Publisher Description:
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.
Thrilling Reads Review
BETTER OFF DEAD is another great Reacher thriller that finds Jack Reacher heading out west to see the Pacific Ocean, before he gets sidelined in a U.S.–Mexico Border town and stumbles into nefarious plan involving chemical weapons.
I particularly enjoyed the FBI Agent character of Michaela Fenton, an army veteran turned FBI agent, trying to find her twin brother.
I have noticed some brouhaha from reviewers that this isn’t the same Reacher from years ago. It’s been twenty-plus years and 26 Jack Reacher novels (including BETTER OFF DEAD), So I don’t find it hard to believe that Reacher has changed some. But he’s still kicks a lot of bad guy butt and is driven hard by his own moral code.
I liked the story line here with Reacher helping Michaela find her missing twin brother, and then dealing with a much bigger problem with the bad guys here up some very nefarious business.
The book was fast-paced with great action scenes. And in typical Lee Child style, some great twists and turns.
Author Interview
I had the pleasure of interviewing Lee Child and Andrew Child for my podcast, MEET THE THRILLER AUTHOR. You can listen to that interview available in your favorite podcast app (the podcast is available in all major podcasting directories and sites out there) or you can check out my podcast or in the audio player down below.
