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Worst David Baldacci Book?

I’ve waited for a while for this new book. David Baldacci one of my all time favourite crime thriller and mystery authors. His latest book is another story using the main character Amos Decker. Amos Decker is one of the characters I love, you can find the info about him here. 

Due to a sports injury – Amos has a great ability to retain memories of events and situations that happen throughout his life.  He has also suffered great loss and cannot emphasise with people in the way that he used to.

What is the story about Amos Decker?

I always think that a book that starts well, really hits you in the gut and gets you interested. Too much slow, slow, slowness can drain you before you even begin. For a book to be worthy of the Jack Reacher series it needs to grab you right by the hand and take you into the scene. This latest book by David Baldacci does this, it starts with the lines “Who killed you? Or, who murdered you? There was after all, a distinct difference.

Yes I’m hooked, here we go again, but like a boxer doing the jab, jab then bam, right cross, the book has Knocked you out!

This time Amos is visiting his friend Alex Jamison’s sister in western Pennsylvania which is like a skeleton of its former self due to economic downward spiral. Decker realises that something doesn’t look right in a house opposite so goes on a quick hunt to find out why a light would if flickering.

This sets a murder inquiry off which although Amos and Alex are supposedly on holiday they decide to get involved with the local police.  You are drawn into this weird eery place called Baronville, Pennsylvania.  David Baldacci understands how to create a back drop to the investigation, vast landscapes of poverty, drug use and a sense of decline compliment the story.

Is this a book like Jack Reacher?

I think this is one of the closest books to the Jack Reacher novels that David Baldacci has written. Amos in a place he doesn’t’t know, the scenes of decline, weird people around not wanting Police to investigate. There is also a history brought in of the area, why have other people died in the past? Amos is uses his photographic memory, his wit and humour to dig deep and find out who has killed in this town

Is there any Jack Reacher action?

Although Amos is not like Jack Reacher in stature, there is plenty of action and thrills to make even the best Jack Reacher fan happy. The way that Amos thinks will keep you intrigued as his skill set and slightly quirky nature is a brilliant attribute that David Baldacci really utilizes throughout the book.  We also find that Decker and Jamison are in strong danger, the closer they get to finding out who the killer could be.

Final thoughts

If you haven’t yet read the Memory Man book, then start here as this will get you in to series of books and you will grow to love Amos Decker. If you do like your mystery books and crime thrillers then I really think you will like this book.

My top three crime thriller books will soon change as I think this book needs to be somewhere at least in the top 5. David Baldacci has really changed the game by introducing this book as I think it may be more appealing than his other series with Will Robie which as you know I am a big fan of.

If you like books like Jack Reacher then get this book as you will absolutely love it. Again be ready for the late nights and tired eyes as you will be flipping through the pages wanting to find out if Amos will catch the killer.

 

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Books like Jack Reacher – Die Trying book review

I’ve started to go back through the Jack Reacher novels again to see if my top five books were still the correct best books in the Lee Child series.

Most of the Jack Reacher book series I do remember, there are the odd books that have got lost along the wayside and this book is one of them. “Die Trying” was one of those older books that I’m sure at the time I thought was really good but overtime I have read other authors and this has dropped off my book reading radar!

Die Trying – What’s it about?

“Die Trying” is a great read, I love the Reacher of the older books as he seemed a bit more gritty, more of a “do-or-die” mentality. The start of the book is quite special as Jack Reacher is helping a woman who is injured and then he expectantly gets thrown into a car and kidnapped.

A frantic journey ensues with Reacher stuck in the car with the woman who helped. He finds out the she is an FBI agent and is in the same boat as him. The pace of the book really picks up as the FBI obviously are searching for their agent and think that Reacher is the prime suspect.

Reacher and the agent are transported to a commune where the main leaders are creating an army sect and want the government to meet their demands.

Again we have Reacher on his own against the sect, defending the woman agent and trying to work out what the army sect are trying to do.

There is a great battle of leadership in this book as the FBI agent wants to assume control of the situations whereby Reacher, as in many of the Lee Child novels is really the go to hero and saves her from an attack which automatically puts him in charge of a plan to escape.

Is this one of the better books?

The good thing about this book is the pace a t which the plot plays out, lots of fights which is one of the trademarks of the Lee Child books. This really is another page turner, one of those books that you will be staying up until the early hours trying to finish it. The scenery changes from Reacher in the confinement of a car, to then being confined in a mountain community are well written, you can sense the claustrophobia and the tension rising and Reacher tried to plan his escape. I like the way Lee Child keeps the sense of mystery throughout the book, you are never really sure what is going to happen with the various FBI agents and the leader of the community. There is something very clever when the leader of the community sect is obviously quite deranged as his decisions are very random which is what keeps you on edge.

What about Jack Reacher?

This book really helps you to understand a little more of Reacher’s background, his clever clock in his “head”, why he travels without much equipment. I love that fact that after each book Lee Child lets you know more and more about Jack Reacher’s personality, this is a great way of getting you to read each of the Jack Reacher novels.  The first book “Killing Floor” is where you should start though to get to grips with the novel, my favourite is still “Bad luck and trouble”.

How do I buy it?

You can buy the book by clicking the link below, there are various platforms from Kindle to Hardback. I like hardback books just as they are usually the first to be published and are more my style. Kindle is great for commuters or people who don’t want to carry the book around. I would recommend this book for action and suspense, it does start a little slower than the previous “Killing Floor” book but is a very very good read.

BUY DIE TRYING HERE!

 


 

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Characters in books that are like Jack Reacher

Firstly if you don’t want to read the rest of this article and you are a Jack Reacher fan, then look at the best books to buy here!

