Third in the Jack Reacher suspense series revolving around a retired military policeman, checking out the country and fixing wrongs. The action starts in Key West, Florida.My TakeI do love Child's writing. He grabs me and pulls me immediately into the story. The story's basic concept may be a bit of a cliché, but Child has a lovely way of twisting it into something so much more interesting, especially with a character who understands fear and tucks it away as we get to observe from inside Reacher's mind, discover how he dissects a situation and plans ahead. It's also full of tips in how not to be observed or tracked in our increasingly watched society.Child does a very frustrating job intriguing us with Hobie's early warning system. Do be sure to read the Prologue---it's a tiny, but very useful set-up for your understanding later on in the story. A classic bait-and-switch in a new application.I am rather frustrated about the receptionist's relationship with Hobie…? But not nearly as frustrated as Jack and Jodie were in the first part of the story!Child provides a good bit of backstory on Reacher and his relationship to the general and Jodie; with Jodie's thoughts about Reacher while we careen around corners and bash through doors on their hunt for the truth to save Jodie's life and bring peace to a patriotic, yet unhappy old couple.I love "watching" Jack in action. Whether it's the confrontation with Rutter, his reactions to the car crash, his now-civilian interactions with military personnel, or the denouement with Hobie. After the last two stories, it's rather fun to see Jack off his stride and slipping into Jodie's world. I do wonder if, with his emotions running so high, if he'll change his romantic routine and stick around this time. He's certainly different emotionally this time around.The StoryIt's the CEO who introduces us to Hook Hobie's services. He's also the one who further enlightens us as to the full extent of those services.Meanwhile Jack is content to be digging pools by hand during the day and playing half-naked bouncer in a titty bar at night. At least until Costello shows up in Key West. Looking for Jack Reacher. It's enough to set off Reacher's curiosity. Who or what could be interested in his whereabouts? It's the next group which comes looking for Reacher followed by murder that sets Reacher off, hunting for whoever is so very concerned with finding him. It's a hunt that finds Reacher experiencing a great many emotions. General Leon Garber whom we first met in Die Trying and around whom a great deal of Tripwire revolves even if we never meet him in it. But it's Mr. and Mrs. Hobie whose distress about their son, MIA in Vietnam, that is the crucial point of the real drama. One that points to a much deeper secret, carefully held within the military.The CharactersJack Reacher didn't want to stay in a military police without any excitement and so he retired. Now, he's exploring the countryside, playing tourist, content not to settle in anywhere. Or, is he? He has certainly found that the tricks he learned as an MP come in extremely handy in civilian life.Mrs. Jacob is also Jodie Garber. A dream from Reacher's past. One he had thought was unattainable. Now she's a financial lawyer with Spencer Gutman. And a lot older than the last time he saw her. General Garber was Jack's CO for years. CO and mentor. Almost a father figure to him.Hook Hobie has a singular gift, not one that he utilizes for anyone's benefit but his own. Tony is his receptionist and obviously knee-deep in the important aspects of Hobie's life. But we never really discover their back history. General DeWitt has his particular memories of the chopper that went down while General Nash Newman came later with his own particular contribution.Mr. and Mrs. Hobie want closure. They just know their son is still being held in Vietnam even though the war is long over. The man they hired, Rutter, even has proof. A proof that Reacher easily dispels. The finance manager who leads the not-too-bright Chester Stone III, CEO, into this mess is important only in that he's the pivotal figure for Stone's downfall and I guess Child didn't figure he merited a name. Stone's company is in distress, bad enough that he'll accept help with few questions asked. It's too bad that his wife Marilyn wasn't in charge...she certainly takes over when it's necessary. A woman to admire. Sheryl is a realtor in Pound Ridge. A woman in the wrong place, but capable of playing a critical part. David Forster is the Stone's lawyer. A very capable man, but neither he nor ex-cop, now private detective William Curry, are too bright in the undercover department.Officers O'Hallinan and Sark work the domestic abuse side in the police department. They're very good at detecting; not so good at communicating with their home base. A pity, that.The CoverThe cover is greens and blues with a bar of barbed wire in front of what appears to be a bullet-ridden license plate.The title is all about the alarms Hobie has set, several Tripwires to warn him.
