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Books like Jack Reacher review – HERE and GONE

I’m going to level with you. This book is not like Jack Reacher, it’s not my normal type of book to read but it is a crime thriller book with lots and lots of suspense and mystery. You may ask “so why did you read this book” and to be honest, I was just searching through Amazon looking for a great thriller book with good reviews.

I have read all the Jack Reacher books and decided to order Jack Reacher books from the beginning of the series book 1 to go through them again.

This book had good reviews and the basic references from my top authors Lee Child and Greg Hurwitz made me think this could be a brilliant read.  So if you do like any of the Jack Reacher books then this could be for you.

What’s the plot?

Now this is what has got my attention, from the first page you realise a young woman is running away from someone, with her two children in an old car. We don’t know what she is running from but is really scared, she is also avoiding the police which makes you think that maybe she might not be the hero we think.

Back of book

Audra has finally left her abusive husband. She’s taken the family car and her young children, Sean and Louise, are buckled up in the back. This is their chance for a fresh start.

Audra keeps to the country roads to avoid attention. She’s looking for a safe place to stay for the night when she spots something in her rear-view mirror. A police car is following her and the lights are flickering. Blue and red.

As Audra pulls over she is intensely aware of how isolated they are. Her perfect escape is about to turn into a nightmare beyond her imagining. . .

Dark secrets and a heart-pounding race to reveal the truth lie at the heart of this page-turning thriller.

Full of dark secrets and heart-pounding twists, Here and Gone is the ultimate page-turner.

Is this anything like a Jack Reacher book?

As with all the Lee Child books, the writing style of Haylen Beck is very similar in defining the scenery, the short sentence tension but also the crafting of characters that make you either despise them or champion them. Like the Jack Reacher books, you have a craving to finish the book as soon as you pick it up, you really want to see what happens to Audra. There is also a character that gets introduced during the book who has a similar disposition to Jack Reacher, tough guy, ready for action and a real conviction to protect the innocent. I really liked this additional character as it then started to spill over into more of a book like the Lee Child novels which as you know I am a fan of.

Final Thoughts

I read this book within two days, it might not seem fast for some people but for me the time just seemed to whiz by, I can only put the comparison to a film I watched a while back. The film was only a 90 minutes long but keeps you with your hand in your mouth due to the tension that is built. The film is called “Breakdown” and stars Kurt Russell. This is also about a couple who have a car breakdown then when a helpful lorry driver comes along to help he takes the wife to the nearest town so they can call for help. Whilst Kurt Russell is waiting for help to come and his wife, time just floats on by, no help and no wife. He then works out how to fix his car (it’s just a dodgy wire) chases down the lorry driver who proceeds to tell him he doesn’t know who he is or his wife and has never met them in his life. Cue tension, killings, did I mention tension and lots of what has happened. You can buy the film here!

 

 

 

So this book is on the same wave length as this film – so if you like the film, like the sense of tension and the idea that you don’t know what is going to happen within a great plot, then buy this book now.

BUY HERE AND GONE NOW HERE!

If you like books like Jack Reacher then I would recommend this book which you can also see the rating on this page

 

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Book of the Year 2018?

I had done that thing, you know the thing that really you shouldn’t do as a reviewer. I’d read some tweets about the latest Greg Hurwitz book, people seemed to be overwhelmed with praise for his latest book. Even though I tried to block out the praise and euphoria, I still couldn’t help myself. I went out and bought “Hellbent”, the latest Greg Hurwitz book that all of twitter was raving about.

Now I was in a dilemma, twitter fans talking about the book but I had not even started the second “Evan Smoak” book called “Nowhere Man”.

I knew that one of my rules is to read a book series from start to finish, rather than dipping in and out. So I got back to “Nowhere Man” hoping that it would still be a good read and worthy of the Orphan X book rating. See HERE.

So you finished “Nowhere Man”

I finished the “Nowhere Man” book and was pleasantly surprised that it had a great ending that lead straight into the third book in the “Evan Smoak” series. As I mentioned in the review the book was good, very good but not as good as “Orphan X”. Maybe my mind was already getting prepared for this third book, due to the twitter reviews, the retweets, the anticipation, could the third book in the series live up to the hype.

See the Orphan X review HERE!

