this book. At first glance it appeared a bit long, but when Reacher gets to the station house and starts dictating to Finlay, you get hooked. The counterfeiting scheme was genius, turning the 1-dollar bills into 100s I never thought of it for an instant. I had Picard pegged as the tenth man around the halfway point. I knew there had to be a reason for him telling Finlay not to take the job in the town, besides it being a backwater little burg. After all his friend was trying to restart his life, and what would be better than a backwater little burg where no one knows him, but everyone would quickly, there's a lot of support there to be had. I didn't like the finish, I understand why Reacher left but I didn't like it. Call me an old softy, but I like a happy ending now and again. Life isn't full of happy endings, and I realize that, but sometimes it helps to have them in literature. In any case, I really enjoyed this book; it ranks up with my personal favorites that we've read so far.

"I think sometimes you have to forgo the "happy ending" to keep the character where you want it for further use. Getting married, settling down, and living happily ever after, finishes Reacher's usefulness as a character in the future. That's my two cents, anyway. I too liked this book and plan on reading more in the Reacher series."

Lance

Matt Bahls

Is it just me or does Killing Floor seem to incorporate the last couple of Book Mark Selections into one story? First of all, you have the main character. Jack Reacher is a self-made social outcast in a similar way that Repairman Jack was (I won't even mention that they have the same first name.). They also seem to have no problem killing others without feeling guilt and doing it in the name of revenge. I guess some similarities can be drawn up to the fact that Lance loves the not-so-good good guy. (Maybe he is trying to tell us something here. Maybe he truly is a good guy playing a heel or maybe he is really a bad guy but he portrays a nice guy on his website. LOL) then there is the plot. Another counterfeiting ring as we read about last time in Burglar In The Closet. Although this one is much deeper and on a much bigger scale. All similarities aside, I really enjoyed Killing Floor. Although some scenes were just too much for me (I started to get physically sick when reading how he ambushed the men at Hubble's house. I think that is the first time that has ever happened to me from reading a book.), I enjoyed the style that the book was written in. It had a little of everything (except maybe Fantasy Sci Fi). There was a great mystery (more on that in a bit), an interesting love story, some history and science of counterfeiting, and a tearjerker of an ending. Last time, I wrote that I solved the mystery too early. This book definitely kept me guessing up until the climax as to what was going on and who was all involved. As a mystery novel, I would rank it right up there with the best that I have read. The final thing I would like to comment on is the stash. How many others were thinking of Scrooge McDuck in Duck Tales with his money silos? LOL The imagery in this section was great. It really made me think about what it would be like to see that many dollar bills heaped up in one place. This scene was definitely one of the best-written things in the book in my opinion and this book was very well written.

"It's odd I didn't even pick up on the counterfeit similarity. I think because I've read so many books in between. I forgot Burglar in the closet even had counterfeiting in it. I didn't actually like the money pile visual in the book. I'm a bit anal retentive when it comes to organization and the fact that the money wasn't bundled up neatly in even stacks held together be elastics drove me nuts, but that's just me."

Lance

Robert Demond

I just got finished reading "Killing Floor" and enjoyed it. I wouldn't put it on my top ten list but it had a good story and some good action. There's no particular reason other than I just didn't get real excited about it while I read it. A lot of the books I've read lately have been so good that I couldn't wait to read all the sequels. This just wasn't really one of those books. I liked the character of Jack Reacher and the other characters in the book though. One thing I noticed was that Lee Child really paid attention to detail, which usually makes a book better in my opinion. It was an original story and I'd recommend the book to anyone. I'm sure eventually I'll read the second book and give it a shot as well.

"Reacher is an interesting characters, in that I really liked him (or rather liked reading about him) but he's a bit hard, so you don't develop an emotional attachment to him, which may be why you don't feel the immediate urge to run out and read "Die Trying" (the next Reacher novel). Stephanie Plum and Bernie Rhodenbarr are fun people who you would be more inclined to be friends with and thus perhaps you are more inclined to rush out and read their next adventure. I think with Reacher you might be more inclined to think of him the next time you want an action packed adventure, and when that time comes, "Die Trying" will be waiting for you."

