Better Off Dead

Jack Reacher, Book 26

By: Lee Child, Andrew Child

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Number one New York Times best seller • Jack Reacher is back in a brand-new thriller from acclaimed number one best-selling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child.

Digging graves had not been part of my plans when I woke up that morning.

Reacher goes where he wants, when he wants. That morning he was heading west, walking under the merciless desert sun — until he comes upon a curious scene. A Jeep has crashed into the only tree for miles around. A woman is slumped over the wheel.

Dead? No, nothing is what it seems.

The woman is Michaela Fenton, an army veteran turned FBI agent trying to find her twin brother, who might be mixed up with some dangerous people. Most of them would rather die than betray their terrifying leader, who has burrowed his influence deep into the nearby border town, a backwater that has seen better days. The mysterious Dendoncker rules from the shadows, out of sight and under the radar, keeping his dealings in the dark.

He would know the fate of Fenton’s brother.

Reacher is good at finding people who don’t want to be found, so he offers to help, despite feeling that Fenton is keeping secrets of her own. But a life hangs in the balance. Maybe more than one. But to bring Dendoncker down will be the riskiest job of Reacher's life. Failure is not an option, because in this kind of game, the loser is always better off dead.

©2021 Lee Child and Andrew Child (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“The mixture of brute-force and intellectual problem-solving is just right.” (Booklist)

“Smart writing, vivid action scenes, and dramatic twists mark this seamless effort. Even those for whom this is their first Reacher novel will be clamoring for more.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“Lee Child and Andrew Child return for another jointly written Reacher adventure. . . . Andrew Child smoothly slips into the signature minimalist prose of the iconic series, picking up just where his brother leaves off, for a book that should please old stalwarts and new fans alike.” (CrimeReads)

okay

In the current book of Jack Reacher, there is lots of excitement and nail-biting suspense. There are lots of fights, both fists and guns, also a few weapons of mass destruction tossed in. This is all taking place in a small Arizona border town. I noticed that Reacher is getting further west than in the prior books.

Scott Brick is one of my favorite narrators. But I am having trouble adjusting from Dick Hill. Dick Hill was Reacher to me for so many years.

The book is nine hours and eleven minutes. Scott Brick does a good job narrating the book.

It's not working for me. Reacher has become a bore

Not up to the best books in this series. Lee, please retake control. The books have lost the heart-pounding climaxes I wait for in every installment. Too many women (like some of my favorite crime TV shows) which feels forced and added for correctness. We've seen Jack naked more than once and with all those fit women around him, he should be getting at least temporarily "involved" before hitting the highway. This book even lacked the standard thimb-out image at the close... or did I leave too soon?

I like Reacher's feats of strength and force. Too much talking now, IN FIRST PERSON no less. The last few books are simply not visual enough for me.

I'll wait again, and buy it again, but please either bring the guy fully back to life or retire him. This is like having him on life support. He'd be embarrassed to see himself so physically restrained. Apologies to both of you. I needed to say this.

Not My Favorite

This Jack Reacher story just didn't feel like a Jack Reacher novel. From the very first chapter I kept wondering if I'd somehow downloaded the wrong book. It just didn't flow or feel like Reacher.

Great as always!

So many twists and surprises. I love his style. Always keeps me on the edge of my seat and wanting more.

High stakes and espionage!

1st book I read that Lee and Andrew corroborated on. It is suspenseful and and keeps you guessing. As usual, it sucks me into the story and does not disappoint ... if I'm ever in a jam, I want Teacher around to bail me out. Enjoy!

Of course it was a tunnel!

I’ve liked, in varying degrees, all of the Jack Reacher books, but this was very disappointing. Reacher is better than this.

Excellent.

My only concern had been would the character of Reacher change as both Lee and Andrew shaped the narratives. After this and last year's novels the answer is clearly Reacher remains Reacher.

Come back Duck Hill

I really enjoy listening to Scott Brick most of the time. However casting him to narrate a Jack Reacher novel is as bad as having Tom Cruise play Reacher in a movie, very bad.

As Always - EXCELLENT!

Scott Brick is an outstanding narrator. Mr. Brick brings the characters and events to life.
Lee Child is a fabulous author. I've read every single of his books - sometimes twice. Need a better recommendation?

not as good as in the past

like a high school paper where they were adding words to describe what was taking place to mKe it longer