Worth Dying For

At the end of a harrying week, there's not much better than settling down to read about Jack Reacher kicking whatever, taking names, and meting out justice.

The last couple of novels have been a little more on the cerebral side for Reacher (not that they haven't had plenty of violence), which is fine – Reacher's more than just brawn, he's got a brain. But by page 43 of this book when the first fight (well, the first real) starts you can tell this us going to be a lot different than the last couple of books, there's going to be a good deal of violence, and the reader's blood is going to be pumping a lot. And wow, is there a lot of fighting going on – I haven't kept notes or anything, but I don't remember as much hand-to-hand fighting in a Reacher book in ages – if ever. Well-exectued by both Child and Reacher, I should add.

There is a misunderstanding involving one representative of the for parties that Reacher is up against here. The kind of misunderstanding that would make classic sit-com fodder, but here serves to ratchet up the paranoia and mutual suspicions between the parties. I had a lot of fun watching how one chance encounter and a million to one happening unravels something that really could've taken Reacher down, particularly in his weakened condition.

That weakened condition is one of the best things about this book – there's a strong link between Worth Dying For and [b:61 Hours|6977769|61 Hours (Jack Reacher, #14)|Lee Child|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320512665s/6977769.jpg|6932011], the strongest since [b:Tripwire|220970|Tripwire (Jack Reacher, #3)|Lee Child|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1309280265s/220970.jpg|1383273] and [b:Running Blind|455925|Running Blind (Jack Reacher, #4)|Lee Child|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1174926706s/455925.jpg|694428] – 11 books back – and, from what I've learned from a couple of TV interviews, this link continues in his latest, [b:Never Go Back|17262159|Never Go Back (Jack Reacher, #18)|Lee Child|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1367779855s/17262159.jpg|23756807] (further incentive, not that I need it, to catch up with this series). His body is still recovering from the trauma endured, and his mind is set on the officer who's taken his old position. I really appreciated that, it's good to see that these aren't just random adventures, but there's some continuity at work here, even if the novels are completely stand-alone in nature.

The villains at the center of this mess are probably the vilest that Child has yet cooked up – and that's saying something. Once everything about their criminal activities is revealed, you're more than ready for Reacher to do his thing. Which he – naturally – does with aplomb and efficiency.

Take your blood pressure meds, get in your comfy chair and kick back for a heck of a read.