In Tripwire, the third book in Lee Child's Jack Reacher series, Reacher is in Key West digging swimming pools - with a shovel. The job is suiting him just fine until a New York City private detective comes looking for Reacher on behalf of a woman named Mrs. Jacob. The fact that he's never heard of Mrs. Jacob is bothersome enough, but when the private investigator ends up dead, Reacher has to find out why.When Reacher travels to New York City he discovers that Mrs. Jacob is actually Jody Garber, the daughter of Reacher's former army commander, Leon Garber. Leon had been investigating an M.I.A. situation from Vietnam for an elderly couple whose son never returned. He wasn't going to be able to see the investigation through and asked his daughter to track down his old subordinate, Jack Reacher. But when Reacher finally arrives in New York, Leon's died and Reacher has very little information to work from, but he starts investigating nonetheless.I know that I'm in the minority when I say I would never qualify as a "Reacher Creature." The whole Superman persona just does absolutely nothing for me. And for as much time as he spends wandering in obscure places, how is he so in tuned to urban drug and gun dealers? Yet, still I continue to listen to the audiobooks for this series. Maybe I get some kind of perverse pleasure from rolling my eyes and heaving exaggerated sighs. But, more likely, I enjoy the plots. This one I saw the outcome from a mile away, and the reason I saw it coming was in part because there were strong similarities to Die Trying, the second Reacher novel. In an effort to avoid a blatant spoiler, I'll not share those similarities, though.I was excited when Reacher made a trip to CILHI in this novel. I'd have been even more so if he'd gone to see my friend Tom, but no such luck. Instead we learn what a pro Reacher is with forensic science as well as everything else.While I'm not a big fan of Reacher, I thought Child did one stupendous job on the antagonists in this book. I wanted the scenes with Hobie and his sidekick to hurry and be over because I found them horrifying. Their utter egocentricity was downright scary. The desensitization and complete lack of empathy were extreme but effective. The two of them gave new meaning to the word "psychotic." I must tell myself that this is FICTION so I can sleep at night. God willing I'll never cross paths with anyone as terrifying as these two! All the Reacher books I've read so far have been audiobook versions, so technically I've "listened" so far. As with the other two (I believe) this is a Brillance audiobook and it was read by Dick Hill. I think he does a tremendous job for Reacher. In my imagination, Reacher will never have a voice other than that of Dick Hill. However, he does this annoying thing with the role of the woman who is head over heels for Reacher. She always has this sound that is kind of like, "oh my, whatever will I do Reacher?" She doesn't actually say that, but it sounds like that's what she's thinking all the time. I really hope that isn't what Child is imagining for these roles. I don't think it is because otherwise he wouldn't make them intelligent, educated women capable of thinking and doing for themselves. So, despite the fact that I'm not Reacher's biggest fan, I'll more than likely listen to another book when I have a lull in the audiobook schedule.
What do You think about Tripwire (2000)?
The best one yet. Now this can go 1 of 2 ways, or the more common now-a-days 3rd direction. 1. Lee Child's books in this series keep getting better and better and being I'm late to the show I already know there a bunch to go. So obviously success has been had but is it the right kind. Could be they beat a dead horse to death, and then killed it again by putting out more books. 2. The good kind, as in the books are awesome through and through and more got written. Then there is the 3rd option which happens more often now than I believe it used to because there was a time when great writers just put flat out great books one after the other. The third option entails say 3 or 5 books get better and better then bam! Book six (sometimes book 2 in a trilogy) blows a big one. But instead of having to out-do the last successful book (which was amazing) it only has to be a bit better than the last crappy improve to show success and that they still have got a grip on the series as a whole. So far this review has nothing to do with Tripwire but yet the adventitious patterns I’m seeing in various series’ written at different decades or year groupings, as in they all aren’t brand new. That being said I hope this series continues it’s upward path and can sustain awesomeness. I enjoyed the hell out of this edition into the Jack Reacher series. I also like how the travel is getting wider and wider as the books go on. If you look from book to book the span of area covered in geographical sense has now gone fairly global, compared to the original small spectrum in distance. If you are a fan of the series enjoy this one, fooled me to the end.
—Wesley
Where do I start? This book was so bad! The Reacher series just keeps getting worse and worse. I realize that Child's audience is probabaly a larger % of males than females, but come on! Reacher is such a shallow guy. It's really disappointing. What makes him so appealing is that he's always saves the day. He's who you want on your side when you're in trouble.But when Reacher says he loves Jodie. He's a wanderer that doesn't like to be 'tied down'. He hooks up with a different woman in all his adventures of which he starts out in this book down in The Keys working as a bouncer at a strip club. So just having reconnected with a crush from his past and to say he's in love. Give me a break. Reacher's never been with a woman long enough to really know what a loving, commited relationship is.I was mainly disappointed that the ending left so many loose ends. Like what happened to Marilyn & Chester Stone-- as well as Hook Hobie? You never find out, but Child spends 2-3 pages describing Reacher's thinking he's dead when he's actually alive in the hospital with Jodie at his side.It was a total disappointment. Sadly, I'm done with this series.
—Amy
The best Reacher in the series so far, by a fairly long shot. Reacher is drifting (poorly as he's actually holding down two jobs) in the Florida Keys when he's tracked down by a Private Investigator. Denying that he's the main the man is searching for, he turns up dead pretty quickly. Suddenly Reacher (it's always Reacher, apparently, never Jack) decides he needs to track the killers down and get to the bottom of the whole affair - he feels a level of responsibility for the man's death. Before we know it we're jetting all over the country, hunting down bad guys, hooking up with good girls and generally saving the day...Obviously, it's a Jack Reacher novel, so some suspension of disbelief is a must. But, it is a relief to see the mystical coincidences that plagued the first two books noted by their absence. The back story is much more believable, the reasons for Jack being just in the right place and time as well (beyond the initial 360 degree turn from not being interested to needing to avenge the death of the investigator) and the carry-over character of General Garber from the previous novel provides a nice piece of continuity. The secondary characters all seem a little more rounded this time as well - Marilyn Stone being a classic example (although do we need to be continually reminded of the fact that she's not wearing any underwear?). Hopefully these improvements bode well for the rest of the series.Flies in the ointment however (and some spoilers), the 360 degree start and Marilyn's dress/underwear situation aside – how do Jack and Jodie go from fifteen years of unrequited love to an obviously doomed relationship (she's a lawyer and he's a drifter - is that even a real job?) without Jodie asking herself any half-way serious questions about her own state of mind? No loose ends are really tied up at all - what was Tony's relationship with Hobie (he's surprisingly loyal if there isn't one)? And what happens to Marilyn and Chester Stone? Does she ever wear underwear again?
—James