Is “Hellbent” a good book?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a short answer to this question, YES, YES, YES. If “Orphan X” was the book to hook all readers of Jack Reacher novels into the series, then the “Nowhere Man” was a kind of middle story carrying on the journey for the fans. This third book blows you out the water, flips you around onto your back and then the ending, slaps you in the face just for good measure.

“Nowhere Man” had you scared for Evan, how was he going to get out the situation he was in, the helper becoming the person who needed the help. The odds were stacked high against Evan, but not nearly as high as in the book “Hellbent”. We get the full picture, all bells and whistles of it, conspiracy, government, family, revenge, you name it, it is in this book.

So what was so good about this book?

By now after the second book “Nowhere Man” we have got used to Evan Smoak, trying to live a normal life in his apartment but also helping out people in distress. Not unlike Jack Reacher, but younger and probably with a lot more skills at his disposal, which he really needs, as people are trying to find him and kill him.

The opening of this book is brilliant, from the start there is a casual apartment chat with Evan’s love interest, straight (I mean straight) into a kidnap situation with his one and only mentor. The story then unfolds into such an amazing plot that we have to give Greg Hurwitz a pat on the back, he really utilises his skill full writing to create a bleak picture of Evan’s future. There are so many nice touches, Evan having to leave his so called “normal life”, bringing in additional characters to help assist him and a baddie that is truly bad.

I think this is the one thing that kept me so hooked into the book, Evan trying to understand “normal life” and human feelings as well as having to avenge a friends’ death and look out for people calling him for help on his emergency phone. He really is torn throughout the plot, on one hand trying to do the right thing, on the other hand wanting to gain a personal revenge. To have three rogue Orphans after him as well as twenty five trained operatives, you know the stakes are really high, how can he possibly survive this?

Final thoughts

With the intensity that Greg Hurwitz writes, you can start to feel a little out of breath whilst reading this book. There is one scene in the book, where Evan has to challenge a terrible gang leader in a ruined Church, just to protect an innocent. The scene layouts with descriptive writing and characterisations are so on point that you sense the loneliness Evan is feeling against the force of this whole army.

The main reason you start to feel out of breath, is you are not fully sure if the main character really wants to live or is going to stay alive. Most books like Jack Reacher, you kind of know that the main hero will live, fights are easily won and there are no wounds to the Hero at all.

Here though, you go through lots of Evans emotions, how should he act, will he gain revenge and what will that hold for his future? When you through into the mix a baddie like the new head of the Orphan Program, Van Sciver, (you can practically feel the hate oozing out of him towards Evan) you are then caught in the whirlwind of Evan’s survival world. Cue lots of fight scenes, last minute ingenuity, grit and determination, family bonds of love and trust plus an ending that leads into book number four I have to rate this as one of, if not the BEST book of 2018 so far……..

UK – BUY “HELLBENT” HERE!

 

 

Let me know what you think in the comments.

 

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Introducing a new author – Tom Wood

On my last post where I was totally and utterly shocked and surprised to find a book that might have just surpassed Lee Child’s Jack Reacher character. I decided to keep going with this series.  I kept on buying the “Tom Wood” books and storing them up to read and review thoroughly,  this Victor assassin series.  I was slighty anxious as I had read “A Time To Die” (the more recent book in the series) and had reviewed that on this website.  I didn’t want to feel that this first book in the series would be a let down or not on par with the more recent books in the series.

What just happened?

I went straight into the bookshop and bought the first book of the series titled “The Hunter”. Now I was starting to think, “Oh no” have I rushed with the rave reviews on my website and put the recommendations out too early for people to buy “A Timetp Die”. Yes “A Time to Die” is one of the best crime thriller books that I have read, perhaps debatable, but in my humble opinion its better than all the books in the Lee Child series.

Okay, What about “The Hunter” Book?

Well the back of the book says:

His name is a cover

He has no home

And he kills for a living

Victor is a hit man, a man with no past and no surname. His world is one of paranoia and obsessive attention to detail; his morality lies either dead or dying. No one knows what truly motivates the hunter. No one gets close enough to ask.

When a Paris job goes spectacularly wrong, Victor finds himself running for his life across four continents, pursued by a kill squad and investigated by secret services from more than one country. With meticulous style, Victor plans his escape . . . and takes the fight to his would-be killers.

In this first novel in the explosive Victor series, it’s not about right and wrong – only about who lives and who dies.

