Lee Child has sold more than 100
million books. All of them are about a man called Jack Reacher. This
series is a phenomenal success. Why are these books attracting ten
millions of readers? I think I know why.
I think most of us are decent people
who want to do the right thing. Our instinct is to help those who
are being treated unfairly or in trouble. Sometimes, however, due to
the circumstances or our limited abilities, we cannot always help and
do the right thing. And so in the daily life, we are a bit frustrated
because of that instinct. Jack Reacher, on the other hand, is someone
who can, and always, do the right thing. Jack Reacher books have a wide readership, because the stories satisfy our instinct
to help people and do the right thing.
Indeed, justice, is the main theme in
Jack Reacher novels. In the serie's fifth installment, Echo
Burning, good old Jack is once again, dispensing sweet justice in
an isolated Texan town.
Synopsis:
The sun was scorching the day when Jack
Reacher walked on a country road in Texas. He had no destination.
Jack raised a hand to hitchhike a ride but his chances are slim.
After all, not only was he in a remote part of the country, but how
many people would be out and driving in the fearsome heat? To Jack's
astonishment, a white Cadillac pulled over. The door opened, and
a beautiful woman invited Jack into the car.
Was fortune smiling on Jack? Inside the
air conditioned car, the woman revealed her motives to Jack. Her name
was Carmen. She had a little girl and they lived on a ranch in a
county called Echo. Her husband was in jail but he would beat her
dead when he came home. She pleaded for Jack's help.
Jack was not going to turn his back on
this woman. Carmen drove Jack to her secluded ranch, where he
discovered prejudice, corruptions, and murders were running rampant
in the remote county. Echo, was burning. Jack, however, was
determined to set things right...
My thoughts on this book:
Echo Burning is mostly a crime
thriller. The book has some action sequences but the emphasis is on
the suspense and the problem solvings. I always thought Jack Reacher
embodies the characteristics of three iconic heroes; Sherlock Holmes,
a wandering knight, and John Wayne. In this book, these
characteristics of Jack became more evident; guided by his unwavering determination to see justice done, Jack solved the crime with his unparallelled intellectual and physical prowess. This story has a lot of twists, and it
will please a fan of mystery books.
As for me, I especially liked the
descriptions about Jack's thoughts, about how the cogs were turning
in his head, not only during problem deductions, but also in
desperate situations. For example, out of the two major action
sequences in this book, one of them was a bar fight. It was brawl
where Jack took on two assailants. The book described how Jack
assessed the surroundings and quickly derived a strategy to take down his opponents. It was believable, it was something a person with
special training could do in the same situation. Furthermore, the
final deduction in this book was impressive and the ending was
satisfying. It is on par with the works of Agatha Christie and Arthur
Conan Doyle.
I also wish to make a note that Echo Burning, (or, Jack
Reacher novels in general) is a fascinating combination of both western and noir. On the one
hand, the story is rooted in the vein of western, about a wandering hero
coming to a small American town to help the weak and dispensing justice. On the other
hand, the story is also bearing the trademark of a noir; dark, with a
slight moral ambiguity, and it is set in the modern day. The book is
very atmospheric but it is also very easy to read. Lee Child wrote the book in his signature style, hardboiled and punchy. This book is
a page turner, it is difficult to put this book down and it will make
you forget your favorite TV series.
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