When I started reading Better Off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child, I started to wonder if this was the final book in the Jack Reacher series. Thankfully, it quickly became clear Reacher would prevail. If this is a spoiler, it is a good one for fans of the series.
As in previous books in this series, Reacher continues to ferret out the "bad guys", and take them out of commission. There was plenty of the hard hitting fight action I have come to expect from Reacher, along with an unexpected twist that kept me engaged to the last paragraph. The plot line was interesting, and built chapter by chapter to a satisfying close.
This is a another great read, especially during the current unsettling times throughout our world.

I can't pinpoint why I do but I think Reacher has changed. The action was as good as always butt something was missing in his personality. The 'puzzle pieces ' that were sent by Michael to his sister were outstanding.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

One way to gauge a great book is by your willingness (unwillingness in this case) to let it out of sight for a minute. Luckily, I had a copy of the e-book because I read it every single minute I could. It went to the grocery store with me. I read it in the checkout line. I read it during breaks and lunch. I read it cooking dinner. I even tried to read and walk the dog. There was just so much excitement and heart stopping moments in this book. While this book is reminiscent of his other books when it comes to packing in the action, I noticed two subtle differences. Reacher must be feeling his age because I think he may have relied on guns a little more than in the past, as opposed to brute strength and mental maneuvering. He also was more willing to drive— that surprised me the most. Maybe the co-author had something to do with these things. Still, if two names weren’t on the cover I would have thought the book was only written by Lee Child. This should be reassuring for all the fans that wondered if the book would live up to its past. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lee Child has given us another great adventure with Jack Reacher. Better off Dead is dynamic and hard to put down.

Jack Reacher is heading west when he meets a woman in trouble. The army vet is searching for her missing twin brother, who may have gotten mixed up in some bad stuff.

This installment in the series really bears the stamp of Andrew Child, who is taking over from his brother soon. The story is told first person from Reacher’s point of you, which is unusual in itself. The same nonstop action we’ve come to expect is still there, and readers will be thoroughly happy with Better Off Dead. Highly recommended.

Our old vagabond friend Jack Reacher is back in Better Off Dead, a “everybody was kung fu fighting” story with tons of fisticuffs as Reacher tries to save the day once again.

Reacher is walking down the road in the American Southwest when he comes across a single car accident. However, when he approaches the car up against a lone tree in the desert, a woman pulls a gun on him and he quickly gets entangled in a situation that has nothing to do with him, but feels right to see to the end. What starts as a mission to help a sister find her wayward brother, turns into a knock down, drag out fight against an intelligent villain and his entourage, including a massive brawler who’s got 100 lbs. on Reacher.

There are a few things to really like about Better off Dead. First, it follows the tried and true formula of Reacher getting involved in something that doesn’t concern him, but he can’t walk away from. Second, Reacher’s intuition is at the top of its game, allowing him to see things and anticipate moves that put him in position to be successful. Third, it keeps you guessing until late in the book as to what’s really the motivation and end game of the main antagonist. And finally, Reacher gets into multiple hand to hand combat situations with someone bigger than him which leads to him getting hurt more than we’re accustomed to seeing.

All that being said, Better off Dead falls on the bottom part of the list of Reacher novels for me. The slow burning plot is thin and doesn’t really provoke a reaction from the reader. Reacher isn’t “Reacher” with the absence of essential things that we’ve seen in the past (buying new clothes, carrying his toothbrush, a love interest, etc.) and, in fact, he acts like a bit of a psychopath leaving a lot more bodies in his wake than we’re accustomed to seeing. In addition, it’s hard to connect with any of the other lightly developed characters. Finally, the ending falls flat and isn’t as big a reveal as the buildup would suggest it should be.

A disappointing novel but given its only Andrew Child’s second attempt at writing Reacher there’s still hope going forward if he takes constructive feedback from the fans, comes up with a compelling storyline and brings back the essence of Reacher.