There you go, great back of the book synopsis, surely this is something that you, like me thought “Yes, this seems like it could be a good book”. After two chapters of reading “The Hunter” I was quietly smiling to myself, trying desperately to find negatives as I was reading but at the same time just agreeing that this was going to be another mighty fine read.

General idea

To try and understand the plot without spoiling it for people, I as a previous Jean Claude Van Damme fan (apologies I was a teen martial arts fan) there was one stand out film that this book brought back to my memory. The film was called “HARD TARGET” (BUY HERE) and was basically Van Damme, accidentally entering into a game where the hunter became the hunted. To be honest the film now looks a little dated and probably has “B” rated action, the plot though is really rather excellent. Specialist baddies, chasing after Van Damme who uses his ex army skills to defend himself and fight back. This is what Victor the assassin does in this book like Jack Reacher, being chased by deadly hardened trained teams who go up against him, with the intent to kill.

Tell us the good

I defy anyone to read this book and not finish it within a week! Bold statement I know and I am being deadly serious.  The amazing pace, the twists and turns, the locations, all lead to a dramatic ending which leaves you just absolutely exhausted. We get to understand Victor, strange morals, thinking for himself, he really is about self-preservation. Even with all this going on, men reading this book will want to be him, cool in situations, always thinking ahead of the game, paranoid and observant, a cross between Jack Reacher and Jason Bourne. Perhaps the ultimate assassin you would say in some ways.

BUY THE BOOK HERE!

Okay you’ve convinced me

The reason this book is just like Jack Reacher is that again the author Tom Wood writes with such detail that you really feel like you are in the scenes. Jack Reacher isn’t exactly a hero and he does have strange morals, which relates slightly to Victor. For some reason you are routing for Victor even though he isn’t one of the good guys in a typical sense.  You are practically willing him to get through to the end of the book.  Even when everything is stacked against him and he is against some serious opposition, you are never sure he is going to make it.

I love the way that Victor even with all the skills in the world can still look and sound vulnerable. To me this is realistic, with so many enemies, so many tight situations that he has to think in an unconventional way to escape or not get killed.  With this high el meant of danger and the sublime pace of this plot, I do put this book firmly up there with a high score like the best Lee Child, Jack Reacher novels.

 

Let me know what you think? Have I got the review right, is he as good as Jack Reacher? Leave comments below.

 

 

 

 

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Was Tom Cruise the right person to play Jack Reacher?

Hopefully by now you have watched at least one of the Jack Reacher films either at the cinema or on DVD. I watched both films at the cinema and to be honest I was slightly concerned that the big screen films wouldn’t be anywhere near the same feel as the Lee Child Novels.

I was pleasantly surprised with the first movie as the subject matter of a sniper killing people and Jack trying to solve who the murderer was had enough suspense to keep you interested even after reading the book.

The main debate……

The issue that won’t go away with the Jack Reacher novels is the fact that Tom Cruise has been cast as the main character. For me when I first heard this I thought that it was a joke as when you read the books, Jack Reacher is approximately 6ft 5″ and 250 pounds in weight. So Jack Reacher is a big bloke, capable of taking on 5 people or more in a fist fight, someone who is noticed and in books described as a powerful force. When I think of Tom Cruise I didn’t think he would match up to this character, in height and weight also with the intimidating nature of Jack Reacher.

There have been a lot of complaints by avid Jack Reacher readers alike and non Reacher fans moaning that casting someone like Tom Cruise has made the franchise less appealing. The very fact that many avid readers have now got an ideal picture in their heads about who Jack Reacher should be does create a problem for Lee Child.

What were the options?

There were a few different actors who could have played the role of Jack Reacher, some who maybe in my opinion could have provided the look or fit that many readers wanted. The main question for me though would have been even thought they look the part, can they act like Reacher.

Top of my list would be Hugh Jackman, he has the height can beef up and can act as well. I think after seeing him in the new Logan film made me realise he could easily have been the Jack Reacher we wanted. Have a look at the film and you can see elements of Jack Reacher as the aging Wolverine. Buy it here.

Dywane Johnson is the new up and coming action movie star. After making a career in WWE he is now a credible actor. He obviously has the physical presence of Jack Reacher, my only concern would be his acting as most of his films he portrays comical characters.
Liam Neeson is a well known actor who has been in so many different films, currently working in a lot of films that have the who done it feel. For me Liam is slightly too old physically to play Jack Reacher but could easily play and aging Jack Reacher towards the end of the series. He is also able to fight and look convincing doing it.