Imagine the scenario, you have just finished the latest Jack Reacher book, you are sat with your head in your hands. What are you going to do next? You have read all the Jack Reacher books in order from the first Jack Reacher book to the latest Jack Reacher book yet you want more. You have a choice, either pop out to the local book shop and just grab anything in the crime thriller books section, sit down on google and search through loads and loads of reviews.

Or come to http://www.bookslikeJackReacher.co.uk where I can help you choose your next book straight away. How easy is it, at a click of a button, you can scroll through this site and pick your next read.

If you are still not sure, then have a look at the Lee Child Jack Reacher novels here and see for yourself the character that I am talking about….

Top 5 characters like Jack Reacher

Well here is the list of fictional Characters that we wil be reviewing over the next few weeks so that you can see why we think they are like Jack Reacher. Each Character is from a Crime Thriller book, some are from up and coming authors, others are from well known established authors. So before you go back through your list of Jack Reacher books in order again, have a look at this selection and let us know what you think.

1 – Will Robie

A government assassin, a killer who kills people to order. Will Robie although maybe not like Jack Reacher in statue, more than makes up for this in skill set and mental attitude. Created by David Baldacci, Will Robie is an excellent book series to get started on. Each book is brilliantly written, with plots that absorb you and fight scenes that are tense and well written. There are five Will Robie books currently in print, the first novel is called “The Innocent” and i recommend that you start here as it will help you understand how the main character changes over time.  Buy the book here.

2 – Jon Reznick

Jon Reznick is a “ghost”: a black-ops specialist who takes his orders from shadowy handlers, and his payroll from the US government. This book series is one of my latest reads and I kind of stumbled onto it by accident. Jon Reznick is just like Jack Reacher, similar height, similar thought pattern and similar skill set. The main difference is that he is a family man, I won’t spoil it too much for you but lets just say he has commitments that Jack Reacher doesn’t have. This again though makes you want to see how his plots pan out. Created by J.B Turner and there are currently five books in this series, starting with “Hard Road”. All the books in the series start with the word “Hard”. Buy book number 1 Here.

3 – Evan Smoak

I found this due to a comment on the back from author David Baldacci saying “Read this book, you will thank me later”. this intrigued me massively as I thought it really can’t be that good and this is another clever sales slogan. I was WRONG, if you need something to read as soon as possible, as you are craving from finishing the latest Jack Reacher book. Then read this book now …… did I say now – yes read it NOW, BUY IT here. Created by Gregg Hurwitz, Evan Smoak is a complex character, trained like Jason Bourne into an assassin, now living a life to help people. Like Jack Reacher, a loner, analyser, survivor and a person who battles for the underdog. Let me know what you think in the comments box.

4 – Carter Blake

Carter Blake is a unique character as this is not his real name. He is a skilled professional who provides a straightforward service: for a price, he’ll find people who don’t want to be found. Created by Mason Cross, Carter Blake is a guy who takes no messing. Like jack Reacher, Carter Blake doesn’t trust anyone, he is a problem solver who seems to see things that others don’t, just like Jack Reacher. There are currently four Carter Blake books with a fifth one on the way in April 2018.  Buy the first one here.

5 – Amos Decker

Amos Decker has an injury, this life changing brain injury means that he now can’t forget anything, he remembers everything, even stuff that he doesn’t want to remember. Again another complex character but also somehow you always feel slightly sorry for him. Like Jack Reacher, he sometimes struggles to fit in, even when working in a team he doesn’t seem to be quite on the same wave length as the other characters. Created by well know author David Baldacci, Amos Decker series has four books with another coming this year in April. Perhaps not as physically fit as Jack Reacher or as strong but Amos Decker has a unique skill set that sets him apart from the rest.  Buy the book here.

That’s All Folks!

So there you have it, something to get you teeth into, please leave some comments with what you thought about these characters. I will be posting more characters overtime and keeping you up to date with the latest books in each of the series. What is amazing about these books is that they are at different times for publishing so you haven’t got much time to wait in between the releases.

I know Jack Reacher is unique, the way that Lee Child writes is unique, but don’t let that put you off exploring and seeing if there are any other characters that you could get into. Don’t compare but embrace what each one has and the unique ability to solve mysteries and kick butt when required.

Each of the books will be listed on this bookslikejackreacherwebsite so that you can see for yourself how similar in certain ways that they are to Jack Reacher. One other thing, if you haven’t seen the first Jack Reacher movie yet, I would recommend it to you as it does have a real suspense feel and “who done it” type of thriller. Not 100% on having Tom Cruise as the main character but we can talk about that in another post.

As you can see there are lots of characters like Jack Reacher.  If you like Jack Reacher then have a look at the Lee Child Jack Reacher books order HERE.

If you like my website then have a look here on how I put it together by clicking this link –

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David Baldacci – The Fix book review

Jack Reacher Alternatives

Looking for a brilliant book like Lee Child?  Then look no further than this good read by well known author by David Baldacci.

The book titled “The Fix” is brilliant, even though I had lots of work on, I read this book within a week. The book really does draw you in with each page,  the main character is so intriguing that you are never sure how the plot is going to play out.

From the first few pages where a murder happens in front of both the FBI headquarters and main character Amos Decker, right until the end we wanted to know why, why, why and who, who, who!!

Like Jack Reacher – Amos Decker

Amos Decker is a complex character as we discussed on the previous post, he is always thinking ahead of the situation that he is in but also find himself quite disturbed due to his medical condition.  Not quite a male hero character who beats the bad guys physically, more of a geek who can look after himself, but will outwit anyone he comes up against.

Like Jack Reacher, Amos has a problem solving mind, such a great skill set when trying to solve murders.  How he solves this crime with all the twists and turns you wouldn’t even expect, make this book such a brilliant read.

We recommend this book for all who like Jack Reacher – Score 9/10.  BUY IT HERE!