Lance

Canadian Casanova: (www.canadiancasanova.com)

Lee Child's killing floor was one of two books I read this year that I couldn't put down. Child was able to take a sure summer blockbuster type of story and give it some heart and soul. In Reacher Child developed a great character who isn't just brawn, by giving Reacher brains Child made him thrice as deadly. Reacher's ability to see outside of the box due to his years in the military helped to give him another dimension and helped him to be two steps ahead of the "Foundation". Child did a great job of keeping the reader guessing. I was sure that it was Stevenson and Finley in the "Foundation" instead of Picard and Baker. The thing with the dollar bills was brilliant, as was the subtle hint towards it: the convenience store didn't have any dollar bills for change. Overall the best book in the book marks so far. Five Maple Leafs out of Five.

"Best of the Book Marks selections, is high praise. I'm not sure I could pick a favourite, but I do love Reacher and I'm working my way through the series."

Lance

Ste J:

Killing Floor sounded to me like it was going to be enthralling as soon as I read back cover. I liked the story a lot, in fact I even told someone on AIM before that it awoke emotions inside of me that had previously been long dormant. I really liked the book, one thing I did was I took breaks from reading at moments in the story that would make good cliffhangers and as you can imagine... this always made me want to go back and read more. There were even times when I needed to go to the toilet badly to urinate but I kept putting off going just to stay and read one more page! That's something else. The most agonizing cliffhanger for me though was the part near the end when FBI agent Picard reveals his true colours and while armed, confronts main character, Jack Reacher and Chief Detective Finlay in the police station. Took a lot of discipline to close the book there to go and do something but... I can be a man of iron when I want to be. Actually... The corrupt police department in the book kinda reminded me of an aspect of a game that I play online, Tiberian Sun Firestorm... I'll explain a bit y'see... There's this clan I'm in that used to be cool but then the founder of the clan revealed that he was very good friends with one of my enemies and then that enemy started corrupting the clan with his malevolent influence seeing as how the clan's founder is a rather spineless individual. In fact after finishing reading Killing Floor, I really wanted to go on "FS" as we call it and page all the people in my clan and talk to them about corruption. Yes... when I'm not dominating the game... I talk to people and get inside their heads. Gotta love the mind games. Another thing I started wondering as I reading was, is the author, Lee Child, a trekkie? I thought that with a character named Picard and references to Starfleet and Phasers that it was a distinct possibility. That's cool if he is. Now I know some trekkies have lives... I'm sure Lee Child does too but... I was the perfect stereotype of what a trekkie should be like and I'm sure you all have stereotypical images in your minds about what trekkies are like. But the most profound effect the book had on me... was the effect that made me change my MSN name to, "Will there ever be a woman that will meet my requirements and make me feel a gut-level attraction? I doubt it." Why was that effect so profound I hear you ask? I say, "No comment." Now... usually... I can predict things. Usually, I'm capable of a little deductive reasoning myself but... in this book... the only thing I guessed for myself was that Picard would turn out to be bad. I guessed this almost as soon as he told Jack Reacher that he couldn't give him the location of the safe house. How I came to this conclusion, I don't know. I'm tired now.

:( Another thing I really liked... was the way how the most startling events in the book came right out of the blue. There were even times when I had trouble stopping my eyes from looking about a page ahead just to get a preview of what was going to happen next. I guess my eyes aren't bound by my rigid discipline. Anyway... I can't think of anything else to write right now. Knowing me... I'll probably think of something that I forgot to say five minutes after clicking "send" but, nevermind. Any book that can awaken dormant emotions and even change my mindset to a degree is definetly worth reading but maybe... the book had those effects just because I have no life. Anyway, I'll definitely look into reading the other books in the series sometime. Knowing you Lance, you've probably read the entire series in the space of this month, lmao.

"Actually I had a bunch of other books on deck that I had to get to so I've only got through the first three in the series. I'll get done the rest of them soon."

