Read this if you like: Action, multiple POVs, slow burn thrillers

Jack Reacher has drifted into Gerrardsville, Colorado. A woman throws herself under a bus, or so two witnesses have said. Jack, however, sees a man push her to her death then steal her purse before bolting away. Reacher follows the killer on foot, not knowing that he is part of something much bigger.

Reacher is shocked when the police call it a suicide. Of course, he decides to help find out the truth of everything. He teams up with someone related to the case. There are two side stories as well.

This is actually my first Jack Reacher book. I have watched the movies and the show. My husband has read every book. I really enjoyed this. It's very action packed and detailed. I did find it a bit slow at times. The side stories distracted me and even confused me at times, honestly. I think it's because the characters weren't super developed. I still really enjoyed it. It was fun, action packed, and intriguing. I will be reading more. I definitely recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Random House Publishing/Ballantine for the gifted e-book!

Every fall I always look forward to the new Jack Reacher novel! While most people are looking forward to pumpkin spice lattes, I am with Reacher and only want a strong cup of black coffee and some action and adventure! Haha! Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of No Plan B!

The title is somewhat ironic as there is actually a B story and a C Story in the latest novel. Most Reacher books focus solely on Reacher and his exploits, but in No Plan B we have chapters that are told from other characters POV's. I am assuming that this is because of Andrew Child's contributions to the story. While I did miss Reacher in some of the chapters, I did like how the story progressed with the different characters. And of course in the end, they all tied together, which did add to the overall story. But as a side note, more Reacher is never too much Reacher when I am reading one of the Child's novels!

There is still plenty of action and mystery, and I still believe long time and new readers will enjoy the latest story this fall 2022!

Thank you for reading!

I was given a free advanced reader's copy of No Plan B by Lee Child and Andrew Child on NetGalley by Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Delacorte Press!

First of all, I love the Jack Reacher books. I can't explain why exactly other than they're just fun to read. I always enjoy seeing how Reacher works his way through a mystery or a problem, and then he promptly punches things until the problem is solved. That doesn't mean he gets away unscathed every time, but it is quite satisfying to read about for me.

So, every year as fall draws closer, I look forward to reading the newest installment in the soon-to-be twenty-seven book long series. Some changes have been made in the series recently, as well. Lee Child no longer writes the books alone. His brother - Andrew Child who also writes books under the name Andrew Grant - has been co-authoring the series for a few books now, and I'm happy to say that he's been doing a great job as far as I'm concerned.

In No Plan B, Reacher, ever the perpetual drifter, finds himself in Gerrardsville, Colorado. He's standing on a curb waiting for a bus when he witnesses a murder. A woman is pushed in front of a bus just as it's pulling up to the stop, and the hooded man who pushed her quickly grabs her purse and leaves.

Reacher being who he is immediately pursues the man, cornering him in an alley. He dispatches the killer with a quick punch and looks in the woman's purse to see what she'd been killed for. Unfortunately, he is interrupted by more thugs, and he's knocked out in the ensuing fight. When he wakes up, he reports everything to the detective still at the scene of the bus incident.

However, later that day more thugs show up to get rid of Reacher for what he saw in the woman's purse. Reacher still doesn't understand how it was worth killing a woman over, and to make matters worse, the police detective shows up the next day to explain the woman's death has been ruled a suicide. The detective enlists Reacher's help in finding out exactly what led to the woman's death, and of course Reacher wants to see justice done.

The rest of the story is told from the different perspectives of seemingly unrelated characters: a boy making his way across the country to see a soon-to-be released prisoner, the people running the prison in question, and a hired killer seeking revenge for the death of his son. All of these stories finally converge in a small town in Mississippi revealing a criminal organization unlike any other Reacher has encountered.

I really enjoyed the approach the authors took with this story. I liked seeing how so many different people could potentially be affected by one event. In the end, it all boiled down to one person causing a web of affect across several people's lives, and the way the authors demonstrated that without causing confusion in the narrative was really engaging.

Another thing about this story is Reacher's age and aversion to modern society are starting to show. He's still more physically fit than most people will ever be, but his grasp on new technology isn't the greatest. At one point in the story, he insists on using a paper map to determine a possible ambush point, and the woman helping him just whips out her phone, pulls up Google maps, and uses the traffic information to find a better one. Things like that are really interesting additions to the story as each book moves forward in Reacher's chronology.

I really enjoyed those aspects of the book. However, I do have a few caveats to my praise of the story. Since the book isn't released yet, I hope this first one gets caught by an editor, but there were a few words the author overused in the beginning of the book. It was enough that I noticed it, but it stopped about a third of the way into the book. Particularly the word "banal." I couldn't help but think, "Oh the author learned a new word and must use it in every paragraph," for the first part of the book. So, it just affected my immersion in the story a bit.