Verdict

I must admit, Tom Cruise was not the actor for me, not just due to the size or physical presence that he brings. The main issue for me was that he is involved in so many other films franchises, one of them being Mission Impossible as Ethan Hunt and this can get you really confused as to who he is playing when you watch the Jack Reacher movie. If, it was someone else who hasn’t got this franchise then you would probably be more forgiving of mismatch in physicality.

The one thing that Tom Cruise does bring to the role however if pure Hollywood star quality. This could be the physical force that Lee Child was after, someone who on the big screen takes Jack Reacher into a whole other market that other people who have never heard of the Lee Child book series can get hooked into.

I think it came down to yes I can get someone to look like Tom Cruise and Yes someone who is physically imposing, but for Lee Child he probably wanted someone who could act. As an actor Tom Cruise is outstanding and hopefully we will see a third film which in reality brings Jack Reacher to a bigger audience with Mr Cruise being in it.

Let me known what you think, is Tom Cruise the right or wrong person, comments below.

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Lee Child – Jack Reacher Book 21 – Night School

If like me you have read through all the Jack Reacher books you may have got to book number 20 titled “Make Me” and thought, “yes, that was good, probably stop now Lee Child”.

I mean Reacher is getting older and what more can we expect from him.  As a fan I didn’t really want to see Jack Reacher not fighting or remenissing about previous plots and conquests.

I guess I was wrong to even suggest that Lee Child should stop writing about Jack Reacher, as we now have book number 21 titled “Night School”

 

 

If you are reading the books backwards in the wrong order, from the author Lee Child book list, then can I please say politely “STOP”.  In my humble opinion, you need to start at book 1 “Killing Floor” and take a look at the Blog “the Jack Reacher books reading order” on my site to get the best out of them.

Right firstly lets get down to the good stuff.

Night School is it the real deal, is it up to the normal standards?

Okay lots of questions and thoughts about this book so here we go.  Lee Child is obviously an exceptional writer, his fast pace scene setting and the selective descriptions he uses really capture your imagination and makes you feel that you are in the story itself. As normal this book is so easy to read due to Lee Child’s unique writing style. Going back to Reacher’s early days is also a clever aspect of this book as it has endless possibilities for further “spin off” books in the future and gives you a look at a younger Reacher before he left the army.

For me, even though these aspects would normally enhance the reading experience of a Lee Child novel, this time it seemed to give me a slightly different feel as I progressed through the story. Maybe Lee Child is a victim of his own success as I don’t recall any previous “Reacher” books whereby I really struggled to get to grips with it right until the end.

I had to keep really putting the work in to read this book and try and get excited about what I was reading.  Again it could be a bit like the Star Wars Last Jedi film whereby I already had an opinion of what was going to happen.  Upon reading the book or seeing the Star Wars last Jedi film, it just didn’t fit into my idea of what I thought was going to happen.  This doesn’t mean to say its a bad thing, just that I prefer the continuity of characters through a series rather than changing things just because!

The main plot of Night School, revolves around an undercover agent overhearing a request for 100 million from middle eastern contacts but no one knows what this request is for. Reacher teams up with an FBI agent and a CIA agent to solve the mystery but this really doesn’t work as their isn’t much communication between the two agents during the book. Reacher goes off and teams up with Neagley to solve the mystery but during this part of the story, there is a lot of chopping and changing between characters that you kind of get the impression that the book has been written for movie/film scenes in the future.

An example of this would be Reacher chatting through plans in a hotel then stepping out to fight some undercover officers. This type of thing happens throughout the book which slowly becomes boring as there doesn’t seem to be any need for the fight scenes like in previous books.

The ending is really not a massive highlight either as most of the books in the series usually are, this leads me to think maybe the main plot from the start just wasn’t a good enough subject to get the average Reacher fan excited.

Verdict

Overall I think the book would in my eyes a much higher rating if you were new to the Jack Reacher series and had just started reading the Lee Child novels. As a Reacher fan, for me it would probably be the worst of the series due to the incoherent writing and the switching between the scenes.

I’d love to hear your comments on this book so let me know if you agree or disagree with me.  Night School can be bought here

Thanks