Jack Reacher rides again. And it seems like the same story each time. I've read them all and will probably continue but I do think it's time for him to have some connections with the world other than his contacts that he can call on for pretty unbelievable intelligence as needed.

Jack Reacher is back and he’s as good as ever. Other authors have aged their characters, giving them wisdom but adding in creaky bones and grey hair. The Childs, brothers, have kept their protagonist intact, as wily and capable in book #26 as he was in the beginning. With his large size and hands like catcher’s mitts, much of Reacher’s success is based on his physical prowess coupled with his opponents’ poor planning. Much of the series’ charm comes from the narration of the fight scenes that always result in Reacher outwitting a gang of bad guys. BETTER OFF DEAD is no different in that respect although there are some very nice twist and turns in the story that I did not expect. This is a fast read and a welcome diversion. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Jack Reacher happens across a disabled veteran desperate to find her brother and in order to help her, must use himself as bait to draw out a very bad man.

BETTER OFF DEAD is the second book in the Jack Reacher series since Andrew Child (AKA Andrew Grant) came on as a co-writer. This book is a departure from its complex precursor THE SENTINEL in tone, point of view, and focus, which makes this a great, fresh follow up. This change up hints that as Andrew Child gets more comfortable in Reacher’s well-worn shoes, he may infuse the series with new life, while keeping the elements that make it such a popular franchise.

Reacher is a sucker for helping people in distress, especially when they come in the form of a damsel. While the book sports a couple of capable female characters, Reacher does most of the heavy lifting. The way the opening is used felt a bit gimmicky, the female characters felt a little underutilized, and the ending was a tad abrupt, but I loved how the clues (particularly one clue) pointed Reacher in the direction to do what he does best—annihilate the bad guys and help the hopeless.

I look forward to Reacher’s next adrenaline fueled adventure.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, for providing an Advance Reader Copy.

Another Reacher novel… is always a good thing! I enjoyed this book and will look forward to the next. The problem is, what do you do after 26 books that hasn’t been done before?
I would have liked to have gotten to know the characters better.. any of them actually. I enjoyed the ending more than the beginning and hope for a bit more character development next time.
Thanks to NetGalley abs the publisher for the ARC

This has been one of my favorite series for a really long time. It’s one of those books that I always purchase the minute it is released. This latest addition to the Reacher series was just okay. It was bland. The characters were just okay. There was something missing. That feeling you get when reading a Reacher story/adventure was not captured.

I’m sad to say, I think this series might have run it’s course.

Thank you #netgalley and #randomhouse #delacortepress for the eARC.

JACK’S BACK! For those of you who don’t know “ where he went”, I will just say that the fact he’s BACK is the highest form of compliment indeed.

His voice is back. His moral code is intact. His sense of justice is strong, especially for the underdog. His intuitive spidy-sense keeps tingling and provoking him to dig further and deeper to reveal more plot complexities.
YAY!

The plot is interesting and the research is informative. (I have always enjoyed learning new things from Reacher novels.) The pace is good. The opening jolt of the book’s opening is explosive, hooking the reader and setting the stage for an intriguing storyline.
The character development is lacking but since I was so happy to find a return of Reacher’s character, it didn’t matter.
The climax is okay and the denouement satisfying.

This installment redeemed the Reqcher series for me. The last few installments have been off-way off- in substance and style. IMO.

Thrilled with this new thriller from Lee Child and brother.

If you have read previous Jack Reacher novels, Lee Child has a definite style and when that style changes, the character also changes. These changes and the style difference is what leads me to believe Andrew Child was fully in control of the the writing. Change is good. Change leads to growth. Change is needed to grow a brand. Change is also hard for people to deal with. Most people fight change. No matter what, some people will never agree with change. Reacher has changed, slightly. Andrew Child's Reacher seems more brash, more aggressive but also more caring(?).

It is these small changes, I believe, that will open up new avenues to grow the brand of Reacher and why Andrew Child will be a successful successor.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Better Off Dead.

The Child's are becoming a little too formulaic. Action scenes linked by convenient intercessions. I didn't really care about the characters all that much. They were obviously going to get out their predicament.

