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Better Off Dead: (Jack Reacher 26) by [Lee Child, Andrew Child]

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Better Off Dead: (Jack Reacher 26) Kindle Edition

by Lee Child (Author), Andrew Child (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

50,031 ratings

Book 26 of 27: Jack Reacher

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Reacher never backs down from a problem.

And he's about to find a big one, on a deserted Arizona road, where a Jeep has crashed into the only tree for miles around. Under the merciless desert sun, nothing is as it seems.

Minutes later Reacher is heading into the nearby border town, a backwater that has seen better days. Next to him is Michaela Fenton, an army veteran turned FBI agent, who is trying to find her twin brother. He might have got mixed up with some dangerous people.

And Reacher might just need to pay them a visit.

Their leader has burrowed his influence deep into the town. Just to get in and meet the mysterious Dendoncker, Reacher is going to have to achieve the impossible.

To get answers will be even harder. There are people in this hostile, empty place who would rather die than reveal their secrets.

But then, if Reacher is coming after you, you might be better off dead.

Although the Jack Reacher novels can be read in any order, Better Off Dead is the 26th book in the internationally popular series.
____

Jack Reacher is today's James Bond, a thriller hero we can't get enough of.' Ken Follett

'If you haven't read any Jack Reacher, you have a treat in store . . . a hitchhiker without a phone, a one-man force for good.' The Times

'A contemporary version of the knight in shining armour . . . Reacher is a mythic figure.' Literary Review

'Jack Reacher is a wonderfully epic hero; tough, taciturn, yet vulnerable... Irresistible.' People

'Jack Reacher has long since earned his prominent place in the pantheon of cool, smart-talking American heroes.' New York Times

Print length

343 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Transworld Digital
Publication date

26 October 2021
File size

5354 KB
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Product description

Review

Classic Reacher, great story. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. ― Conn Iggulden on THE SENTINEL

Thoroughly entertaining . . . it's good to have some of Reacher's brutal certainties back. ― The Times on THE SENTINEL

The one man revenge machine seems revitalised. Great stuff. ― Sun on THE SENTINEL

The coolest continuing series character. ― Stephen King

Jack Reacher is today's James Bond, a thriller hero we can't get enough of. ― Ken Follett

Everyone needs to kick some butt sometimes, even if it's just imaginary. ― Jojo Moyes

The Child brothers' superb second collaboration . . . Smart writing, vivid action scenes, and dramatic twists mark this seamless effort. Even those for whom this is their first Reacher novel will be clamouring for more. ― Publishers Weekly --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

About the Author

Lee Child (Author)
Lee Child is one of the world's leading thriller writers. He was born in Coventry, raised in Birmingham, and now lives in New York. It is said one of his novels featuring his hero Jack Reacher is sold somewhere in the world every nine seconds. His books consistently achieve the number-one slot on bestseller lists around the world and have sold over one hundred million copies. Lee is the recipient of many awards, most recently Author of the Year at the 2019 British Book Awards. He was appointed CBE in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Andrew Child (Author)
Andrew Child is the author of nine thrillers written under the name Andrew Grant. He is the younger brother of Lee Child. Born in Birmingham, he lives in Wyoming with his wife, the novelist Tasha Alexander. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08S9FJ9YG
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Transworld Digital (26 October 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5354 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 343 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 510 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 5 in War & Military Action Fiction (Books)
- 6 in Conspiracy Thrillers
- 8 in Hard-Boiled Mystery

Customer Reviews:
50,031 ratings

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Lee Child

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Lee Child is one of the world’s leading thriller writers. He was born in Coventry, raised in Birmingham, and now lives in New York. It is said one of his novels featuring his hero Jack Reacher is sold somewhere in the world every nine seconds. His books consistently achieve the number-one slot on bestseller lists around the world and have sold over one hundred million copies. Two blockbusting Jack Reacher movies have been made so far. He is the recipient of many awards, most recently Author of the Year at the 2019 British Book Awards. He was appointed CBE in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Photography © Sigrid Estrada

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Customer reviews

5 star		38%
4 star		31%
3 star		18%
2 star		7%
1 star		6%

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Top reviews from Australia

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Sorry Lee. I have everyone of your books, it this one is not in the same league. I don't know if you wrote this one or your brother did, but this is not the REACHER I know and love. Only you know what you have done in this book. I only know I don't like him.

Reviewed in Australia on 28 October 2021

Verified Purchase

This is like reading one of the copy cat versions that came out after you finished your first three or four books about REACHER. They were so good. I could not wait for the following books.
Maybe it is time REACHER retired. And you find a different direction to go in. Please don't leave him to die by himself, of old age. Leave him with some dignity. As we all remember how he was.

19 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

POOR JOB, WASTE OF MONEY, BADLY WRITTEN

Reviewed in Australia on 28 October 2021

Verified Purchase

Badly written in the type and standard of English that an eight year old would use. Poorly constructed story and the Reacher 'voice' that we have come to know is entirely absent.
I will take this as an indicator of things to come and I will not purchase or bother to read any future Reacher books.
This was a waste of my $15.99 and I feel cheated and ripped off.

16 people found this helpful

Not what I'm used to.

