A lengthy but solid Reacher read
599245
A Wanted Man is one of Childs longest reads however it delivers on many levels. For those who enjoy Jack Reacher inflicting physical pain and verbal barbs (and who doesnt?) you will get your fill within this hefty read. If you are more into a tightly twisted plot that reveals itself like the peeling away of the onion skin, you will not be disappointed in the fresh direction the author takes this work. It is both believable and unexpected; and thats a good thing. If you like detail, check that box as well since Child adds some deeply descriptive narrative, some readers might think it is beyond the bounds necessary to support the storyline, but I think it allows the story to simmer for a great while instead of boiling over prematurely. The beauty of this book is the author doesnt pursue the expected formula one might come to expect after nearly twenty Jack Reacher books. With that comes some risk in readers getting a bit anxious for progress and I myself found it a bit slow going at times, but it is not for lack of Childs creative genius. The devil is in the details and you need to take in all of the acts to get to the credits. Consider A Wanted Man as several nights of enjoyment and you will not be disappointed.
4052630
Just look at my name, and you can tell I'm a Reacher fan. He's my favorite literary character, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on 61 Hours. I did like it, but it wasn't my favorite Reacher adventure.

Reacher is on a bus, and the bus gets into an accident. Reacher helps out where he can.  He's stranded in fridged South Dakota.  He soon learns of a plot to kill and old woman, and Reacher wants to protect her.  Reacher learns that all isn't as what it seems in the town he's in.  He has to deal with a local gang, a secret compound, the cold weather, and an assassin that never misses. There's more that he has to deal with, but I don't want to give to much out.  Reacher also calls out to the person who is now running the 110th MP, to get some help.

For me, this just okay, but there was a lot missing.  One of the things that I feel that was missing was the "Reacher Body Count".  I kept on waiting for Reacher to "clean house", but that really never happens. It sort of happens once, but that's it.  We also don't see how Reacher deduces things like he's done in the past book. He sort of just stumbled around, not sure what was going on.  I also felt the part of the woman that runs the 110th, did nothing to advance the story, but rather drag it down. I will admit that it was interesting to learn about Reacher when he was 6 years old, but it just didn't add to the story.  I did like how we were able to see Reacher's inner thoughts and inter workings to see what makes Reacher tick. That part was outstanding.

***COULD BE LIGHT SPOILERS***

As for the cliff-hanger....I really didn't think it was a cliff-hanger. I Just assumed that Reacher escaped, and that's that. Not a cliff-hanger.

*** Light Spoiler end***

I loved the start and I loved the end, but the middle was lagging. It was just so dull. Reacher didn't seem like himself.

Overall, it was a pretty good read, just not Lee Child's best. If you've read Reacher in the past, then you may like 61 Hours. Just don't think all Reacher books are like this.
274281
This is a good story in typical Jack Reacher fashion. There are a few twists but they are not real serious. And it explains why Reacher left the Army.
62020
It's another fast-paced Jack Reacher story.  Once the story and mystery are laid out, the plot moves along very well.  The timeline of the story is set in the '90s and involves an AWOL PFC and the drawdown of the military in Europe.  There's also some assorted baddies from the middle east and Germany mixed in as well.  I don't want to give away too much, nobody likes the spoilers.  If you've enjoyed some of Lee Child's other Jack Reacher stories, you should like this one too.  The story does take place in a few different locations, however missing from this tale is the nomadic aspect of Jack Reacher and how he generally drifts from place to place.
2872608
Excellent story, and a change of venue for Reacher, as it's primarily set in Europe.  Having said that, Child was a bit less guarded with his British idiom use in Reacher's dialogue.  One of the really amazing things about past books is that Reacher always sounded purely American - this time he comes across as somewhat British.  Overall, well plotted, and great use of deductive reasoning in advancing the story lines.
3542670
There was the usual Reacher-ness in this installment of Lee Child's series but this time there were two added dimensions.  First, the location in Maine was described so vividly that it became almost a character in and of itself.  Secondly, the bad guys were especially bad this time around, and notably bigger than Reacher to boot.  This page turner ate up an entire Sunday for me and I don't regret it.
2842018
A Wanted Man concludes a sort of trilogy of "Jack Reacher wandering around the upper midwest."  In 61 Hours, he is in South Dakotah.  He's blown up at the end of that book, but survives and finds his way to a tiny town in Nebraska in Worth Dying For.  At the end of Worth Dying For, he's dropped off at the highway, where he's picked up shortly after at the beginning of A Wanted Man.  I'm sure some fan has done a timeline of these three books.  Let's just say it was a very eventful couple of weeks for Jack Reacher.

The people who pick him up seem to be a trio traveling together for business.  As long as they get him closer to Virginia, he doesn't really care.  But when he figures out that the woman is a hostage, and the two men might be the men the state troopers at the road blocks are looking for, his ride gets much more interesting.  Of course, Reacher's insatiable curiosity and personal quest for justice will not allow him to let anything go.  He commandeers a sheriff's car for a while, flees from justice when an APB goes out for him, and finally recruits a couple of FBI agents to help him take down dozens of criminals.