Lance

Maggie: webmaven@leechild.com

You wanted to know what I thought of Killing Floor and everytime I sat down to write something specificially about that story, I kept drifting off the subject and directly towards the man himself, Jack Reacher, so I guess that's what you're stuck with. Me, yakking about Jack. I've been hooked on the Reacher novels since I read Killing Floor. It's very refreshing to have a protagonist who's not burdened by his possessions or his past. He has no bills, no credit cards, no rent or mortgage to pay, not even a second change of clothing to his name. And there's no emotional burdens; he's not divorced, not alcoholic, not a recovering Vietnam vet. When I read these books I can be as free as Reacher. I really enjoy that! There's something deep-down satisfying about spending time with a guy who doesn't have my day-to-day worries. His problems are bigger than mine yet he solves them quickly, often neatly. Some days all it seems I do is paperwork. Jack doesn't even own a pen, he borrows somebody else's when he needs one. Peering over Jack's shoulder as he roams the USA can be a lot like taking an actual vacation. And then there's what he does have: Reacher embodies characteristics that everybody would like to think they share to some degree. He's supremely self-sufficient, pragmatic, physically fit and very strong, even smarter than he's intuitive, honest, loyal and reliable. He's basically a boy scout... well, a scout whose best talents are protecting the innocent and dispatching the guilty. I like to think of him as Shane, the cowboy who rides into town, immediately susses out who needs help and who the bad guys are, and delivers comeuppance like nobody's business. With Reacher, there's no lines, no waiting - the bad guys get what's coming to them as fast as Reacher can deliver it. In the real world, the application of justice takes a very long time and, sometimes, it never happens at all. I get a great deal of satisfaction experiencing, through Jack, the scales of justice evening out. I open each new book thinking I'll be able to read it over the next few days and then suddenly find myself reading all night long. The stories move so quickly and the action is so intense that I can't put them down. Reacher may not be for everybody - what series is? - but if you liked Killing Floor, I can guarantee (after selling hundreds of copies at my own bookstore) that you'll like them all - and if you're interested in more information about Reacher, or the author Lee Child, check out his website at: http://www.leechild.com, sign up for Lee's newsletter, The Reacher Report, and drop into our website Forum to say HI, we'll be there to say HI back!

Thanks for reading and recommending Killing Floor, Lance! You rock!

"You are the one who recommended this book to me, it is you that is due thanks. Thank You! It is Reacher that Rocks!"

Lance

Max Chittister, Merrimack NH,

I tried. I promise you, I really tried. But I couldn't finish "Killing Floor." I don't think I finished more than fifty pages of it. I hope that even with that major caveat, I can provide some useful comments on the book. I thought some of the writing was top-notch, and I loved the physical description of the locations, but I couldn't get into the book because I couldn't get into the character's head. There's a term that I picked up from reading Morrell's "Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing": idiot plot. I think that's a bit too perjurative in general, but the concept is exactly why I couldn't finish "Killing Floor." The main character is very intelligent and can handle himself in tense situations, as is shown in his arrest in the diner. Yet he refuses any legal help after being arrested while cursing mildly and needlessly at the cops. I just could not imagine any character with his background and with the traits we had already been shown acting like that in that situation. It set up the conflicts and gave a reason for him to still be in jail, but I didn't buy it.

I wanted to like the book because of Child's description, especially of the police station. I had just finished reading Steven King's "From a Buick 8," which featured an older, well-used police station, and the contrast (while certainly coincidental) was amazing. In so many little ways, Child showed how underused the building was and how technically excellent yet untested the officers and the building were. I loved the sound the door made when it opened. I didn't enjoy the use of first person; I thought the sentences were too choppy, and we spent too much time in the main character's head. But even with that, and the big flaw I outlined earlier, I think Child has some serious writing chops, and I certainly wouldn't be against reading more of his work, with a third-person perspective and a better plot.

"I find it interesting that you say you didn't like the book because you "couldn't get into the character's head" yet manage to also state that, "we spent too much time in the main character's head". I really enjoyed Child's use of the first person as I stated in my review. You may be interested to know that the next 4 (I think, I've only read the next two thus far) Reacher novels are done in the third-person."

