Exit Strategy

By: Lee Child, Andrew Child

Narrated by: Jeff Harding

Brought to you by Penguin.

Jack Reacher will make three stops today. Not all of them were planned for.

First – a Baltimore coffee shop. A seat in the corner, facing the door. Black coffee, two refills, no messing around. A minor interruption from two of the customers, but nothing he can’t deal with swiftly. As he leaves, a young guy brushes against him in the doorway. Instinctively Reacher checks the pocket holding his cash and passport. There's no problem. Nothing is missing.

Second – a store to buy a coat. Nothing fancy. Something he can ditch when he heads to warmer climates. Large enough to fit a man the size of a bank vault. As he pulls out his cash, he finds something new in his pocket. A handwritten note. A desperate plea for help.

Third – wherever this bend in the road takes him. Impressed by the guy's technique and intrigued by the message, Reacher makes it his mission to find out more . . .

We all need Jack Reacher – a righteous avenger for our troubled times.

Listen to an exclusive interview between Lee Child and Jeff Harding at the end of this audiobook. For the first time, Lee Child and Jeff Harding talk about bringing Reacher to life in audio and celebrate the 30th Reacher adventure.

'If there is a more iconic character in modern fiction than Jack Reacher, I'd like to meet them.' DAILY MIRROR

'There's only one Jack Reacher. Accept no substitutes.' MICK HERRON

'It's no wonder Jack Reacher is everyone's favourite rebel hero.' KARIN SLAUGHTER

'These books are absolutely addictive. When you pick them up you can't put them down.' GEORGE R. R. MARTIN

© Lee Child and Andrew Child 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Abysmal performance

I actually had to buy a second edition read by Scott Brick because I just was not able to listen to Jeff Hardings reading. Didn't a Penguin editor (or however those people arte called in audiobook review before publishing) listen to this? Story is solid, but not his best, Someone wrote that Reacher wasn't into the story with his heart, and it sometimes feels like this is true. However, overall a satisfying listen, at least when read by Scott Brick.

First Reacher book I couldn't finish

This is the first time I've not been able to finish listening to a Reacher novel. Yes, the narration was that bad. Every sentence sounds like an accusation, a disagreement, a provocation, as if everyone in the story was having a really lousy day and no one could hold a decent conversation. I understand every narrator has a different cadence but this guy only has one mode and that's "mad as hell." It was so annoying that I couldn't ignore the narration to focus on the story. If the next book is narrated by the same person, I will not be buying the audiobook.

Can’t listen to this audio book

I’m sorry but the voice is impossible to listen to without loosing focus. You should offer AI voices based on earlier performers.

.

Big fan of Lee’s books, but this story was a bit generic for lack of a better word. Characters lacked depth

First Reacher I didn’t finish.

Can’t say that I found this either “high octane” or especially “gripping” in fact, it was sort of…lacking for me really. It’s like the actual *essence* of Reacher wasn’t there. Sure there was a big guy going around doing Reacher like things in a Reacher like way, but his heart didn’t seem to be in it, and consequently neither was mine. In short, it just wasn’t compelling enough for me to finish, I didn’t care enough about the any of the other characters (of which there were many!) or even about Reacher. Sadly, this might have been our last adventure.

Jeff Harding did a solid job as usual though.