I have loved all of Lee Child's Jack Reacher books - including this one, but it wasn't his best. My main criticism was the pace - it got off to a slow start and never really picked up to the breathtaking urgency that is typical of a Jack Reacher novel. I could put this novel down easily in the first third. That doesn't usually happen with a Jack Reacher book.
There were, however, many things to like about this novel for dedicated Jack Reacher fans. For one thing, it gives us insight into how his military career helped to shape the man he became after he left the army. He undertook sanctioned missions that were not unlike the causes he pursues in his later years. And he exhibits the same degree of ruthlessness and righteousness, the same capacity for vigilantism. This novel also showcased Jack's early ability to make connections and predict behaviour based on a combination of analylitical skills, experience and gut feelings. This skill is at the centre of his career as an MP and serves him well in his post-Army life.
I also noted that he didn't take a bag overseas and pressed his trousers under his mattress. I always worry about him not changing his underwear, not to mention his clothes, and this novel was no exception.
I also liked that this novel showed Jack cooperating with others - not so much the alphabet soup of the fake school, but with the local police and other trusted army colleagues. I found the relationship in this one less convincing, the mission leader seemed as though she would have more common sense than to become involved with a subordinate.

Night School: Jack Reacher 21
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In the morning they gave Reacher a medal. And in the afternoon, they sent him back to school.
Night School takes Reacher back to his army days, but this time he's not in uniform. With trusted sergeant Frances Neagley at his side, he must carry the fate of the world on his shoulders in a wired, fiendishly clever new adventure that will make cold sweat trickle down your spine.
©2016 Lee Child (P)2016 Random House Audiobooks
- Listening Length11 hours and 12 minutes
- Audible release date7 November 2016
- LanguageEnglish
- ASINB01GEMQYHK
- VersionUnabridged
- Program TypeAudiobook
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Product details
Listening Length | 11 hours and 12 minutes |
---|---|
Author | Lee Child |
Narrator | Jeff Harding |
Whispersync for Voice | Ready |
Audible.com.au Release Date | 07 November 2016 |
Publisher | Random House Audiobooks |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B01GEMQYHK |
Best Sellers Rank | 1,331 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) 55 in Crime Thrillers (Audible Books & Originals) 99 in Suspense 104 in Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals) |
Customer reviews
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Reviewed in Australia on 13 November 2016
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Reviewed in Australia on 20 November 2016
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Very disappointed with this latest book. If it was the first I had read it would probably also be the last. One one stage I was wondering if it was written by another person (a la James Patterson). I think Lee is just doing it for the money now. This one is Jack Reacher-LITE; normally I find it difficult to put these down, but I did so numerous times - to play cards on the computer and watch YouTube! I may consider buying next year's novel but definitely not until I've read the reviews, and probably not at full price! I haven't quantified it but it also seemed much shorter than the previous books. It will probably end up as a movie as it didn't seem to have as much depth to it as most of the previous ones. Sorry I can't be more positive about this one.
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Reviewed in Australia on 16 January 2018
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Yes it has someone called Jack Reacher... but it didn’t really have any Jack moments and could have been written with any hero’s name by a lot of authors. I enjoyed it but was disappointed that it didn’t appear to be a genuine JR book. We were also told more than once the translation Dremmlers Shoes... I got it the first time. It did seem shorter than the normal book. I have already started book 22 and it is CLASSIC JACK REACHER. I’m glad he is back.
Reviewed in Australia on 9 October 2020
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Clever Plotting, satisfying hero, good action, this is Lee Child to a tee. Jack Reacher is just a continual great read. The plots are true, the action is clear and clean the hero wins out, this is a book to read and enjoy. Hard to put down.
Reviewed in Australia on 8 January 2017
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Jack Reacher 21 another great read by Lee Child. Although the author likes 5'7" Tom Cruise playing Reacher in the movies the focus is once again on his size intelligence and fighting ability. But and it is a bit but, what was with the anti-German rhetoric that keeps coming out of Reacher's mouth? Is it necessary on multiple occasions to let the reader know that Germany lost WW2? The America uber alles is a bit overdone but a clever plot moving seamlessly to conclusion makes it another must read for Jack Reacher fans.
Reviewed in Australia on 13 April 2018
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I've been lulled into a belief that Lee Child's Reacher series could never get dull and boring; it took reading this episode for the veil to be lifted. What ever happened to believability? Yes, there are some things you can (almost) see long-time military NCO's getting away with or a blind-eye being turned, but, c'mon! And by-the-by; wouldn't even miniaturized nuclear weapons emit a certain amount of radiation especially if only contained in a backpack?
