Here's my dilemma. I am a big fan of Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels. Now Lee is passing the torch to his son, Andrew Child, who is an accomplished writer himself. Better Off Dead is the second installment in the new Andrew Child Reacher novels, and it's not a bad read. But it's not Jack Reacher. The son has simply not captured the character. The new Reacher could be a set apart series in itself, but why market is as the Jack Reacher, when most readers can see he is an imposter. Better off, let Jack Reacher retire.
Thanks, NetGalley and the authors for the ARC.

As a fan of the Reacher novels, I was looking forward to reading BetterOff Dead by Lee and Andrew Child. I thank NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader’s copy.

It always amazes me in this series how Reacher manages to find himself in the midst of improbable and troublesome situations wherein someone of his size and strength is needed. This story is no different and begins with a fight scene definitely not for the squeamish - it had me shuddering a few times at the depicted brutality.

The plot centers around a woman searching for her brother, who had sent a message to her regarding his being in trouble. With very little to go on, Reacher assists her in the search which leads to the making of bombs and additional violence, stunningly described , in this new page turner guaranteed to keep you guessing as you race toward the conclusion.

I was kind of disappointed in this one. Too many long descriptive fight scenes and not enough personal stuff that makes Reacher, well, Reacher. Won’t deter me from the series tho as it’s one of my favorites. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC, The only bad part of reading the latest book early is the extra long wait until the next one comes out! This is the second in the new collaboration of Lee and Andrew Child. It draws on all the standard elements we know and love about Jack Reacher. Big guy in the wrong place at the wrong time who then solves the problem at hand. I will anxiously be waiting for the next book.

Thank you to Lee Child and Andrew Child, and also thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the Advance Reader Copy of my favorite book series; Jack Reacher! This is the second book with Andrew Child. I thought the first book The Sentinel was a transitional book, and was not one of my favorites in the series. I think Better Off Dead is a definite improvement, but I would still like to see some of the “Old Reacher” in the upcoming books. There is plenty of detailed action, and the plot was pretty good, but I miss the “musings” of Reacher, and wish his relationships with the women in the stories was a little more explored. The legend of Reacher has long been established, but I still enjoy hearing his stories and thoughts along with his sense of foreboding. Again there is plenty of action here, but hopefully future novels explore more character depth. I think Reacher fans will enjoy, and I hope you do also! Thanks for reading! #LeeChild #BetterOffDead #NetGalley

Lee Child's Jack Reacher series is about a retired Army intel officer who goes off the grid pretty much because he's tired of people. But as he vagabonds across the country, he can't let injustice go unanswered which becomes the core of each book in the series. If you love stories of a guy with a solid moral core who never backs away from doing the right thing, and is never afraid to push back against overwhelming power with a combination of brains and brawn, you will love this series. Here's a typical scene:

“Get down. Do it now.” I didn’t move. “Were you dropped on your head when you were a baby? Was your boss? Because honestly, I’m worried. Virtually every creature on the planet has the ability to learn from experience. But not you, apparently. What happened last time you tried this? When you had three buddies to help out. Not just one.”

Lee Child has a unique voice. It separates his writing from all other thrillers and is one of the reasons I love his books. Here’s an example: 

The light had been easy to find, just like he’d been told it would be. It was the only one in the compound that was still working, all the way at the far end, six feet shy of the jagged metal fence that separated the United States from Mexico.

Exact measurements is how Jack Reacher's mind works. That could be boring but in Child's talented hands, even numbers are consumable. Then, there are the fight scenes. Child makes me believe Jack Reacher can actually face off against five thugs and win. I dare you to read a fight scene and think Reacher should have lost. And finally, there's the clock in Reacher's head that is always spot on about what time it is. Child uses it to build drama by ticking off the time as the action passes.

This twenty-sixth book in the series is written by Lee and Andrew Child which made me immediately suspicious that I'd lose those important story pieces (mentioned above) that kept me coming back to this series. Usually, passing the pen to a family member doesn't work well. Tony Hillerman's niece now writes his acclaimed series--good not great. Tom Clancy’s estate keeps trying to find a writer who can duplicate Clancy's voice. I have yet to read a post-Clancy book that sounds like him. This Lee and Andrew Child book is close to the original voice but not quite as clever. Lee Child kept me guessing, always surprised me. Andrew does also, just not as much or as effectively.

