S.J. Parris
S.J. Parris writes about her inspiration for Heresy, which masterfully blends true events with fiction into a page-turning murder mystery set on the sixteenth-century Oxford University campus.
Adam Haslett
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Bad Luck and Trouble: Summary and book reviews of Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child, plus links to an excerpt from Bad Luck and Trouble and a biography of Lee Child.
Bad Luck and Trouble
by
Lee Child
Hardcover: May 2007,
377 pages.
Paperback: Mar 2008,
512 pages.
From a helicopter high above the empty California desert, a man is sent
free-falling into the night . In Chicago, a woman learns that an elite team of
exarmy investigators is being hunted down one by one.... And on the streets of
Portland, Jack Reachersoldier, cop, herois pulled out of his wandering life by
a code that few other people could understand. From the first shocking scenes in
Lee Childs explosive new novel, Jack Reacher is plunged like a knife into the
heart of a conspiracy that is killing old friends and is on its way to something
even worse.
A decade postmilitary, Reacher has an ATM card and the clothes on his backno
phone, no ties, and no address. But now a woman from his old unit has done the
impossible. From Chicago, Frances Neagley finds Reacher, using a signal only the
eight members of their elite team of army investigators would know. She tells
him a terrifying storyabout the brutal death of a man they both served with.
Soon Reacher is reuniting with the survivors of his old team, scrambling to
raise the living, bury the dead, and connect the dots in a mystery that is
growing darker by the day. The deeper they dig, the more they dont know: about
two other comrades who have suddenly gone missingand a trail that leads into
the neon of Vegas and the darkness of international terrorism.
For now, Reacher can only react. To every sound. Every suspicion. Every scent
and every moment. Then Reacher will trust the people he once trusted with his
lifeand take this thing all the way to the end. Because in a world of bad luck
and trouble, when someone targets Jack Reacher and his team, theyd better be
ready for what comes right back at them
Book Reviews
BookBrowse
Child's writing style continues to get tighter and more powerful. Little time is wasted on peripheral chat, keeping the plot firmly moving forward. Child offers supremely satisfying, intelligent action - a must read for existing fans and a great starting point for newcomers. Full Review (members only, 919 words).
Publishers Weekly
The author carefully delineates Reacher's erstwhile colleagues, their smart-ass banter masking an unspoken affection.
Library Journal - Jeff Ayers
Starred Review. After ten previous Reacher novels, it would seem difficult to find new insight into such an enigmatic character, but Child supplies one of the best books in the series. This view into Reacher's past and the people he knew makes for an intriguing story line.
Booklist - Bill Ott
Starred Review. [A]s always, the action is intense, the pace unrelenting, and the violence unforgiving. Child remains the reigning master at combining breakneck yet brilliantly constructed plotting with characters who continually surprise us with their depth.
Kirkus Reviews
Starred Review. Perhaps there are action-lit writers more recognizable than Child, but the bet is that none of them will turn in a tighter-plotted, richer-peopled, faster-paced page-turner this year.
Entertainment Weekly - Ken Tucker
Child never overdoes it: We fans really don't want too much knowledge of Reacher's motives. New readers won't be put off either — the book works as a slam-bang yarn filled with Child's usual terse life-and-death lessons. Turns out, even when Reacher gets personal, he never gets mushy. A-
Cleveland Plain Dealer - Michele Ross
Child even provides a (small) glimpse of Reacher's mortality as he compares himself to his friends. Why on earth hasn't this series hit the big screen?
The New York Times - Janet Maslin Bad Luck and Trouble, a top-tier Reacher book that matches the caliber of One Shot, from 2005, makes the most of its characters' camaraderie.
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