Reviewed in Australia on 5 March 2017
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As it is a Lee Child story about Reacher I had to read it. I liked that what it was they were searching for was kept a secret till nearly the end. The story unfolded, guessing was useless because it was going to give away no clues, you had to read on to find out.
Reacher wasn't as cleaver as he was in earlier books, it was as if he was still honing his skills. Please keep writing, I never want to stop reading about Reacher. Would love to find that one of his flings delivered a child to come into his life! I can imagine a whole lot of stories from that development !!
Reacher wasn't as cleaver as he was in earlier books, it was as if he was still honing his skills. Please keep writing, I never want to stop reading about Reacher. Would love to find that one of his flings delivered a child to come into his life! I can imagine a whole lot of stories from that development !!
Reviewed in Australia on 1 December 2016
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At some point authors of popular books write like machines. Now Lee Child does. You know what you are getting and you don,t mind it but the conclusion is the same. Reacher is reaching the end. I don't think I will be up to reading number 22
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JoJo
2.0 out of 5 stars
Sorry but this one is boring
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 November 2016Verified Purchase
Not the style of the Reacher books I have come to love. Sorry but this was actually a bit boring. It picked up a bit at the end but wasn't a patch on the other stories. Reacher is a man of action - this book had him doing too little. Hope this isn't a sign of things to come. Very disappointed having been waiting for this book to come out.
54 people found this helpful
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jaydee999
3.0 out of 5 stars
Maybe Lee needs to go back to writing night school?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 July 2017Verified Purchase
I'm a recent "recruit" to Jack Reacher novels, but I've now read every one. I don't think that this was one of Lee Child's best. To my mind, this effort bears all the hallmarks of writing a book with the intention of it hopefully being bought up for the big screen.
1. A European city for location (not the back of beyond in USA), and involvement in a global incident
2. Sex scenes. Not Lee's writing strength at all in my opinion, but a requisite element of most Hollywood films these days. And gives an good director a chance to show off his artistic skills. In earlier books, I don't recall him always bedding a woman. In the later books, it has become a certainty, like James Bond.
3. Uneccesary bestiality scene. I'm no prude, but it seemed to be there to add some Hollywood shock factor, rather than be an integral part of the story.
4. A large group of key players, giving the chance to assemble a stellar cast.
5. Reacher as self-imposed judge, jury, and executioner. Yes, Reacher kills, but this time his murders seem almost gratuitous, and somewhat out of character. Far better when he badly hurts the transgressors. In this book, I felt he was little better than the "baddies" from a moral standpoint.
I'm not sure how I felt about him working as part of a team that he wasn't in charge of. In some ways it highlights his maverick nature, which I like, but I suspect it was necessary to create a situation where he could be involved in such a potentially global incident.
For a book hoping to be turned into a film, there was surprisingly little "action" for Reacher. I'm sure this was a disappointment for many readers.
I didn't find the plot as boring as some reviewers, nor as riveting as others.
Overall, I would put this on a par with other thriller novels I have read, whereas the best Reacher novels stand head and shoulders above the rest, with a twist or development to every chapter end that makes you want to move on to the next. This wasn't the case for me with this book.
One final point. I know Lee Child has defended the choice of Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, and has even gone so far as to say that it isn't easy to find an actor that fits his stature. One thing's for sure. Tom Cruise is the antithesis of Jack Reacher, whatever his acting abilities. I refuse to believe that there isn't a decent actor out there, who would be a better fit, physically.
1. A European city for location (not the back of beyond in USA), and involvement in a global incident
2. Sex scenes. Not Lee's writing strength at all in my opinion, but a requisite element of most Hollywood films these days. And gives an good director a chance to show off his artistic skills. In earlier books, I don't recall him always bedding a woman. In the later books, it has become a certainty, like James Bond.
3. Uneccesary bestiality scene. I'm no prude, but it seemed to be there to add some Hollywood shock factor, rather than be an integral part of the story.
4. A large group of key players, giving the chance to assemble a stellar cast.
5. Reacher as self-imposed judge, jury, and executioner. Yes, Reacher kills, but this time his murders seem almost gratuitous, and somewhat out of character. Far better when he badly hurts the transgressors. In this book, I felt he was little better than the "baddies" from a moral standpoint.
I'm not sure how I felt about him working as part of a team that he wasn't in charge of. In some ways it highlights his maverick nature, which I like, but I suspect it was necessary to create a situation where he could be involved in such a potentially global incident.
For a book hoping to be turned into a film, there was surprisingly little "action" for Reacher. I'm sure this was a disappointment for many readers.
I didn't find the plot as boring as some reviewers, nor as riveting as others.