Lance

Maebhan: (The Last Word)

Thanks for the extension. I managed to get the book and finish it while I was back east for the winter break. It saved my butt on the trip home because on the plane back, my discman freaked out and wouldn't play CDs and my computer batteries died, and if it hadn't been for the book, I would have killed the two loud women in front of me who talked non stop loudly enough that I could hear them clearly from my seat, for the whole friggin' 6 hour plane flight. For the record, I don't know how you guys fly as often as you do without choke slamming someone in an airport or on an airplane. Anyway, here's my review. Warning, it's long, and not entirely positive. (Occupational hazard. I am working on a dissertation on popular culture and all). I don't think it's unduly harsh, but if you want to cut the last paragraph so as not to set a precedent of having people do any crit in their reviews, I'd understand. Either way, I took out any formatting that will go screwy in html. And if I haven't already said so, as someone who's had to try to teach college frosh how to write a basic essay, let me reiterate that anything that gets young people reading is a good thing. When I tell people I'm working on a PhD in English they all seem to think that I read Moby Dick for fun (which, for the record, I've never even read. Oops), when in fact, I like popular fiction sometimes a lot more than literature a lot of the time. Any chance that this summer you'll put the fifth Harry Potter book in as a selection? It's certainly not a book or an author that needs additional publicity, but everyone I know is already counting down the days to June 21st. Thanks again for taking the time to do such a good thing as this.

"I hope you don't mind me leaving this part in I found it very entertaining. For the record, we consider the choke slam all the time when we fly."

Every work of popular fiction needs a hook--some plot point or phrase that brings readers in, makes them want to read that particular book over another. And Killing Floor does a great job of doing just that. I mean, really, to begin with a guy sitting innocently in a diner, enjoying his breakfast and then move quickly to having him watch and analyze the police who've showed up in force as he deduces that a force that size could only be in the diner to arrest him because no one else there warrants that kind of threat is a pretty compelling way to open a book. It tells us a lot about the narrator and the town. In one gripping scene, the reader has to keep reading in order to know why this innocent man has been accused mistakenly or, as I suspected from the outset, scapegoated for a crime he had nothing to do with and is also introduced to the quirks that make this particular protagonist of a mystery novel unique. Jack Reacher has many of the characteristics readers have come to expect from the narrator of a hardboiled detective. In a brusque but candid first person narrative, he tells it like it is. He doesn't mince words, but he does explain the significance of seemingly everyday details that a trained mind knows how to interpret.

He doesn't stand on appearances, as evidenced by his bachelor style of doing laundry (He doesn't do laundry, we learn later in the book. In the Army, someone did it for him, so baffled by the complexity of modern washing machines despite his ability to understand the international counterfeiting scam, he wears cheap clothes until they are dirty, and then throws them away). This kind of detail isn't designed to say anything about his actual intelligence so much as it is to establish him as the kind of ultra-masculine, no fuss, tell it like it is hero that readers have come to expect in mysteries.

As I read the book, I did enjoy a lot of the details and the backstory. For me, two details stood out. The first was Reacher's analysis of how unwisely most people pick passwords. When I worked in an office before graduate school, as a research assistant, I had several occasions to have to try to log on to the accounts of people who worked on my project but who weren't there on a particular day. And let me tell you, Reacher was right. Most people choose passwords that are very easy for people who know them only moderately to guess: pets' names, children's birthdays, etc… It's realistic details like that that I most enjoy in a detective story. They make it believable. But the one that really got me (no surprise here) was a grammar one. The moment towards the end when Jack realized that Joe had left a note to check the Stollers' garage (the garage belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Stoller) not the Stoller's garage (the garage belonging to the younger Mr. Stoller and his girlfriend). Points to the author because I hadn't noticed the placement of the apostrophe, and embarrassingly, despite being an English major, I had glossed right over that detail. Any author who uses the difference between the singular and plural possessives as a plot point gets a substantial respect in my book.

I wondered if a detail that hooked Lance in was that Child included that tidbit of information about the strength of the human skull in the scene with the head butt in the prison. Sometimes for me it's those moments of actual realism, attention to detail, and painstaking research that help sell me on the realism of a fictional narrative and allow me to give myself over to the book. As I read that section, I couldn't help but think that the arch of the human forehead, it's strength, is what allows wrestlers to take chair shots they way they do (which I feel compelled to reiterate is that they take them only after careful training and supervision by professionals. Kids, don't try this at home just having read that the human forehead is a nifty, strong arch. Bad things happen if you do.)

