Tripwire (Jack Reacher, Book 3)

Product Information

One of the joys of reading fiction is discovering new characters and one of the even greater joys is finding a character who steals the show. In film parlance, this is usually a supporting actor or actress but can even be a scene stealing bit player with only a few lines. Estelle Reiner in When Harry Met Sally did just that when she famously stated, “I’ll have what she’s having.” Supporting actor Christian Bale took over “The Fighter” and I actually had to look up the star of that film – Mark Wahlberg – because Bale’s performance was all I could remember. Likewise, Joe Pesci’s performance stands out in Goodfellas, more so than De Niro or Ray Liotta. And I cannot forget John Goodman’s portrayal of Walter Sobchak in The Big Lebowski, nor the actor who won the Academy that same year in the best supporting actor category for his role in Good Will Hunting – Robin Williams. Mere beauty does not trip Reacher's trigger. He tips waitresses. He sleeps with women who could drop you in a firefight. Okay, more like it. I have found myself running hot and cold in the Reacher series. There can be a huge eye roll factor in some of them...and there is a bit of that here. However...this one is very well constructed and the story pulled me in and wouldn't let go.

Lee Child began writing Tripwire in spring 1997. [4] The book was published on 15 June 1999 in the United Kingdom [1] and the American publication followed on 28 June of the same year. [2]The figured out the secret mystery. “Hobie” NYC version stole Victor Hobie's identity tags in Viet Nam The second thing that seemed to define this book was Reacher not having full confidence about everything. He seems more human in this and at the same time even more awesome than regular humans. It looks like he's wrong about a lot of things and he still keeps at it, like a sledgehammer. Child nods to police and spycraft excellence in many guises and especially feminine excellence. Frances Neagley served under Reacher as an MP and occasionally appears in a story at his behest (except once she summons him at hers). He commands her loyalty and knows she is one of the few humans on the planet who could take him out one-on-one (with firearms or other deadly means). She's his superior in spycraft. An occasional joke is that he believes he has gone from points A to B to C without being watched/tailed - only to discover later that Neagley has had him surveilled all along. This isn't a review, because I just started reading this book, but I couldn't help sharing my irritation. So the guy who made another person fly from Dallas to Honolulu to New York just to meet with an old friend of his for four hours suddenly realizes that telephones exist and that he can call up people to get information on them, particularly if you actually know the person at the other end of the line.

He also has disdain for most law-enforcement personnel - not just officers - mostly because they are ruining his day. Exceptions are those he needs and teams with. The kidnapped lady FBI agent is one. Others include the various clerical experts who can tweak databases, call in favors, cajole other police/military clerks, and generally do what it takes to get Reacher his information. I totally don't buy that Reacher would tell a total stranger so much private personal info over Jodie's cellphone. A more realistic book, in comparison to all the very unrealistic things he does in this series. It's probably because this plot follows more of a crime show storyline of detective work by Reacher and lady vs the previous books he was in situations without all the info or a way to investigate through normal channels.The reason for the opening of the book taking place in Key West was a vacation Child spent there in 1996. [4] The prologue describes Victor Truman "Hook" Hobie's carefully planned escape route in the event of somebody discovering his "really big, well-guarded secret". His "early-warning system" consists of geographically-located "tripwires" that will warn him that he has been discovered. The first is eleven thousand miles from his home in the United States and the second is six thousand miles out. His response to their activation would be to tie up loose ends, cash in, transfer his assets, and disappear without trace. Over thirty years of quiet success have made him feel somewhat secure. But he did not expect both alerts to arrive on the same day.

This was a disappointment after the solid 2nd novel "Die Trying". The plot was flat and offered no twists or turns for quite a lengthy book. The characters were standard for this type of genre also; the good guys were properly good at avoiding death at every turn and the bad guys were paint by numbers villains failing to get their man. The main bad guy has a hook, that's about as scary as it gets here. Okay, don't get too excited now. According to Child, Reacher is 6' 5" and about 250 lbs of hard muscle. This is what that might look like. He flouts the law - instead he is guided with his own moral compass - one that is more true, more admirable than legislative bodies and regulators can usually imagine. His ultra-competence and self-control permit him to narrowly focus his aggression. This narrow focus mostly justifies his extra-legal acts. He does not imagine that aggressors need escape injury or death, therefore, he rejects much of the constraints that ruled his MP career - and which rule our police. He's not so sure that he wants to "own" a house - or to let the house "own him". If he weren't head-over-heels for Jodie Garber this would be a no-brainer. Therein lies an unusual problem.Reacher grew up as the son of a Marine officer so always lived in military housing. This continued when he joined the Army. He started his wandering right after he mustered out, so has never "owned a house" - until now.