Freezing cold

I just finished reading "61 Hours" by Lee Child. The second Jack Reacher novel I ever read. And I can tell you, I liked this one a whole lot better than the previous one I read.

In this one, Jack is stuck in South Dakota. That sounds like nice weather, but he gets stuck there due to a huge snow storm. And it's cold, really, really, freezing cold. He's stranded in a small town called Bolton, because the bus he hitched a ride on slips on the highway and crashes. He's taking in by the nice police officer Andrew Peterson. Of course there is trouble in the town: motor bikers, a new prison and a nice old lady who saw too much and who is wanted dead by the bad guys. Reacher offers his help, which is reluctantly accepted by chief Holland and Peterson (being second in command). And in 61 hours time, there are four murders. Of course Reacher saves the day, but unfortunately, he isn't able to save the life of the nice old lady. I was very sorry reading her murder, shot between the eyes. They trusted the wrong man. It took Reacher too long to realize the identity of the murderer the police force is waiting for. Spoiler: it's one of their own. And then it is someone else than Reacher at first expected. In the end, as is often the case, it's about money and greed. The willingness of some people to make money out of other people's misery. Everybody who stands in the way is just collateral damage.

 
So, is Reacher just a magnet for trouble, or is he always the right man in the wrong place? I would almost think both. The bus left town a day later. He could just hoped on the bus and be on his way to Mount Rushmore. But no, Reacher decided to stay. It was a conscious choice. But then, if he had left, there would not have been much of a story. So staying was needed for the story (of course!).
Setting the story in a cold winter was also a conscious choice. The cold weather is like an unwilling, uncompromising character. It involves with the outcomes and wants to have a say in everything that happens. This story would not have worked in a warmer climate. People don't stop so easily when it's warm. It would not have taken Reacher too long to reach Janet Salter. So yes, this cold weather was definitely a good setting.

If I had read this book as first instead of the other, would that have changed my mind about keeping the books? Probably not. Although this one was a much better read than "Bad luck and trouble" I still don't see me rereading these books. And that should be the main reason for keeping these books. That and my very limited amount of free shelves at the moment. If I come along a Reacher book for a reasonable price, I will buy it and read. But after that, it will just be passed on. On to new adventures and new readers.

Reading the book I came across a very nice quote (page 72). I will leave you with that:

«He [Holland] was looking straight at Reacher.
Reacher didn't resond.
Holland asked, 'You want to explain why I had to call for two ambulances?'
Reacher said, 'Because I slipped.'
'What?'
'On the ice.'
'That's your story? You slipped and just kind of blundered into them?'
'No, I slipped when I was hitting the big guy. If softened the blow. If I hadn't slipped you wouldn't be calling for two ambulances. You'd be calling for one ambulance and one coroner's wagon.'
Holland looked away.»

Read and pass on...

Some time ago dear hubby and I visited some friends. Later that evening somehow the conversation turned to books. They had a shopping bag full of books, waiting to be discarded. I was welcome to pick any books I liked. There was only one condition: read them and pass them on. No problem.

One of the books I took with me was Lee Child's "Bad luck and trouble". A Jack Reacher story. My very first Jack Reacher thriller. Which is good, because it gives you an open mind. Jack Reacher is atypical for a modern man. He doesn't own a cell phone, a house, a car, a credit card. The only thing he owns is a folding toothbrush and a debit card. Up side (or down side, depends on which way you look at it) of this all is that he doesn't pay any taxes and is hard to reach. So when one of his old army buddies is in trouble, the only way to reach him is through a deposit on his bank account. Jack has a sometimes very irritating habit to calculate everything by heart. For instance: he calculates his bank balance. Let's say he's very good at math. For someone who isn't good at math, it is somewhat annoying. But in the novel, it helps him and his old band of brothers save the day.

Is it a good book? At least it kept me reading. The story is exiting enough, the pace is good and most of all... it has a kind of realism. You can see a story like this happening in the real world. A lot of weird things happen in the real world. So why not an old army team taking on some low lives selling American Army weapons to terrorists.

Is it a keeper or to pass on? This one will be passed on. The story is nice, it was a good read, but somehow I don't see Jack Reacher on my bookshelves. Don't know why. I keep Steve Berry, for example. Maybe I change my mind. If not, this book is going to pay a visit at the Oxfam in Canterbury during our summer holiday.