I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
One Shot
by
Lee Child
It is part of the , series and is a thriller in Paperback edition that was published by Bantam Books on September 7, 2010 and has 400 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Killing Floor, Die Trying, "Second Son", Tripwire, Running Blind, Echo Burning, Without Fail, Persuader, The Enemy, The Hard Way, Bad Luck and Trouble, Nothing to Lose, Gone Tomorrow, 61 Hours, Worth Dying For, The Affair, A Wanted Man, "Deep Down", Never Go Back, "High Heat", Personal, Make Me, "Small Wars", Night School, MatchUp, The Midnight Line, Past Tense, No Middle Name, The Hero, Blue Moon, "Cleaning the Gold"
Eleventh chronologically and ninth publication-wise in the Jack Reacher thriller series about an ex-M.P. with a strong sense of honor and one heckuva mind. This story takes place in Indiana.
In 2006, One Shot was nominated for a Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel. This is also the story that was turned into the movie, Jack Reacher, starring Tom Cruise.
My Take
Whoa…it’s all in what you know about the mindset of a sniper and thinking through each minute detail. Never taking a single thing for granted.
Even more amazing is Reacher didn’t want to do it. He’s not there for the reason I’m thinking he is. But the man has honor and the most incredible mathematical mind. Sometimes I wonder if he’s a supercomputer with all the arcane details he’s got packed away.
Hmmm, interesting bits about why Reacher quit the army. Small details that we’ll just keep adding up. He mentions Panama as being a small affair which happened at the time of The Enemy if you’ll remember when a major incident occurred. He quit the army in 1997.
Oh, hang on a sec’, Child states that Reacher never owned a house! What was Garber’s place back in Trip Wire and Running Blind? Chopped liver?? Hmmm, actually, I could go for some paté about now. I’m hungry. Why did I have to mention “chopped liver”??
What I don’t get is why was it so important that Linsky allow Reacher to see him? All it did was start to itch at him. It’s a case of who’s cockier, who’s too cocky. Every move they make simply cements Reacher’s thoughts. They should’a left it alone. And man, oh man, does Child play it close to the vest.
There’s an interesting bit in here about true amnesiacs and how the brain is organic, not computer-like. When and what length of time memory loss can cover.
Reacher: “If it absolutely positively has to be destroyed by morning, call the United States Marine Corps”. Ooh, clever move with the Hummer and the sprinkler system.
It’s a game of cat-and-mouse and so much fun to watch.
The Story
Shots out of nowhere on a Friday night as people are streaming home from work. Clues are practically stumbling over themselves to the cops. It’s perfect.
Too perfect.
The Characters
Jack Reacher is a fit hulk of a man, six-foot-five and 250-pounds of muscle. A man who knows how to fight and can think. Who hates luggage and laundry. Who owned a car and a home he didn’t buy for a very short time. Rarely uses his own name (he’s used up the presidents now). He’s also angry about Barr reneging on his deal. Brigadier General Eileen Hutton is a former lover of Reacher’s. And part of the cover-up fourteen years ago. Former Sergeant Samuel Cash runs a gun range these days and he recognizes Reacher’s prone position. Former Marine. A good man to back you up. But you still shouldn’t take a knife to a gun fight, LOL.
Anna Yanni is a local news anchor. Anxious for her shot at fame and a better job. Sick at the massacre just outside her door.
Detective Emerson is a twenty-year veteran on the Serious Crimes Squad. A.A. Rodin is the district attorney, careful to prosecute only what he can win. Bellantonio is the crime scene tech and is so bummed that the evidence is so good; he reckons he’ll never get a chance to testify because Barr will plead guilty.
James Barr is a Gulf War vet. A sniper honorably discharged fourteen years ago. A guy too nice for his own good. Rosemary Barr is his sister, a paralegal in an eight-man law office. Luckily, part of the benefits package includes the handling of legal matters for free. As long as it won’t take long or be too notorious.
Franklin is an ex-cop, now he works as a private investigator for lawyers. Helen Rodin is the DA’s daughter. Fresh out of law school, she’s hungry for a case, but not one that will put her down in the history books for the wrong reasons. Alan Danuta is another lawyer who specializes in veterans’ issues, Dr. Mason specializes in memory loss, and Dr. Niebuhr specializes in coercion.
Grigor Linsky is second-in-command for the Zec Chelovek. Vladimir, Raskin, Charlie Chenko, and Sokolov. Six against one.
Sandy Dupree liked that easy money. And she paid for it. Jeb Oliver was another.
The Cover and Title
The cover is too funny…it’s where Reacher spends a heckuva lotta time in this story, hiding under overpasses, behind pillars. It’s a straight shot down a road beneath the overpass, the whole is slightly tilted. It’s night and the sides of the road are lit-up so well that the pillars are white.
The title is what it’s all about — One Shot. That’s all a sniper is allowed.