Also, I know some readers may have an issue with how realistic a lot of the circumstances Reacher finds himself in and with the resolution of the story. However, I personally do not read these books for ultra-realism. They are like action movies with a mystery twist. They require the reader to suspend their disbelief a bit to truly enjoy them. Some people may have an issue with this, but I don't.

Ultimately, I really had fun reading No Plan B. As usual, Reacher is relentless. If he decided to mind his own business, then most of the things in the story would never have happened. That's just not how Reacher works, though. He can't stand by and watch injustice go unpunished. He doesn't care about knowing the persons involved. Sometimes, trouble comes to him and sometimes he stumbles upon it. Regardless of how the problems are presented, Reacher prevails.

I gave No Plan B by Lee Child and Andrew Child four out of five stars. It was everything I like to see in a Jack Reacher novel, and I really enjoyed the unique twists and turns the story took. I also loved seeing Reacher beat up the bad guys as usual. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was because of a few editing issues and how far-fetched the ending is. It was still a great read!

Jack reacher is truly back! The new novel in this long series co-authored by Lee child and Andrew child harkens back to the best adventures featuring wandering adventurer Jack reacher.

This time out wandering reacher finds himself in a town where he comes across but looks to me like a suicide, so he is confident that the victim was pushed. His involvement quickly get him into more trouble, confirming his original thesis.

Like a good Jack reacher novel, this one moves quickly from there With the reader slowly learning that all is not right with a outsourcing prison system, quit on paper looks great, but is hiding something nefarious. The page turning adventure kept this reader engaged through the last page.

To be honest, I was not originally going to read this novel. After the last one, which I felt was the poorest entry of the series that I’ve read, I was prepared to give up on Jack reacher. Perhaps with the recent miniseries, I decided to give him one more chance and I am glad I did.

The writing was actually better in this One. The authors did not go clearly from a to Z in the plot, but instead introduced what looked like at first too other stories, which it first appeared to have no connection to what Jack reacher was dealing with. Those familiar with the series will know that all of these intersect it towards a satisfying conclusion. I believe the multiple storylines helped keep up a sense of mystery and curiosity and thus held me into the story.

For those who want to try one of the latest Jack reacher novels, even if it is your first, this is not a bad one to start with. For others who may have given up on the series, give this one a chance!

As I have already said, it is clear from this latest novel that the jack reacher character who readers know and enjoy is back and that is good!

Finally, I was provided an advanced review copy of this book, with the hope that I would leave at honest review which I have endeavored to do so here.

“No Plan B” is the latest Jack Reacher novel, number 27, now being co-written by Lee Child and his brother Andrew Child. It is obvious as we see the shift in writing style that Andrew Child is playing a much bigger role as Lee Child steps back even more from book to book. As we have seen in the previous stories, the action continues at a frantic pace but the character development seems to have taken a back seat. But it meets my (lower) expectations; this is still entertaining escapism.

This time Reacher starts in Gerrardsville, Colorado, where he happens to witness the murder of a woman who was pushed under bus. However, Jack is the only one who saw the push, everyone else treats it as a suicide. Jack tries to run down the murderer and succeeds to a point before he gets away. But that small break in the action gave Jack a glimpse of something he shouldn’t have seen, a loose end that the bad guys can’t afford to leave laying around. When another suspicious death of the woman’s ex-coworker is ruled an accident, Jack is on the case. Teaming up with Hannah, an interested ex-wife, Reacher heads to Mississippi to confront the killers and figure out what this conspiracy is all about.

We also have two additional separate side stories that play out throughout this novel: a young boy escapes foster care out west and makes his way to Mississippi to be reunited with his dad, and a professional arsonist follows a trail of criminals to avenge the death of his son. All three of these stories connect in the end for an unexpected finale, including Jack breaking into prison!

As I’ve said in many previous reviews of Jack Reacher, he seems to continuously walk into criminal situations every time he steps off the bus. And as Andrew Child takes over, we see more technical fight details and less developed side characters, not to mention the fact that Jack is becoming a walking terminator. The side stories were a new wrinkle in these novels; they seemed to distract from the flow and didn’t really add much to the story. But I still read it in two days and will continue to read Reacher as long as they keep writing them.

