Lee Child's Jack Reacher series continues. This is a series of thrillers about an action hero -- Reacher. When Child is good, the books are, well, thrilling, and the hero, Jack Reacher, engages in a lot of action. This is usually the case.Unfortunately, in some books, such as "Echo Burning" (My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... Child departs from this successful formula, deciding instead to write a "borer" with a "do nothing hero". "The Enemy" is a little of both. To be fair, the book gets off to a really great start. The reader soon figures out that Reacher, who we have known to be an ex-military drifter is in the army. This book is a "prequel". That is interesting enough. But the plot is good as well.Reacher starts out investigating a murder that appears to have taken place in conjunction with another murder that must be related. As Reacher begins to investigate, even more bodies start to hit the floor, some to get up, some for good. Not only that, Reacher manages to get some elite Delta troops angry with him. How will Reacher solve the murders and get the Delta guys off of his back? The first 50 pages are great.The last 50 pages or so are great as well. The book ends with a mano a mano showdown between Reacher and a soldier who is as much of a badass as he is. Unfortunately, this setup reminds me a lot of the showdown between Reacher and a female hit-woman in, I think, "Echo Burning". But still, it is a better scenario than "Echo" and a lot of fun.The problem with the book is the 300 pages in between. Reacher picks an African-American woman for a partner named Summer. Unfortunately she is a cliche and not a very good one. Child tells us that she had a deprived upbringing in the ghetto...blah, blah, blah. Then she and Reacher end up in bed. After that, Summer becomes a paper doll who exists mainly to ask Reacher, "how do you know that, Jack?" and "What happened after that, Jack?". She is not really much of a character.The solving of the murders starts off at a fairly interesting clip, but soon gives way to a convoluted series of changes in location. Reacher is here, Reacher is there. He travels to Paris twice. By the second trip, I had gotten so lost, I wasn't sure why he was back. Oh yeah, Reacher's mother is dying and there is a plot diversion having to do with the French Resistance in World War II. It's interesting background info on Reacher, but I got further lost in the plot.Much of the book could have been left out. There are descriptions of Army paperwork, Army clothing requisitions, travel vouchers and other Army procedures. A little gives the book authenticity. A lot gets the reader bored and lost. Reacher travels a lot and Child seems to want to spend pages describing the plane or the waiting room. There is an ongoing tabulation of how much money Reacher has and how he strategically orders food so he doesn't spend too much. Just like James Bond. And, like in "Echo Burning", Reacher goes clothes shopping! woohoo! I love it when my action hero shops for a beret to wear! On the whole, there are too many characters who play a small part in the plot. I got lost, but I also think that Child relies way too much on Reacher being able to figure out the absolute accurate truth just by guessing. If the book were 200 pages smaller, it would have better. Also, the motivation for the murders turns out to be a disappointing cliche as well. For the next action-hero thriller, Lee Child, how about a hero who engages in a lot of action that thrills the reader?? This one had potential, but the plot diversions, plunges into irrelevant detail and flat characters end up disappointing.
Here I was thinking that the Jack Reacher novels were all action and fast-paced movement with lots of interesting settings in the macho worlds of military/police/criminals. I was amazed to find that The Enemy kept me pondering and thinking long after I was done reading it. I got thinking about all the "enemies" in the story that drove the plot. I assumed that the enemy referred to in the title was the murderer that Reacher was tracking down. But then the story is set in the political upheaval in the military world following the fall of the Berlin wall and the loss of the communists as an enemy. Reacher realizes that now the United State's "enemy" has dissolved, he'd better be thinking about what might happen to his job as an MP if/when the military is heavily reduced. Besides those two enemies, Reacher's personal "enemies" as he tries to do his job are not only the bad guys but his immediate superior who just wants to cover things up and the Delta force soldiers who think Reacher was the one who murdered their buddy. But then there is also another story line and enemy identified--Reacher's mother is dying of cancer. It's a subplot that adds a lot of depth and reason for Reacher's actions. Death is every man's final enemy.Reacher's mom kept the fact that she had cancer a secret until it was too late to do anything about it. Reacher tells his brother, who was upset that they she hadn't told them earlier, that the reason she hadn't told them was because they would have argued with her about treatment. "It was a decision that belonged to her." I kept thinking about my own mother and her decision not to have chemo or radiation at the end of her life. Yes, we wanted to argue with her, but yes, it really was her decision. Another insight about death: "Life, what a completely weird thing it is. A person lives sixty years, does all kinds of things, knows all kinds of things, feels all kinds of things, and then it's over. Like it never happened at all." "We'll always remember her." "No, we'll remember parts of her. The parts she chose to share. The tip of the iceberg. The rest only she knew about. Therefore the rest already doesn't exist. As of now." That statement struck me as being so true. Since Mom died, I have realized there are so many things I don't know about her and that I'd like to ask her now, but I can't. But that statement is actually only half true: I console myself with the thought that unlike Reacher's brother, I know Mom still lives and I will see her again and can ask her to tell me the things I've been wondering about. Death doesn't have to be the Enemy; just as a doorway.
