Guess this is the Lee Child weekend from both coasts. Gone Tomorrow is Child's latest of 13 Jack Reacher novels. His previous book, Nothing to Lose, for me was a disappointment. Not nearly up to previous Reacher stories, and I've read them all.
Reacher is riding the NY subway at 2am with 5 other people. Persons #4's behavior meets all 12 criteria for a suicide bomber except one; wrong time of day - not enough human damage. Reacher approaches her, tries to talk her down, but instead she pulls a gun and puts a bullet through her skull. The police come and question the 3 other people in the car and release them, but as Reacher sees all, he notices that one of the others took off.
After giving his statement in typical obtuse Reacher style, he is approached by a series of shadowy investigators, none of whom show ID. He is asked repeatedly if the woman said anything about a guy named Sansom or a woman named Hoth. Did she give him anything? No one believes the answer to all questions was "No."
Sansom turns out to be an ex-Delta major, now a NC congressman with eyes on the Senate, and maybe the White House - a genuine decorated Army veteran. At first Hoth says she is the daughter of a Ukrainian woman looking for a man who was kind to her in the early 1980's, just before the USSR dissolved. But, obviously, all is not as it seems. The story twists and turns multiple times as Reacher tries to find out what the woman was carrying, its current location, what it has to do with Sansom, and who is Lila Hoth. The story jumps form NYC to DC to Greensboro to Germany to Russia and Afghanistan (at a time when no American boots were supposed to be on the ground there).
Got this on Monday evening from the library, and finished it Friday. 421 pages in 4 days...one of the fastest reads I've had in some time...don't plan anything once you start reading or don't start reading if something is pressing. After a less than satisfactory Nothing to Lose, Child is back with a compelling, exciting, confounding, testosterone-laced story...Reacher using his deductive skills at the peak of his abilities, not to mention some serious butt kicking.
According to the jacket liner, Child has optioned all Reacher novels to Hollywood. After the success of the Bourne series and Taken (Liam Neeson's latest) I would suspect the suits on the left coast would fast track one of these. Biggest problem in the lead...Reacher is 6'5" and 250 lbs. Who would play him?
WC Don had a favorite line from his story. Here is mine: Save the last bullet for yourself. You don't want to be captured, especially by the Afghan women.
EC Don
EC Don,
ReplyDeleteNice review, and being on vacation, I am trying to catch up with some of your best recommendations. I agree with you that this was Lee Child returning to a much better story than "Nothing to Lose." This book, "Gone Tomorrow" put Reacher right back where he needs to be. The cast of characters and potential foils is great. The Afghan women are believable, and the action in NYC is intense. Thanks for the recommendation. I am in Thailand, after a few good days in Bangkok, I am now in Phuket visiting my son and his very beautiful and delightful Thai girlfriend. We're staying in a 2-bedroom time share, so live is good, and there is time to read. But, I also expect to get some game time on the porch with Jeani, Dale, and Cathy, so there are dominoes and cribbage in my near future. Man does not live by books alone (or did someone already say something like that).
10/09
WC Don