Although I didn't find this book as thrilling as some of the previous books in the Jack Reacher series, it was still a well done Reacher story. The plot and character development/relationships were good and there were a lot of great fighting scenes. Reacher's long ramblings are abundant per usual. Overall, a pretty good read in the series.

BETTER OFF DEAD starts off strong, with a typical description of Reacher. In previous books his hands have been described as being as big as dinner plates, the size of Thanksgiving turkeys, and the like. In this one, the first description we get is that he has a "chest like a gun safe and hands like backhoe buckets". The hyperbole is hilarious and I love it.

The story is the standard "wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time" scenario that is common for Reacher. Someone needs help, Reacher steps in and kills a bunch of bad guys. There are plenty of times that Reacher says nothing. Other times, he's a bit more chatty than is typical for the character. The previous book was like that as well; I think Andrew Child relies more on dialog than Lee Child did, but it's not necessarily a bad thing.

Overall it's a solid installment in the series.

it’s Reacher and Lee Child, so very detailed and meticulously researched.Lots of technology( at least for me) and I found it difficult at times to get geographically oriented.And frankly, I got tired and bored with all of the repeated and prolonged fight scenes.
I thought the character development was mediocre, and though it sounds strange, Reacher just wasn’t Reacher. I’ve read the entire series, loved many and enjoyed all, but this one just didn’t hit me.

I have read every Reacher book and loved almost all of them. Unfortunately I don't think the transition to Andrew Child as the author is working for me. I don't love the 1st person Reacher books but this one just seemed so much different. "There was a noise. By the door. The door was orange. Bright. I glanced over. Slowly. Saw a bird. A red bird. With yellow tips on the wings."

Reacher is back in this new collaboration between Lee Child and his brother. Just like the Sentinal, this book doesn’t skip a beat. Classic Reacher...damsel in distress, evil villains, great fight scenes. Will recommend to my customers!

“Better Off Dead” is the 26th (!) novel in the Jack Reacher series, originally written by Lee Child but now being transferred to his younger brother Andrew Child.

This one starts out in typical Reacher fashion – he is on the road, middle of nowhere, when he runs across someone in big trouble with big bad guys (either Reacher’s a huge magnet for criminal conspiracy or rural America is overrun with evil villains!). The innocent that he’s run across this time is an ex-military, ex-FBI agent named Michaela Fenton who is searching for her twin brother Michael who’s been caught up in some bad things, like building bombs for the evil and mysterious Dendoncker, a James Bond-ish villain who inspires a fanatical loyalty among his incompetent henchmen. Of course, Reacher steps in and decides to help, and the action-hero rollercoaster starts its ups and downs as Reacher tries to figure out what’s really going on.

I found this episode to be quite by-the-book, dare I say a little ho hum. One typically has to suspend one’s disbelief when reading these types of novels, but I found the coincidence of finding an “ex-FBI veteran” on a lonely road a bit hard to swallow from the start. The bad guy Dendoncker was never really fleshed out, and we never truly got the impression that he was evil – he seemed more like a scared businessman most of the time, I do not understand how he inspired such loyalty among his henchmen. And the fight scenes were hard to get through, and quite repetitive: too much detail, too much of “on a normal person, this would have taken his head off. But on him, he hardly flinched” type of writing. The ending was anti-climactic, a bit boring and totally expected. The big reveal wasn’t that big of a reveal. With no sparks between Reacher and Michaela, I guess Reacher has just become a big brutish killing robot. The characters and the town are completely cardboard.

Looking back on my review of the previous book “The Sentinel”, I think some of it applies here as well: “With the new authorship, there seems to be a lot more talking for Reacher, a lot more explaining of now he will win the fights, and even less character development than usual. The supporting characters are all two-dimensional, and the action seems to be following the same old script.”

Having said all of that, I still tore through the book, and I will still continue to read the series. But with much less excitement than before.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Delacorte Press via NetGalley. Thank you!