61 Hours

Originally when I started this blog, my intention was to review titles that were coming out in the future and give an opinion on whether I felt it was a good read or not. One of the added benefits I have discovered for this blog has been that I am reading authors or genres that I wouldn't normally read or haven't read in the past.

One of these authors that for some reason I have neglected in the past has been Lee Child and his Jack Reacher series. This last weekend I read 61 Hours due in May from Delacorte Press. This broke a cardinal rule for me as I never read any series out of order. It's a weird OCD thing I have, I admit. All I can say is, what the heck have I been doing all these years, missing out on one of the best suspense writers I have ever read. 61 Hours was fast paced and a very smart read.

Jack Reacher is stranded in a small town in South Dakota in the middle of winter while the local police are trying to protect a local witness in a drug case. The only problem is the local economy is tied into a new prison and all the officers must respond in the event of a prison break or riot which could potentially leave their witness unprotected.

At first, Reacher strikes the reader as someone who is lonely and willing to forsake the rest of the world. He is not tied to anyone or anything. Upon closer inspection though, when push comes to shove, he is not only willing to protect people he has just met, but is willing to give his life for them, because that is what is right. While a hard man who has lived a hard life, Reacher still comes across as sympathetic and human.

61 Hours has made me decide to read all the Reacher series and I strongly recommend, that if you haven't picked them up, then go to your local library or bookstore and do so.