Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, No. 1) by
Lee Child
#1 Reacher
When Jack Reacher suddenly decides to ask a Greyhound bus driver to
let him off near the town of Margrave, Georgia, he thinks its because his
brother once mentioned that the famed blues guitarist Blind Blake died
there. But it doesnt take long for the footloose ex-military policeman to
discover that there are plenty of strange--and very dangerous--things
going on behind Margraves manicured lawns and clean streets that
demand his attention. This first thriller by a former television writer
features some of the best-written scenes of action in recent memory, a
crash course in currency and counterfeiting, and a hero who is just
begging to be called on for an encore.
Features:
Ive been a big Lee Child fan, but if youre like me, following a few rec ent
outings ranging from the mediocre (Bad Luck and Trouble) to the abysmal
(Nothing to Lose), you may be asking: Is Child losing his edge, or have my
standards changed that much? So to find out, I went back and re-read
Childs first Jack Reacher carnival of violence, Killing Floor, originally
published in 1997. My conclusion: it is Child who has changed: Killing
Floor, even when read the second time, is an adrenaline-charged escapist
romp of mayhem balanced with suspense and mystery, a larger -than-life
drama that while wholly unbelievable is nonetheless addictive and
enjoyable.
With homage due to David Morrells contemporary classic First Blood, Jack
Reacher, former Army MP Major and current drifter, is arrested over a cup
of coffee while passing through backwater Margrave, Georgia. Triggering
unavoidable images of Stallones Rambo, Reacher is accused of murder,
and hauled in by the local sheriffs deputies on way to the state
penitentiarys holding cells for the weekend. His incarceration is brief but
hardly uneventful, and soon Reacher finds real motivation to stick around
and help solve the murder for which he was originally charged.
Reachers stoic loaner is the classic American icon - conjuring images from
the Marlborough Man to Batman to the adventurous nomads who rode the
rails without strings or responsibilities. With Rambos command of martial
arts and weaponry of all kinds and Sherlock Holmes-class power of
deductive reasoning, Reacher thinks and slugs and gouges and shoots his
way to resolution and redemption. Child sets his story and his hero well
above the fray with lean and crisp prose, embellished but not
unencumbered by liberal doses on fact and trivia on wide ranges of topics,
Childs research adding authenticity and credibility to a tale of gr eed and
corruption the would otherwise be tired fare.
In short, if you dont think too hard about coincidence and implausibility,
Killing Floor is the literary equivalent of eye candy - a boisterous, no-holds-
barred thriller that stands alone in pop cri me fiction. Leads one to wonder
if Lee Child shouldnt go back and get reacquainted with the original Jack
Reacher as well.
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