Blue Moon: A Jack Reacher Novel

BLUE MOON: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child Book 24 of 24 in Jack Reacher My Review Five Stars***** I received my Pre-Ordered Kindle Edition of Reacher's latest adventure when it was released October 29th and finished reading it November 3rd. I noted that BLUE MOON is #1 this week on the Amazon Charts and it has been designated as an Amazon Best Book Of November 2019. In the spirit of full disclosure, I love the writing style of Lee Child and adore reading about the exploits of his fictional protagonist, ex-military cop and larger-than-life champion of the underdog, the indelible Jack ("No Middle Name") Reacher. I have read all of his books comprising the two dozen Jack Reacher novels, and many of my favorites I've re-read over the years, a select few even pulled off the virtual bookshelf for a third go around. The point I guess I'm trying to make is that I haven't read a Reacher novel yet that I didn't like. I remember Lee Child's assertion that "character is king" when it comes to writing a successful novel. Books really ARE remembered for the characters we "meet" as we travel down the path of the story line to its conclusion. More specifically it is the LEAD character that must carry the burden of making or breaking a book. Child depends on Reacher, and he has never let his creator fail. More importantly, Jack doesn't disappoint his readers (who are really more like fans). I can't remember even half of the wildly diverse predicaments and sociopathic, psychotic villains that Reacher has faced down and prevailed over during the passage of all these years. But I will ALWAYS remember Reacher. BLUE MOON may not be my favorite Reacher outing, but I feel that it deserves a solid Five-Star Rating nevertheless. Abnormal psychology aside, most of us simply like to feel GOOD, and that is what riding shotgun with Jack Reacher brings to the table. He will make certain that your endorphins are released in a frequent and pleasurable fashion all throughout the journey that starts when you read that first page, and doesn't end until you devour those last few lines of text. I enjoy reading crime fiction and particularly serial killer thrillers and chilling psychological suspense tales. Occasionally I find that one of these forays that allow me to vicariously "take a walk on the wild side" leave me feeling emotionally drained. Relief is just a heartbeat away and I will select one of my Reacher novels and "hit the highway". I know in advance that I'll soon be occasionally laughing out loud, engrossed in a riveting page turner that will keep me emotionally engaged and happy as Reacher stands up for the "little man" and slays whatever variety of Dragon is on the menu. Reading a Lee Child novel is literally a "shot in the arm" for me, a mood elevator that makes me ecstatic when Reacher launches his crushing victories against the hoodlums and assorted scum littering the pages of the narrative. SO---BLUE MOON is one of those "feel good" books in its own right. Reacher's grand causes almost invariably start out with some small act of kindness on his part to a total stranger, or alternatively Jack just taking a detour from his nomadic wandering to sight see in a particular location. In BLUE MOON there is quite the domino effect when Reacher intercedes on the behalf of an elderly and feeble old man asleep on a Greyhound Bus. The old fellow has a bank envelope protruding from his coat, obviously containing some cash, and a slimy opportunist across the aisle in the bus is just waiting to move on his identified mark. Early in the novel Reacher addresses the fact that it is a "random universe" and that it is only "once in a Blue Moon things turn out just right". "Blue Moon" in my opinion is the author's nod to the wholly incredible unlikelihood that a chain of purely random actions and corresponding reactions would play out in a remarkably positive and serendipitous way for the true victims and "good guys" in the scenario. Fans of Reacher all know about his certain brand of justice, and he never lets bad odds rule the day. I think perhaps in a tongue in cheek kind of way Child was letting us know in advance that we would have to suspend disbelief more than usual this time around, or alternatively embrace the concept that fate is indeed a strange mistress, and that every once in a blue moon a good man with everything on the line is in fact, dealt a royal straight flush in a high stakes poker game of life and death. Either way, my chips were "all in" on this tale of David vs. Goliath. We met a few of the used and downtrodden citizens extorted and abused by narcissistic white collar swindlers, back alley loan sharks, not to mention crooked cops and a pair of ruthless gangs who extorted and ruled the entire city with their threats and deadly force. It left virtually no doubt that these folks needed a champion, a dragon slayer, a man of action who believed in them and in his own moral code. I was happy to just "go with it"...the action was compelling, wryly amusing at times, sometimes surprising, and a couple of times you just had to smile to yourself and say "Jeez, I love ya Reacher!" "You're the man!" Conversely, I was also more than ready to wish upon a star, and feel in my heart that maybe once in a Blue Moon, there could be the kind of crazy chaos that pitches us all up in the air, and we come back to the earth, grounded, happy, and with the sun shining on a bright new day.