Overall, an excellent read, almost the perfect of Lee Child.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was nervous about Lee Child giving up full control over the writing of the Jack Reacher series last year when The Sentinel came out. Fortunately, bringing Andrew Child into the mix has not hurt the franchise one bit. The Sentinel was great and Better Off Dead is as well. Featuring callbacks to the past (there's a lot of talk about that jawbone scar on his abdomen that Reacher got in a bombing while he was still in the service), this one is really fast-paced (aren't they all?) and starts off with a bang. Without giving too much away, I'm sure I won't be the only one reading the intro and wondering, upset... "is this the last Reacher book?" only to have all explained soon after.

I know there are always the detractors who roll their eyes at how much of a Mary Sue Reacher can be, but come on... do we really read these books for accuracy? Do we really think ANYONE can do what Reacher can? Ha! These books are pure entertainment and I love that they're still going, each adventure more implausible and yet more fun to read than the last.

And now the long wait until next year's adventure begins...

I found the story very far fetched and a little bit boring at times as it was quite repetitive in places. Not one of the best Jack Reacher books. Perhaps it's time for his retirement. Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Better off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child
Rating: 5 stars

Summary: Reacher roams into small border town in Arizona on his way to the ocean and stumbles into a smuggling bomb maker. Reacher decides to stay and help a women searching for her wayward brother she believes sent her a message to help him.

Comments: Basic Reacher plot. Nothing fancy but all the fun of the Child writing you’ve enjoyed over the years. This book seems cut short for some reason. But the same fun is there.

Better Off Dead is a different breed of Jack Reacher stories with the open-reins setting of a small deserted town bordering Mexico but a much larger-than-expected scale plot that involves a potential attack on FBI during Veteran’s Day. I went into the thriller expecting a more crime-oriented narrative but the derivation is an understandable change of pace to keep the stories fresh in a long running series.
Reacher is hopping from town to town where he comes across a woman apparently stuck in a crashed Jeep. On closer inspection, he finds out the woman is actually waiting to ambush a few unsavory characters who have information on where her brother is being held. When Reacher realizes the depth of the matter, he steps in to help the woman, although halfheartedly at first because the evidence leads to an enigmatic business owner in a sleepy town whose employees are more threatened by him than by Reacher, putting the latter in a new pickle where his considerable size and threats seem to fall short of getting the job done. With a desperation unlike any before, Reacher must identify the big baddie and stop him by unraveling a string of shocking twists and turns using his wits and deductive thinking before time runs out for him and many other innocents.
The action sequences are typical Reacher-styled with an almost slow-motion perception of the hand-to-hand combat sequences that expertly display Reacher’s prowess. Some moves seem a bit unorthodox but make sense once we take Reacher’s huge physique into consideration. The storyline is a unique take on terror attacks but feels a little out of place in a Jack Reacher thriller where more grounded plots work better for a drifter protagonist who’s essentially a dinosaur in today’s technology driven world. The advantage of Reacher’s old school approach is wonderfully capitalized upon by the authors to explain complex matters such as transponders used in explosive materials in layman’s terms to cater to all audiences irrespective of their depth of knowledge on the matter.
Better Off Dead is an adrenaline-pumping read from the very first chapter as Reacher goes to town on the bad guys, augmented by a unique storyline and the trademark badassery of Jack Reacher. Apart from the story dragging a bit and a somewhat anticlimactic resolution, it’s a fun read that offers tons of entertainment for long term fans of Jack Reacher.

Review with blurb image posted on: https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com/kashif-hussain/better-off-dead-by-lee-child-and-andrew-child

Better Off Dead is the second book in the Reacher series that was written by Andrew Child, who is the brother of the series creator Lee Child. The book credits both of them as authors, but my understanding was that Andrew Child was completely taking over the writing duties, so I'm not sure if this was really a team effort or not.

This one is a first person story from Reacher's POV. Lots of short sentences. Brief. To the point. Fragments, really. Like this. Gets kind of old after a while. Repetitive. Distracting. Almost a parody of the style of previous books.

The book 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. Not my favorite of the bunch, but it's still fun and full of the pulp I've come to expect from Jack Reacher.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC copy of Better Off Dead in exchange for honest feedback.