What do You think about The Enemy (2005)?
OK, I will admit it....after not even paying attention to Lee Child's name in the bookstores all these years, I am now a committed Jack Reacher fan. And it even pains me more to reveal that it was the Tom Cruise movie that motivated me to start reading the series! (Ouch...that hurt just to type)But, whether you go to see the movie or just want a fun read, I highly recommend these novels. I have read two now and am on my third. Same engaging character (Reacher,) great plot lines, wonderful supporting character development, and best of all, a nice pace to the story.After seeing the movie, I researched a little, and found out that "The Enemy" was the eighth in the Reacher series but actually was a pre-quel to the first novel Child wrote. There are conflicting opinions as to whether you should read the books in order or start with this pre-quel. For whatever it's worth, I think reading "The Enemy" first is a great move. It really gives you a terrific insight into what makes Reacher tick and therefore gives the reader an improved perspective into the character as he is developed in the remainder of the series."The Enemy" starts off a tad slow in pace but as you read on, you realize it is all part of the development of the main character. Reacher is a product of life in the military. He was literally born while his father was an active soldier. This is important as you move into the later books in the series because it helps you understand the way he approaches almost everything in life...problems, people, relationships, eating....literally "everything!"Do NOT get thrown off by the author's repeated use of the phrase "I said nothing." Just keep yourself in check and put the phrase into the context of YOUR understanding of "Reacher." This is an important tidbit because otherwise, the phrase will drive you nuts after a while. Just keep in mind exactly who this guy is, how he got there, and how different his view of the world has been compared to yours.So with that, you are on your own to either pursue "The Enemy" or not! However, be forewarned, if you DO choose to try a Child novel, my bet is you won't be able to read just one.
—John
In terms of the Reacher novels, this one surpasses the craftsmanship of most of the others. There is an amazing balance of characters with story-life lines in this book, all relevant and interwoven with quite a lot of expertise. While I know little of the military and what an MP does, Reacher shows a "softer" side in this book when he has to deal with the terminal illness and death of his mother...only to discover in himself that a certain strength really is from her, and not his father. I liked this book and could easily recommend it to murder mystery reading fans.
—Jane Brant
A nice trip back in time to Jack Reacher as an MP. Get to meet his family. Although I figured out one clue right away, Child still managed to throw in surprises at the end.Amazing scene with Reacher and his brother taking leave of their dying mother in Paris:Then she revisited another old family ritual. She did something she had done ten thousand times before, all through our lives, since we were first old enough to have individuality of our own. She stuggled up out of her chair and stepped over and put her hands on Joe's shoulders, from behind. Then she bent and kissed his cheek. "What don't you need to do?" she asked him. He didn't answer. He never did. Our silence was part of the ritual. "You don't need to solve the all the world's problems, Joe. Only some of them. There are enough to go around." She kissed his cheek again Then she kept one hand on the back of his chair and reached out with the other and moved herself over behind me. I could hear her ragged breathing. Then she kissed my cheek. Then like she used to all those years before she put her hands on my shoulders. Measured them, side to side. She was a small woman, fascinated by the way her baby had grown into a giant. "You've got the strength of two normal boys," she said. Then came my own personal question. "What are you going to do with this strength?" she asked me. I didn't answer. I never did. "You're going to do the right thing," she said. Then she bent down and kissed me on the cheek again.I think this exchange is the key to Reacher's ability to lead a nomadic life. When your mother has known you so well, and been your true home, you don't need any other home. It's enough to carry the memory of that love and understanding with you wherever you go.
—Michale