LEE CHILD’s writing is skillfully descriptive and masterfully intense. SUMMARY Reacher is on a Greyhound bus minding his own business with no particular place to go. Ever observant, he notices an old man who is carrying a lot of cash in his pocket. At the next stop the man steps off the bus and someone else is following him. Reacher gets off too. Reacher soon learns the elderly couple has made a few well-meaning mistakes and now they owe some very bad people money. A lot more money than they have. Reacher offers to help and quickly finds himself in the middle of a turf war between rival Ukrainian and Albanian gangs. He teams up with a waitress who knows more that she’s willing to talk about. Together they set out to take down the powerful gangs and make the greedy pay. “This is a random universe,” Reacher says. “Once in a blue moon things turn out just right.” REVIEW This is Jack Reacher #24 and I am happy to say I have loved every single one of Lee Child’s books in this series which started in 1997. Each book is a comfortable and fast read. You know what your going to get when you open the cover. The story is going to be gripping and intense and Reacher is going to make things right. He always does. You may not like how he goes about it, but his rationale makes total sense. Jack Reacher at six-foot-five is his own man. He is smart, strategic and strong and empathetic. He has the ability to find trouble everywhere he goes. And he will never turn a blind eye to someone who needs help. You’ll want Jack Reacher in your corner when you need help. LEE CHILD’s writing in Blue Moon is skillfully descriptive and masterfully intense. He makes it easy to visualize the old man with bulging pocket getting off the bus and walking down the street. Reacher takes us on a breathless ride of action and suspense, and easily juggles multiple plot lines before merging them together.

• Jack Reacher takes on two foreign organizations in a mid-size town, each scrimmaging over territory but trying hard not to get into an all-out turf war. Reacher is just the guy to push it over the edge in this action-packed, ass-kicking tale of the ex-MP coming to the aid of two elderly people caught up in a usury scheme. • Twenty-five enemy combatants? No problem. Fifty? Sure, bring ‘em on! Obviously, Reacher can’t take them on all at once. He’s just one man, after all. But that’s the great thing about this character: his uncanny ability to marshal resources. I love the way Lee Child takes the reader step-by-step through Reacher’s introspections, reasoning the whys and hows and wheres of a situation, testing how to gain the slightest of advantages in some very hairy situations. Sometimes, it’s a little pedantic, but generally, it is logical deduction, very believable, and contributes to the building of some great tension, especially in the climatic scenes of the novel. • Like the pebble rolling down from the top of a snowy mountain, Reacher’s momentum is an unstoppable tour-de-force, rolling into a mammoth avalanche coming down to consume everyone and anyone who opposes him. I loved it! • I loved the sardonic humor, the quick quips between characters, Reacher’s undeniable dry wit, and the inside jokes of “Army vs. Marines” sprinkled throughout the story. I also learned a few new military terms and how to use setting to a maximal tactical advantage. All in all, this is a great Jack Reacher tale. • Warning: While there is violence in the novel (as in all Reacher stories), it is not gratuitous, at least for me it wasn’t. Lee Child knows is excellent at building tension in his novels with explosive, satisfying releases of it when the bad guys get the crap beat out of them. I loved this novel and would love to see it as a movie.