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

Retiring Jack Reacher along with Lee Child would have been an intelligent move to preserve the overwhelming popularity of the character and the series of novels. As it stands, the recent entries, including the current No Plan B, feature a caricature Reacher with no new wisdom, integrity, or tactics to admire. The choppy gradual introduction of diverse plot elements detracted from the plot development. Of course, some readers may revel in the detailed descriptions of each Reacher move in each sequence of attacks to neutralize the many individuals on his trail. Time spent on character development might have produced a richer, more cohesive installment. American audiences may also continue to be put off by the occasional drops of British versions of words into the clearly American adventure, such as the prison rota (for roster) and spanner for wrench.

No Plan B is the 27th book in the Jack Reacher series by Lee and Andrew Child. One of my favorite grifters, Jack Reacher, arrived in Gerrardsville, Colorado, on a Monday. It is there that two witnesses to the same tragedy give two different accounts. One guy sees a woman throw herself in front of a bus. The other guy, Jack Reacher, sees the woman pushed to her death. Reacher follows the killer on foot, not knowing there is a secret conspiracy with many moving parts.

There is No Plan B when the threat is Reacher. He is 6'5", 250 lbs. and scruffy. You can't miss him. So why must the bad guys constantly try him? Underestimate him? Square up against him? Maybe the better question is why the author(s) continue putting Reacher in unnecessary situations where he has to fight his way out and drop countless bodies. For why?!

The only reason I did not DNF No Plan B is because I held out hope. I wanted the story to get more believable. More interesting. Different than the previous stop-in-a-small-town-witness-injustice-actively-go-after-bad-guys plot. I may have to stop reading the current releases in the Jack Reacher series and resume reading the earlier books for the character I fell in heavy like with. Because this new sh!t is not it.

Happy Early Pub Day, Lee and Andrew Child! No Plan B will be available Tuesday, October 25.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

~LiteraryMarie

Reacher is back, and better than ever!

When a woman falls to her death under the wheels of a bus, the consensus is that it was either a tragic accident or a suicide. There is one witness, though, who says she was pushed….Jack Recher,

The police have no interest in investigating, although one of their ranks has his doubts. Jack starts asking a few questions, and so it begins. Is the incident related to the dead woman’s job at a privately run prison? Add in a soon-to-be-paroled inmate, a young boy on the run from his foster home, and Jack Reacher’s stubborn insistence on finding the truth, and you have another great tale from Lee and Andrew Child.

I thoroughly enjoyed this outing, and couldn’t put the book down. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to immerse myself in Reacher land ahead of schedule. Reacher fans, settle down and enjoy the ride! And if you haven’t tried reading the Jack Reacher stories…get started!

No Plan B by the Childs is an engrossing read from first to last page with Jack Reacher back and in great form. Great writing. Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book, as I do with all Jack Reachers. It was a road story, with Reacher and his companion-du-jour traveling to find answers for a mystery that began somewhere else. The book followed two other unrelated parties traveling separately to the same end location as Reacher, and it was very cool to see things happening that the characters didn't realize were related events but that the reader could see were. These other groups' motivations and connections to the main plot were also left as mysteries to the reader until deep into the book, which is always fun and interesting. The book also has several well-written, memorable fight scenes, as readers of the series have come to expect.

As a result of all the different groups it followed, the book did have a lot of moving parts, which could be a little hard to follow in the first half, and I think the ARC I received was missing a scene (I will check when it's published).

I really appreciate this years-long apprenticeship Andrew is doing with his brother to learn the character deeply and how to write for him from the man who created him. I feel like Andrew will be able to take over very successfully, and I'm excited that the series will continue past Lee's retirement.

Jack Reacher sees a woman being pushed in front of a bus. Another witness says she jumped and that it was suicide. Reacher won’t accept what the police say and is determined to discover why the woman was murdered and it is being covered up. He quickly learns that it is larger than one woman and once again Reacher is determined to assist the underdog.

No Plan B is the twenty-seventh book in the Jack Reacher series. As readers of this series know, no one can outsmart or get one over on Jack and this story is no different. Lee has developed a storyline that was easy to fall into and fun to unravel. Adventure books are always great because readers get to live vicariously through the characters while staying perfectly safe in their own lives; this book is no exception. My kindle almost turned its own pages as the book revealed its secrets.

NO PLAN B is another good Jack Reacher thriller, although I’m still getting used to the slight change in writing style of Andrew Child. No Plan B did not disappoint.
Reacher is kicking, head butting, punching and stomping his way from Colorado where he reluctantly teams up with a woman named Hannah, befriends a young teenage boy, all on his way to the Minerva Prison in Texas to figure out why a woman was pushed under a bus.
The booked mostly moved swiftly for me. It was studded with multiple personalities that were all pivotal to the plot and dispatched satisfactory with Reacher justice.

