killing floor, Lee Child

killing floor

(Jack Reacher #1)

by Lee Child

copyright 1998

read in May 2024

thriller

rated 8/10: really quite good

I've only read three Reacher books. So far, they seem to all have the same plot.

But what a very enjoyable plot.

From memory, the violence in this first book is just as brutal but nastier.

Every villain gets his (yes, his) comeuppance. Good people may be threatened, maybe hurt but they will survive.

Great fun and very satisfying. Though not suitable for children or the sensitive.
Characters are sympathetic. Even the weeds have their strong points.

The plot becomes more and more complex... unbelievably complex and somewhat ridiculous, really. But great fun.

I can see why this book was followed by many more.

I started with a rating of seven. Just upped it to eight: if you like any Reacher books then this first book is really quite good.

a bit later: The violence is brutal, nasty. I don't generally enjoy violence. Why do I accept it in this book?

The violence is awful but: it occurs off-screen. There are people who clean up after, and are sick in a corner, but there is no description of the actual occurrence. (I think. Let me know if I'm wrong.)

Second: all the worst violence happens to people who "deserve it". At least, to people who would have happily done it to others. So, karmic violence.

Nasty, brutal violence against people for whom we have little sympathy (mostly). The effects are described -- but second-hand. Well after the violence has occurred. This all makes it much more, for those with not too delicate sensibilities, more acceptable.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
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Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood