Member Reviews
This is a book of short stories all of them are different and told from different view points. You can see where some of these might be jumping off points for other books or leading to a new storyline. A really great read!
It feels like Lee Childs strengths are in longer pieces. While some of these stories had the pop of the Reacher novels too many were fragments which focused on a superficial twist at the end.
I was issued this book by NetGalley for my unbiased review.
A good group of short stories. A group of sly, sneaky stories, totally enjoyable. Many with twists that made you chuckle or go "hmm".
Needs a little editing before release, but that is fine
What a delight! Each short story is just a little jewel...an amuse bouche. Just right, a complete thought...beginning, middle, and end. No need for more. While I'm a big Jack Reacher fan, it's a pleasure to experience this form of Lee Child's writing. What a great writer. I was provided a free ARC for this review and I do wish the they had done a better job of delineating where each story began and ended. I'm there will be actual titles included in the final edit, but it did make it a little bit challenging at times. That said, it's a wonderful collection. I was left wanting more.
Comment
Entering the viewpoints of killers offers an intriguing and at times off-putting experience. The collection features some cold, cold men. Stories about men on the other side of the law offer variety and additional twists. A few women get the upper hand.
There's cleverness, suspense, murder, and humor. In many of the stories, the hooks and payoffs remain on the surface.
In the final third of the collection, I found greater depth and heart. There's internal conflict, ethical struggles, honor, love, and even a jolt of horror. The book ends on a strong note.
Lee Child has created enduring, entertaining characters throughout his career. Here, his taut, gritty stories reach their best moments in criminal action scenes, betrayals, and personal struggles. Crises within and between people with their futures on the line serve up the most memorable moments. And a sense of fun shines through in comeuppance tales. There's one grisly, well-earned image that will stick with me for a long time. I recommend Safe Enough for his fans and readers who enjoy crime fiction and retro men's adventures.
We are used to Lee Child as a popular novelist, but he shows us in Safe Enough that he has a good handle on short stories as well. I enjoyed most of them. A couple seemed less interesting.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.
Lee Child prefaces this collection of short stories by saying that he never mastered the form; sadly, this isn't false modesty.
Most of the stories live in his crime thriller wheelhouse, which serves to highlight his strengths by their absence. Set pieces are nowhere to be found, characters are thin and figurative, and the layered reveals that allow us to disappear into his novels are boiled down to simple -- and almost to a one -- thinly predictable twists.
Still, his effortless prose and eye for novel and entertaining detail is on full display, and the stories glide by painlessly. The wry winking humor of his voice shines through pretty consistently, and I can't say this book was ever anything but pleasant to read. But the book is probably only for rabid fans and completists.
Lee Child once again kills it. This time in short story form. I admit that the Jack Reacher series is one of my favorites so when I saw short stories by Lee Child, i knew i had to read it. Each short story is unique but has the typical Child feel to it. You feel satisfied (for a short story) after finishing each story. Overall well written and would read another book like this!
I received a free advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest
This book was definitely different from the other ones I’m used too! It was an interesting read it still had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery etc but it didn’t have that heart pounding action packed feel, it was still a decent read and worth reading just not my favorite! Thank you NatGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!
Lee has always been my favourite author since I found the Reacher series and these stories did NOT disappoint, I love that it's not a huge series and I can read them without having to commit, This is a perfect book to start Lee's writing if you've never read his work before, it gives you everything you want in a book.