Overall, I would put this on a par with other thriller novels I have read, whereas the best Reacher novels stand head and shoulders above the rest, with a twist or development to every chapter end that makes you want to move on to the next. This wasn't the case for me with this book.
One final point. I know Lee Child has defended the choice of Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, and has even gone so far as to say that it isn't easy to find an actor that fits his stature. One thing's for sure. Tom Cruise is the antithesis of Jack Reacher, whatever his acting abilities. I refuse to believe that there isn't a decent actor out there, who would be a better fit, physically.
20 people found this helpful
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Beth W
1.0 out of 5 stars
So bored I gave up half way through
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 December 2017Verified Purchase
I've read every one of Lee Child's books and mostly thoroughly enjoyed them, especially the early ones. But this one was nowhere near the same standard, so much so that I struggled to get half way through before thinking life's too short to persevere with such a tedious book. I got to the stage where I didn't care what happened. The plot was weak, it plodded at a snail's pace and got bogged down in repetition and minor detail. A few times I got lost in the long passages of dialogue, often having to reread to make sense of who said what. So for the first time in any LC novel I've given up half way through as I was bored of it. Unfortunately I think Reacher has had a good run and should now retire. Anyone who has loved Child/Reacher but has had enough, I can suggest the following which I've found gripping. They are more military in subject matter and gory in parts but the pace is great, the stories strong, and the characters interesting.
Tom Cain's Samuel Carver
Will Jordan's Ryan Drake
Andy McNab's Nick Stone
Chris Ryan's Danny Black
Tom Wood's Victor the assassin
Tom Cain's Samuel Carver
Will Jordan's Ryan Drake
Andy McNab's Nick Stone
Chris Ryan's Danny Black
Tom Wood's Victor the assassin
15 people found this helpful
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Crosseyedbear
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not enough elbow!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 November 2016Verified Purchase
Did not grab my interest as much as some Jack Reacher books. Agree with previous comments. Bestiality scenes totally unnecessary best left out. The thread was disjointed. Not in usual Lee Childs style (I've read them all). Good tale but too much description, not enough action, and like Tom Cruise, it's not really Jack Reacher.
26 people found this helpful
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Galning
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 March 2018Verified Purchase
I've got all the Reacher series and have read most of them twice, sometimes 3 times. I was a bit worried by the number of negative reviews for this one (Night School) but found I still loved it. Couldn't put it down and read it in a day.
The year in this one is 1996 - so it doesn't follow on from 20 as it puts Jack back in time, still in the army, and on a mission with Neagley. Compared to others there isn't a great deal of action - but I love how Jack's thought processes work - even though, sometimes, it seems like he's channelling Sherlock Holmes in his deductions. It might be far fetched - but it's entertaining.
I've read reviews, on here, that have complained about a scene with a donkey - but it only lasted a few lines and there was no great detail, so hardly that offensive. And another review said it seemed like someone else had written it....which puzzled me as it felt like the normal Lee Child rhythm to me. Different strokes for different folks.
The bottom line is - it's pure escapism. Reading a Reacher for me is like listening to a live concert album by a favourite artist. You kind of know what songs might come up and you know it's probably all going to turn out ok - but you don't know if you'll hear your favourites or how closely they will match the originals. But you have built up a relationship (with the artist / Jack) and you've paid your money and you just sit back and enjoy the show. Give it a year or two and I'll happily read this again.
My only gripe is that I had to buy the paperback, which is a bit of a waste of precious trees. The stubborn side of me was not going to pay a quid more for the Kindle version...
The year in this one is 1996 - so it doesn't follow on from 20 as it puts Jack back in time, still in the army, and on a mission with Neagley. Compared to others there isn't a great deal of action - but I love how Jack's thought processes work - even though, sometimes, it seems like he's channelling Sherlock Holmes in his deductions. It might be far fetched - but it's entertaining.
I've read reviews, on here, that have complained about a scene with a donkey - but it only lasted a few lines and there was no great detail, so hardly that offensive. And another review said it seemed like someone else had written it....which puzzled me as it felt like the normal Lee Child rhythm to me. Different strokes for different folks.
The bottom line is - it's pure escapism. Reading a Reacher for me is like listening to a live concert album by a favourite artist. You kind of know what songs might come up and you know it's probably all going to turn out ok - but you don't know if you'll hear your favourites or how closely they will match the originals. But you have built up a relationship (with the artist / Jack) and you've paid your money and you just sit back and enjoy the show. Give it a year or two and I'll happily read this again.
My only gripe is that I had to buy the paperback, which is a bit of a waste of precious trees. The stubborn side of me was not going to pay a quid more for the Kindle version...
3 people found this helpful
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