Lastly, I enjoyed the little asides we got from the narrator about how social issues had in some ways gotten him into the place he was. I think it's hard for a lot of people to understand why a smart guy would just travel around the country on a Greyhound, wandering aimlessly without a job, at least in a country that often values the work ethic and financial success above most other standards of success. But you get the sense, even if they are from throw-away comments about the downscaling of the defense industry, that a lot of it is Jack's disillusionment with how the country has treated people like him. Even if I don't agree with his politics, those terse comments on social change make Reacher sympathetic in a way that a protagonist has to be.

My only complaint about the book, and I know this is a personal thing, is that I didn't think the female characters were as developed as I would have liked. Probably, this is because I started in the mystery genre reading stories with women detectives like Paretsky, Grafton, Cornwell, Hamilton, and Evanovich. And probably because I read Katha Pollit's article "The Smurfette Principle" too recently. Politt points out that most children's cartoons and narratives have whole villages full of guy characters who are allowed individual personality quirks. There's Papa Smurf who is the leader smurf, and I don't remember now, but someone like Sleepy Smurf, or what have you. But girls usually have only one and now maybe two token female characters (there are both a pink and yellow girl Power Rangers, so we're now up to two in some cartoons and kids' shows) to relate to, and those characters' jobs are to be girls, as if being a girl is a characteristic in itself. In other words, girls are seen as the exception to the rule, and their defining characteristic is girlness not intellectual ability, or wit, or pluck or physical prowess the way other characters get a characteristic. To some degree, the two women characters in the book read more as women than as fully developed characters with fully developed personalities, a contrast all the more stark because Reacher and Finlay were so interesting. Roscoe doesn't have much of a personality. Sure, Reacher talks big about the spark of life she's got, but what's that supposed to mean? Like the women in so many detective stories with hard-boiled protagonists, Roscoe gets to be smoothly competent at her job, and really stacked, but she doesn't get to have much personality outside of that because, in order to maintain the hero's independence, she'll have to disappear at the end. Props to Child for keeping her alive and having the two resolve their break up because Reacher can't stay and Roscoe's rooted to the town--a nice modern twist on the "it won't work" theme. And true, we also have Charlie, but Charlie's job, it seems, was to be the archetypical wife. She didn't have much of a personality in my eyes either. Thus, the weak characterization of women in the book was sort of a bummer for me in an otherwise really enjoyable read. The plot about the whole history of counterfeiting and where it was and wasn't taking place at the time was so complex and well thought out that I had hoped that the author could have applied those skills across the board. However, I know that's my perspective as a reader, and that honestly, had the author done so, it probably would have messed a little with the generic conventions. And after all, it's not my book, it's his. I'm not sure that Reacher would have seen women any other way, so trying to shoehorn him into doing so might have screwed with the narrative voice of the book, and in a detective story, that would be death. It's Jack's voice at that diner that draws us in, and it's that voice that we hold onto to through the horrors of the book that make a twenty year veteran of the Boston P.D. blanch, and its that voice that leads us through the tangle of the complex plots. It's that voice that ultimately makes the book work.

"WOW, I don't feel qualified to respond to anything here. I was going to comment on the portrayal of women but then you sort of covered it yourself. With this book being told from the eyes of Reacher, we have to see women as he does. A hard nosed ex-MP is not likely to look at women with the respect, or in the light that a women reader would like to see, thus even if Roscoe was a more powerful person I don't think that could be truthfully portrayed in the novel. I agree with you thought that more often than not women characters are added just to provide a love interest for the "important" male character. Look at women in wrestling. For the most part they are T and A, which I'm not condoning, that's just the way it is. A powerful women is such a hard character to create because we (men in general, and likely a large portion of the book buying public) are very quick to view them as a bitch or pushy and thus dislike the character and in turn the novel. I'm not sure why it's so easy for a guy to be a bad ass, but so difficult for a women. Actually I do its called chauvinism, but that isn't easy to over come."

Lance


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