Monday, January 22, 2018

Latest Lee Child

I finished Lee Child's latest Reacher novel, The Midnight Line, and thought it exhibited both the best and the worst of his writing. The best is a great deal of heart, as he deals with a war vet with disfiguring wounds and an opiate problem. It only enobles Reacher when he solves the problem in a very sensitive and compassionate way.
The worst of his writing is the padding that some of his novels contain, stretching a lean plot line over 300 pages. In this work, Reacher's repeated appreciation of the geography of Wyoming and the high plains tend to slow down the book just as I was yearning for acceleration.
One bit I found particularly fun was when Reacher faced his usual faceoff with multiple assailants, the kind of setup in which he kicks the crap out of them in a way that defies belief. This time, he actually talks his way out of the fight.
In the whole, I found this book an entertaining read, not the best Reacher in the series but much better than the worst.