Chain Reaction by Lee ChildMy rating: ★★
I have a problem reviewing this book. I've read a few Reacher stories. But this one felt different. On the one hand, Reacher is Reacher: aloof, smart, honorable, dependable (in his own way), and nigh invincible. In this story he is also a bit vulnerable. I didn't have a problem with all that. It's what I expected. He finds or is given a problem and he works his way through it to expose or eliminate the bad guys and then he moves on. The mystery and bad guys here are very contemporary and fairly well presented. This is all 4 or 5 star Reacher.
My problem with this story, though, is all the bloodshed, bordering on flat-out cold-blooded murder. In other books, I got the impression that Reacher's violent tendencies emerge when he is forced to defend himself or someone else. This meant that he's beat up, maimed, crippled and killed plenty of folks that apparently deserved it. But here, once he's sussed out who's on what side everyone is on, he (and his companions) becomes judge, jury and executioner for a couple of armies worth of apparent mercenaries. I finished the book. But I found it all too much. I would not recommend this book.
Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for allowing me to preview this book.
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