I used to be a fan of the Jack Reacher series but it has been a few years since I last one of Lee Child’s novels; however, when I saw this paperback edition (Blue Moon: A Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child) on Amazon for a bargain price I just had to send for it. The book came quickly which was great. As always, Lee Child never lets you down as he weaves the story of another Jack Reacher adventure with numerous interesting twists and turns keeping you turning the pages to find out what happens next. This one begins on a bus where Jack spots an elderly man with a large envelope sticking out of his upper jacket pocket area. It is clearly a bank type envelope and probably was filled with cash. Being a former U.S. Army cop he also sees a young thuggish looking man who spots the old guy with a bulging bank type envelope. Jack was not planning on getting off the bus because he had purchased a ticket to the end on the bus, but when he saw the old man getting off with the young guy following behind, Reacher decided to get off and follow them. I never give away too much information when reviewing any kind of novel because I never want to spoil any surprises for anyone who intends to read the book. You can be assured this tale soon becomes much more interesting and complex after Reacher saves the old man from a beating from the young thug and the loss of his money. Reacher winds up not only helping out an elderly couple who owes money to the local mob, he also outsmarts the local thug organized crime groups. If you are a Jack Reacher fan you will love how he manipulates the circumstances in his favor making the thugs confused and blaming each other for their incompetence. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Tactical Principles of the most effective Combative Systems).

Lee Child can weave an interesting tale about Jack Reacher but may drive readers who are familiar with proper sentence structure and use of punctuation to the brink. I know that’s the case for me. I purchased the entire Jack Reacher series of books after seeing the first season of the series. I never would have read so many of his books if I hadn’t already paid for them. I have often wondered why, with all the money that Lee Child must have brought in from his writing, he can’t seem to afford a staff who will proofread and correct the many mistakes throughout his books. Same goes for his publisher. I held onto hope with each successive book that he might learn something about writing and make his books easier to read. I hoped, with the addition of his brother on the last couple, that the books would improve but seemed to get only worse. Sometimes, 2 whole pages of back-and-forth banter are written with nothing to occasionally let you know who is speaking, so multiple readings may be needed at times to sort it out. I think almost all, if not all, of the pages have sentences with commas where none are needed, periods where commas are needed, clauses used as sentences, and a new paragraph starting from a clause that belongs in the previous sentence of the preceding paragraph. As I said, hard to read if you understand basic sentence structure. There are often times where I wish Lee had done one iota of research to get facts right. I refer to passages in the stories where it was apparent that Lee Child had no experience or knowledge; I guess, more or less, the writing is off the top of his head. Some problems are: 1: He thinks the flashing emergency lights of vehicles in the western states are the same as in much of the New England states (blue on fire trucks and red on police). 2: He didn’t know what the average shoe size in America is actually 10 ½ (stating it as 9) 3: He thinks a large man like Jack Reacher would have what Lee evidently thinks of as a large foot size of 11, instead of something closer to 14 or 15 (I am 6’1” and wear a 13.) I assume Lee has a small foot. 4: Lee has never been near a fast-moving train, thinking there is violent ground movement when the train is even over a mile away and hurricane force winds near one traveling 60 mph. 5: He seems to think that all gas stations and quick marts sell khaki pants and various shirts, packs of socks, and underwear. 6: Jack Reacher can knock anyone unconscious and very often dead with one punch. I can remember only a couple times when it took two. 7: He thinks face bones will “shatter” from a Jack Reacher punch and can knock out a gorilla or even an elephant. Jack also never has injuries to his hand or elbow from such amazing blows. 8: Jack Reacher’s hands are said to be as large as a dinner plate and his fists as large as Thanksgiving turkeys…really? Yes, his books are hard to read for these and other reasons caused by lack of oversight by his publisher and lack of staff. Please, I hope never to find out he has a staff that lets this stuff through. Good storyteller, other than the lack of research on details and no idea as to sentence/paragraph structure..