I enjoyed A Wanted Man because I love Reacher's character, his deliberate way of figuring everything out, and his skill at staying alive and getting the bad guys.  But for this book, the whole interconnected criminal enterprise seemed cobbled together and incomplete, and the big, final confrontation was too rushed and unoriginal.  This, of course, is in comparison to other Reacher novels.  A Wanted Man still ranks above most action-oriented fiction.  So Reacher fans will not want to miss this one, especially to fill in the gap between Worth Dying For and his arrival in Virginia, in Never Go Back.  When I say it's not Child's best, it's still pretty darn good.
3321611
I got hooked on Reacher a while back.  This story is true to form, and I liked the back story.  It helps complete the character for me.
1838125
I love the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child, but the plot of  this one seemed to be particularly complicated.  The premise and underlying motives were a bit far-fetched, in my opinion.  I'm used to reading and enjoying the solitary Reacher as he quietly goes about his life of travel and fighting evil wherever it turns up.  I will still wait eagerly for the next installment.
1200048
I still love the Jack Reacher character and have read all Lee Child's books.  This one was better than the last and had a good plot.  It would have been an excellent short story.  This book is filled with lots and lots of filler which could be skipped over.  How many times can you read about how he drinks his coffee or how the snow banks on the road.  Wish author could get help to add some meat to his stories.  But, Jack Reacher fans will still like this one!  Recommend.
712756
Another good story by Mr. Child that I hope will allow the Reacher movies to grow into a franchise. Hits all the highs of his previous books. Well worth it
4381656
The accumulated reviews of this novel tell you all you need to know about character and plot: Jack (NMN) Reacher, bumming about Key West, without advance knowledge, revives a youthful/mutual attraction and inherits a home near West Point from the woman's father, his former C.O. This leads into a tangle of interlocking plots as a presumed KIA involved in corporate schemes and a group of MIA scamsters dreaw Reacher and his companion into a puzzle solution while a brutal kidnapping/multiple murder plot develops. Much of the mystery for Reacher is the large scale/small scale villiany which envelops him: just who is the bad guy. This is what the ultimate solution discovers.

Just looking at it tells you that this is a very thick book. What is worth knowing is that the writing - detail and description- sometimes gets in the way of the development of plot. After a while I started jumping ahead a paragraph or two ( no, I didn't spoil it by going to the end, but.....I advise you not to do that either, the wait is worth it). Perhaps a bit of judicious trimming would improve what is a very good read. Certainly worth a few bucks.
3136143
Excellent read.  Better than average Reacher book, and his average is good.
709054
Good story, but pace was a little slow in places. Thought the ending was a bit more predictable than usual. Characters are a little bland. However, all these are super critical observations based on my expectations of Reacher books perfection. I will again be first in line to buy the next one.
1743941
In 1990, Jack Reacher is an MP at Fort Bird, NC, recently transferred from Panama. He follows a different set of rules. His first assignment: the death of a two-star general who dies in a raunchy motel. His briefcase, containing the agenda for a top-secret conference in California is missing. Reacher works with Lt. Summer to investigate the generals death, and his wifes murder.

Child is a writer whose plot follows chronological order and moves at a quick pace. The plot reveals the intellectual side of Reacher, who thinks everything out. Sometimes he gets it wrong, but be assured there will be twists and turns.

One of the reasons I like the character of Jack Reacher is his high sense of honor. Hell sacrifice himself if need be to keep his honor. This read tugged at the heartstrings.
514967
Reacher is on a NYC subway at 2AM one night and his attention is drawn to a woman who fits the profile of a suicide bomber; the other five passengers just happen to be there  or so it all seems. This entire scenario has a deadly end and Reacher is compelled to figure why all of these persons were on that train that night.

It turns out that many others have an intense interest too. For one, an ex Delta force major who served in Afghanistan in the early 80s and is now running for Senate, and two, a large deadly contingent of native Afghanis led by a ravishing female who has ties to the notorious OSB.

Early on, Reacher is able to determine that the female bomber, who worked for the US Armys Human Resources Command, had information valuable to several entities. But why and how? She was a lowly clerk. Reacher has to walk a tightrope among the NYPD, the FBI, and DOD personnel, not to mention the lethal gang from Afghanistan, in pursuing this situation. Avoiding detection and finding information is quite a balancing act.

Reacher is his typical self, preferring to outthink the opposition, but, if need be, use his finely tuned physical and military skills to overpower his adversaries. One could have a couple of quibbles with the book. For example, the last scene with Reacher would not happen. And his dealings with a NYPD female detective also seem contrived. But, all in all, a fast, suspenseful read.
2854164
If you only read one Reacher novel, it should be this one.  Set when Reacher was a Major in the
Military Police, when the Berlin Wall was coming down at the end of the Cold War, and when much maneuvering was going on within and among branches of the military, this complex story demonstrates the heart and spirit of Jack Reacher better than any other of the novels in the series.