To be honest, I'm completely surprised to find any book of Lee Child's on Netgalley for review. Who doesn't love Jack Reacher. This is the second book written with Andrew Child. I'm not sure I could tell the difference. this book had more terrorism issues, dark money, and undercover stories than I remember from past books so perhaps that is Child's influence. As the description says, Reacher is good at finding people so he offers his services when someone is missing but " Failure is not an option, because in this kind of game, the loser is always better off dead."

The writing is fast-paced per usual Jack Reacher. No time to think if such and such could actually happen but who cares, Reacher can do it all and he does.

in my opinion, this is not one of the better Reacher books, it is too fast and not enough detail or background to make things comprehensible but I don't think any of us reads a Jack Reacher book for that (just please keep Tom Cruise away from Jack Reacher. He is about as much Reacher as I am).

Starts off quickly, but soon slows down with drawn-out fight scenes and a slowly-developing plot line. Reacher is as awesome as ever coming to the aid of another random stranger whose backstory hooks him, but the plodding progression through the story needs to be addressed in future additions of what has been a great series.

Not my favorite in the Reacher series, but I did like it better than the first collaboration between Lee and Andrew Child. We are, of course, purchasing many copies for our library.

Outstanding! A non stop action thriller that will have you holding your breath until the very end. It's definitely my kind of read.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Better Off Dead is the 2nd book from Andrew Child after taking over Reacher from his brother, Lee.

"Reacher is headed to San Francisco when he passes a wrecked car. He stops to help and soon finds himself in the middle of helping the occupant find her brother and bring justice to the ones who hurt him."

This book is closer to the Reacher we have come to know and love. We like that a man, larger-than-life, is out roaming the highways, sticking up for the little guy. This is a complicated telling of a typical Reacher storyline - a damsel in distress, someone has criminal control of the community and police, they underestimate Reacher.

One difference in Andrew's style is that he is very detailed in most of the fighting scenes. It doesn't detract from the story but is a noticeable difference.

The beginning was interesting - makes you wonder about the rest of the series.

Fans of Reacher will enjoy this book. It is a fast-paced read. I'm glad that Andrew has taken over the Reacher story arc. It has to be difficult to make an iconic character your own, but he is successful in doing that.

Glad to see Reacher is back. Great read from Andrew Child.

Thank you @randomhouse for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jack Reacher has always been like a warm blanket for me. I can always count for an exciting, fast paced read…until this one.

This is the second book he has wrote with his brother, Andrew Child (who also writes under the name of Andrew Grant). I have their first book together, The Sentinel, but have not cracked it open yet.

I found this book rather slow and boring for a Jack Reacher tale. Things just felt different. I didn’t care for it. I am not giving up on Reacher, just wasn’t a fan of this one. With 25 other books to choose from written solely by Lee Child, I won’t be running out of options anytime soon even though I’ve read plenty of those.

Do you read any of the Reacher books? Do you have a favorite?

Mine is his first one, The Killing Floor which was also the first time I was introduced to Reacher myself long after the series.

Was literally up until 2:30 AM last night reading this on my kindle, I could not put it down. Another great Jack Reacher adventure with a ton of good fight scenes. This one actually had more of a mystery vibe to it, and there were alot more twists and turns than previous entries in the franchise. Not that im complaining!

The wrong place at the wrong time? Coincidence lands Jack Reacher in the midst of a deal going wrong. For Michaela Fenton, maybe Reacher was at the right place at the right time. She's a FBI agent looking for her twin brother, a bomb specialist who seems to be on the wrong side of the law. Reacher , ex-military ,is traveling the country by foot, bus or the occasional ride when he comes across Fenton in the midst of her ill-fated plan to gather information on her brother. The allusive Dendoncker is running his mysterious operation and anyone in his way is turning up dead. Anyone who crosses him is better off dead. Reacher offers to help Fenton find her brother Michael and quickly realizes that even though Michael's fate is sealed, stopping Dendoncker is critical to saving the lives of many others. Better Off Dead is next in the Jack Reacher series now co-written by brothers Lee and Andrew Child.
I enjoyed the book, the plot, the action. This felt more like a stand alone thriller. There wasn't the personal connection to Reacher that other books have had.
Thank you Net Galley and Random House for an advanced copy for my review.

Reacher is still the best character around. the Child guys do a great job together. Wish there was a book a month..