4.5 Stars! Blue Moon was another excellent installment in the Jack Reacher series with a fast-paced and action-packed plot. Reacher is on a bus with no destination in mind when he sees an old man about to be the victim of a crime. Wanting to help the man, Reacher gets off the bus which sets off a chain of events leading to Reacher finding himself at the center of a gang war between Ukrainians and Albanians. Determined to set things right, Reacher is joined by a waitress who knows more about the gangs than she wants to admit. With the odds against him, Reacher begins to take down the corrupt delivering his own personal brand of justice. The plot in this book is one of the better ones from the last few books in the series in my opinion. Reacher arrives in an unnamed town that is controlled by two rival gangs. Initially Reacher had no plans to get involved in the gang war, he simply wanted to help out the old couple he runs into and then be on his way. But through a series of events, Reacher finds himself smack in the middle of the war with both sides coming after him. I really enjoyed the chaos Reacher created and how he managed to pit the two gangs against each other. It was interesting getting scenes from the point of view of the two gangs as it was clear they had no idea who they were dealing with and were coming up with numerous theories about who Reacher could be. I thought the ending was fantastic with just the right amount of action to keep things interesting. Reacher continues to be an amazing character and I’ve loved watching his character evolve over the course of the series. His mind works in a different way than most people which allows him to analyze scenes quickly and find the root of any problem. I will say that Reacher kills quite a few people in this book, more than the last few books combined, which was a bit of a departure from the way his character has behaved recently. Reacher once again finds himself paired with a beautiful woman and I really enjoyed Abby’s character. I liked that she was a strong character and didn’t have any qualms with the way Reacher handled the gangs. Also, she actually contributed in the final showdown which is a nice change from the damsels in distress you normally get in male centered thrillers. Overall Blue Moon was just as amazing as the rest of the series and I’m looking forward to seeing what Reacher gets up to next. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a fantastic thriller series.

OK, I am a fan of the Reacher series. The books read well, keep the reader involved, have enough twists and turns to make you second guess what is coming next. The settings, opinions, and facts are very realistic and seem to be well researched. When I read, I want to be entertained, and this series accomplishes this quite well. Are these books for everyone, no; but if you like an action stories ala Louis L'amour, then the Child's have you covered.

The new Jack Reacher finds Jack in an unnamed Midwest town just large enough to serve two criminal gangs, one Albanian, the other Ukrainian. Jack meets an elderly man who is into the Albanian loan sharks for mucho dinero, all in the service of his daughter's medical care. She was bilked out of her health insurance by a scuzzball entrepreneur who, it just happens, is operating in this same town. There is not much here to spoil: we know from the get-go that Jack will defend the weak, face down the gangs and get into the medical insurance retrieval business. He will also find some temporary romance along the way, with a young woman who has also had some unpleasant experience with one of the gangs. That experience will eventually be revealed and the debt will be repaid at compound interest. I am always surprised that Jack is compared with James Bond when he is clearly more like a character such as Shane. The Reacher stories are really westerns. They have thriller elements, but Jack is essentially the previously-unknown stranger with a violent past who comes into town, rights wrongs, redresses grievances, kicks posteriors and takes names. Since both the hardboiled detective and the western find their ultimate influence in the chivalric romance, Jack is a not-too-tarnished knight errant. He is far more Philip Marlowe than James Bond. BLUE MOON is the perfect example of the classic Jack Reacher story; it puts us right where we want to be—in genre heaven. It is not profound; it does not entertain existential questions; it is not exquisitely written with endless bon-mots and quotable lines but it is filled with lovely procedural details and quaint bits of knowledge (e.g. the tensile strength of a silk tie and why it makes the perfect ligature). This is entertainment with a capital E and the most sublime form of entertainment—that which brings justice and rallies the good guys and gals to defeat the sleazoids. One nice twist: Jack teams up with a former Marine and a former Tanker and questions them as to how to assault the inevitable fortress which houses the chief baddie. Their answers are priceless. Highly recommended.

Op naar het volgende boek over Jack Reacher, kan niet wachten! Probeer het ook eens, kan geen kwaad! Gewoon doen!

As usual, I was kept on my toes, following Jack Reacher around is not for the faint of heart. Lee Child paints his characters as vividly as the hero himself, putting them and the reader in the heart of the action. Another addicting book that keeps me wanting more of the same.

Last one by Lee child (solo) and up to his normal standard, will be interesting to see what happen with next book

The book arrived on time and in perfect condition. It was a large print version, not a problem but unexpected.

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