Reviewed in Australia on 29 October 2021

Verified Purchase

Hopefully it's just me.
-
Since watching the Reacher movie I've read all the books and usually have had a hard time putting them down. This one was the opposite.
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I struggled after the first chapter. After perhaps four attempts I got a third of the way through before skipping to the end to see if it was an end worth reading to. For me it wasn't.
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I usually pre-order the books. I guess this time I'll wait for the reviews.

14 people found this helpful

Very disappointed

Reviewed in Australia on 31 October 2021

Verified Purchase

I found this book very tedious to read and to follow. It was written in a very simple stilted voice and with lots of repetition. Yes, I know that there has always been a certain amount of violence, which Jack has been compelled to be involved with, but this was over the top.
I won’t be buying another Jack Reacher, I’ll go back to the Jack I know and have enjoyed in previous books.

11 people found this helpful

It’s true, he is better off dead, than dead boring

Reviewed in Australia on 31 October 2021

Verified Purchase

Yak yak yak yak yak, bloody yak, he never shuts up! What in gods name happened to the strong silent loner who wanders into town, says nothing, wood a lady, drinks some coffee, trades sarcasm with the local police, beats up some bums, saves the damsel in distress and moves on. This book was a talkfest, interrupted by Reacher fighting the same guy five times over with the same result, boring. A convoluted confusing technical ending, but by then I didn’t care

11 people found this helpful

The brotherhood is not working

Reviewed in Australia on 4 November 2021

Verified Purchase

Soooooo boring, OMG so many tedious descriptions of buildings a city planner would feel like committing suicide. Where is Reacher and who is this wanna be put in his place who contemplates weakness and defeat in confrontations? This clearly did not come from Lee's hand... I'm also puzzled by the "they are not identical twins". Do you know how rare it is to have identical twins of different gender? I had high hopes for the book and when the narrative changed to first person I was so happy but... nah. Wasted money, yet AGAIN since the duo started working together. Yep Reacher would be a lot better off dead than in this book. Either pick up your game next time or don't even bother.

7 people found this helpful

Reviewed in Australia on 31 October 2021

Verified Purchase

Wow. This is so incredibly bad. The plot is poor. The writing style is worse. I couldn’t finish it. I tried.
Better off dead? Yes I agree. Jack Reacher as a character would be.

11 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

Not up to usual standard

Reviewed in Australia on 28 October 2021

Verified Purchase

I found the endless descriptions of the layout of buildings tedious and the plot needlessly convoluted. Also the fight sequences a little boring. Michael turning up alive felt very predictable. Lee Child where are you?

11 people found this helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Oddsocks

Rehash of other Reacher books

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 October 2021

Verified Purchase

As another reviewer has stated this book has lots of other book story points reused and crammed into this tepid story.

I have read all the other books in the series and loved them all - but this just doesn’t feel like a Lee Child book, it feels wrong. I’m not sure wether his brother is now the lead writer or they are out of ideas but this is (in my opinion) the worst Reacher book by a mile.

I wish they were more books from when Reacher was still in the MP’s.

153 people found this helpful

Richard Clarke

It’s not the Reacher we know

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 October 2021

Verified Purchase

I have been a huge fan of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher and have read all the books at least twice - they never grow old.
Unfortunately, this book and the previous, both by Andrew Child but with Lee’s input have been a disappointment. So much so in this, Better Off Dead, with the incredibly annoying change to first person (why dear god, why!) and Reacher not behaving the same, that at 30% through the book I’m king about giving up.
Mr Child, we the fans did not approve of the great Tom Cruise in the films for all the reasons that I know you understand. The same is happening to your awesome character now - he has lost a foot in height and a 100 lbs. Please bring him back as he should be!

139 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Very disappointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 October 2021

Verified Purchase

I’ve been a Reacher fan for a decade and have read every book at least twice. This one however I barely finished. The plot is preposterous and everything seemed to be contrived and totally unrealistic.

104 people found this helpful

Mrs f

disappointed ....again

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 October 2021

Verified Purchase

last few books have been poor. whover is now writing it isnt upto the job. only a few pages in and im already annoyed by the first person story telling . who decided to change that ! 26 books in this will be my last (although i said that after the last 2 aswell)

97 people found this helpful

truckdriver4roads

Who is this?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 October 2021

Verified Purchase

First of all congrats to all the people who managed to get reviews published the day after the OFFICIAL release. Obviously a lot of insomniacs and retired people are fans. Secondly what is all the fuss about it being written in the first person? What about the five others written in the first? The Enemy, Persuader, Personal, Gone tomorrow, The Affair. I have been a real fan until about five books ago when the first cracks started to appear. The end was in sight when Little Brother became co-author. This book simply confirms that the end is happening. If it was other than a Child name on the cover I would have felt cheated with this book. With two Child names on the front I feel doubly cheated.
Is Child going the same way as Wilbur Smith? Wilbur's name prominently on the cover but not actually written by him. The difference between the genuine to the upstart small print author was obvious. The books are very far short of the Smith only originals.
Ok, we have to wait and see what sort of a job Child the Younger does in his first solo Reacher book but it will never be the same again.
I won't bother about going into the analysis of the book, the plot and everything else that so many other reviewers have done such a brilliant job with. They are right. This is just an insulting money spinning attempt to get money from so many thousands of loyal Reacher fans. Enjoy your money Lee but just call a halt to the gravy train. Let Jack go and put an end to this sham.

59 people found this helpful

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