This is number 27 Jack Reacher series about a retired Army military police investigator who now travels the country with nothing but a folding toothbrush and a calling to serve justice. I want to thank Delacorte Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book which is due to be published in late October. The story begins with Reacher in Gerrardsville, Colorado to see a Civil War history display at the local museum. As he is walking downtown he happens to be in the right place to witness a murder. Other witnesses believe that it was suicide as a woman appeared to drive in front of a bus, but Reacher alone saw that she had been pushed. He also saw the killer take her handbag. Reacher gave chase and briefly retrieved the purse, but the killer’s partner intervened and they escaped with the bag. What Reacher had seen when he looked inside an envelope was some papers about a wrongly accused inmate who was due to be released from a privately run prison in Mississippi. But why would that lead to this woman’s murder? Reacher means to find out, and the men running the prison mean to use an army of guards to stop him. The chase takes Reacher cross country from Colorado to Winslow, Mississippi, with the prison henchmen dogging his steps. Their are two other storylines that neatly converge at the end. One involves a 16 year old runaway boy who takes a bus from California to Mississippi to see the father he has never met. The other is a tale of vengeance with a man tracking down the men he holds responsible for the death of his son. The first story I rather liked, the second not so much, and I didn’t feel that it really added a lot to the story. As to the why the papers about the prisoner release should lead to multiple murders, that kept me guessing until the very end. It was not at all what I expected. Overall this was a great addition to the Reacher series with all the elements that we have come to love and expect. But the great thing about the Reacher series is that although the basic story elements are always the same, these are not cookie cutter books, each is very different in how the story unfolds and that is what keeps us coming back for more.

I enjoyed this book, but it wasn’t my favorite Reacher book. The going back in forth with the characters and not letting us know the connection wasn’t helpful. It just made it more drawn out. This book seemed excessively violent for Reacher, over other Reacher books. Not my favorite, last one was better.

Enjoyed this book! No Plan B by Lee Child and Andrew Child was another awesome book! Love the series and this was another fantastic story! Kept me excited to read! Highly recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I have always enjoyed the Lee Cild 'Reacher' series. I am unimpressed with the collaboration with Andrew Child, however. 'No Plan B' is pretty much a Reacher lite story. Character development is anemic and the action, usually a hallmark of Reacher stories, is lukewarm. There are many elements that do not come together well and are difficult to follow. We expect Reacher to use uncompromising hurt on the bad guys but that is just too little and far between. Disappointing.

Reading the latest Jack Reacher novel is irresistible escapism and satisfying entertainment at its best. "No Plan B" is the second in the Reacher series co-authored by Lee Child and his brother. Andrew. The transition of authors is bound to have some speed bumps with consistent writing style and the understanding and portrayal of Reacher, and it does. For the familiar high octane plot all is good. For capturing the heart and soul of Reacher, it's getting there. Jack is coming back.
"No Plan B" finds Reacher's meal interrupted by a tragic and horrific incident. Jack gets involved and so begins this intense and suspenseful story. "No Plan B" is hard to put down as Reacher's quest to put things right doesn't skip a beat. The writers cleverly tell the story using three plot lines that upped the intensity. Thank you Netgalley, publisher and authors for the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my review.

While this wasn’t my favorite entry in the series, it felt much more like Reacher than the last book. I really enjoyed the action and plot line. The mystery was good, the pieces were all there, but it wasn’t easy to figure out everything.

Jack Reacher is standing on a corner in Gerraldsburg CO. He watches as a woman is shoved in front of a bus and the man who shoved her picks up her purse and heads down a nearby alley. He follows the man and "encourages" him to let Reacher have the purse. Inside, he finds a envelope detailing accounting shenanigans at a private prison in Winson AL. Reacher is nearly run down by another man driving a BMW. As always, on the side of angels, Reacher decides to travel to to prison and find out why people are dying that have some relationship with the prison. Another wild ride for Jack Reacher. Written by Lee Child and his son, Andrew Child, who also writes as Andrew Grant. I think the ending was a little abrupt, but if you like this series, this is another adrenaline ride.

I am a huge fan of the Jack Reacher series. So I was beyond excited to get a chance to read this ARC. As usual there are multiple storylines going only one of which Jack himself is in. That is until the end where everything violently comes together. There wasn't much character building for Jack in this novel. But I don't think it took anything away from the story or novel itself. I especially liked the teenage boy Jed. His character was entertaining as he fumbled is way across the country.

I definitely enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the next one. I also like the TV series Reacher on Amazon Prime. It is much better than the movies.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Publishing for allowing me to read this advanced copy.
No Plan B will be available October 25, 2022.