Lee Child, author of the New York Times bestselling Jack Reacher books, has let other people play in his world. For instance, he optioned the rights to his books to movie superstar, Tom Cruise, who went on to make several films–despite the fact Reacher is six foot four inches tall and weighs 240 pounds and Mr. Cruise is all of five foot seven inches and may weigh 140 pounds soaking wet. While the movies were good, fans such as me bemoaned the fact that Jack Reacher was badly miscast.
Then came the Amazon prime series, Reacher, starring the perfectly cast Alan Ritchson as the titular hero. Ritchson is huge and captures all the various quirks of the character. From a fan point of view, a home run. Season four of Reacher will be out in 2026.
Then Child made a decision about the books themselves. In 2020, he announced he would be turning over the writing of future Reacher novels to his younger brother Andrew. In multiple interviews, Child talked about how he felt he was aging out of writing the character and he wanted to make sure Jack Reacher continued for years to come.
I am a die-hard Reacher fan and I always pick up the newest book the moment it’s released–which happens again with the release of Exit Strategy on November 11th, the thirtieth novel in the series. But for the first time, I may not buy it on release day and here’s why.
Andrew simply isn’t his brother. The books are decent enough, but Andrew tends to have plot issues which drive me nuts. I’ll give one example from an earlier book. A man is in the hospital with severe heart issues. He’s attached to all kinds of machines. His life is at risk. Yet when he is visited by bad guys (I won’t spoil why) they end up using a key to unlock his window, then toss him into the clear blue sky, making it look like he committed suicide.
No. Nope. Not happening. No way.
Andrew Child is suggesting the hospital staff and the cops would believe a seriously ill patient unhooked himself from his machines, snuck out of his room to the nurses’ station, found the key (as if they would have one lying around—more likely a maintenance kind of thing) make it back to his room, unlock the window and then jump. Really?
I know we’re supposed to suspend reality when reading these kind of action books, but there is suspended belief–and there’s no-way-in-hell. This happens several times a book since Andrew took over the full-time writing. And it bugs me.
But here’s the caveat: a mediocre Reacher book is better than just about any other book in any other series. I started all the way back in the beginning, with Killing Floor and I’ll eventually read Exit Strategy. It just won’t be day one.
Here is the book blurb, and you can find it anywhere fine books are sold:
First—a Baltimore coffee shop. A seat in the corner, facing the door. Black coffee, two refills, no messing around. A minor interruption from two of the customers, but nothing he can’t deal with swiftly. As he leaves, a young guy brushes against him in the doorway. Instinctively Reacher checks the pocket holding his cash and passport. There’s no problem. Nothing is missing.
Second—a store to buy a coat. Nothing fancy. Something he can ditch when he heads to warmer climates. Large enough to fit a man the size of a bank vault. As he pulls out his cash, he finds something new in his pocket. A handwritten note. A desperate plea for help.
Third—wherever this bend in the road takes him. Impressed by the guy’s technique and intrigued by the message, Reacher makes it his mission to find out more.