Helpful Score: 3
Of all the authors who write series books I really like Lee Child - eash and everyone of his Reacher books can be enjoyed on its own. And while Reacher's physical prowess is almost beyond belief his intelligence is what usually saves him. Because of his character's background he has an open field to put him in new situations and environments. This is a opportunity that Child uses to his advantage and you don't feel that you are reading the same book again & again. Few authors are as good at this as Child - If you like to see you leading character again & again - I recommend this series.
Helpful Score: 2
Fans of the Jack Reacher series will enjoy the display of his deductive skills in this story of an abused wife in the outback of Texas. Readers who are not yet fans will also admire his Dr. Gregory House approach to solving a mystery or, in this case, a nested series of mysteries surrounding an attractive Mexican-American wife and the imperious old west family she has married into. Reacher pairs up with a beautiful lesbian lawyer to fight an archaic Texas legal system as well as some very skilled professional killers in this thriller that is as wide ranging as the well-painted Texas landscape it is set against.
Helpful Score: 2
Another excellent Jack Reacher thriller! This may be the best one yet. In this one Child leads you down a twisting path that includes a lot of misdirection to a very satisfying conclusion. The Reacher series is definitely becoming one of my favorites. This 5th book in the series involves Reacher with a Latina woman (Carmen) who claims she has been brutally beaten by her husband who is serving time for tax evasion. But is Carmen telling the truth? Her story seems to fall apart as told by the local DA. Highly enjoyable and I would highly recommend this one.
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this story. I true mystery as I was guessing "whodunit" up until the very end.
Helpful Score: 1
Echo Burning is a masterfully characterized thriller starring Reacher, the ex-military cop who's so concerned about commitment to anything--a woman, possessions, a permanent address--that he only owns the clothes on his back. But he's the kind of justice-seeking guy you'd want on your side, especially if you were an abused wife trapped in a marriage you can't get out of until, and unless, somebody bumps off your old man.
Reacher is drawn into beautiful Carmen Greer's orbit, which ought to teach a guy not to hitchhike. Agreeing to protect her from the husband who's about to be released from jail, Reacher moves into the bunkhouse of the Echo, Texas, ranch that's owned by the bigoted, bitter, but powerful Greer family. This is the best Jack Reacher yet, smart, stylish, and convincing.
Reacher is drawn into beautiful Carmen Greer's orbit, which ought to teach a guy not to hitchhike. Agreeing to protect her from the husband who's about to be released from jail, Reacher moves into the bunkhouse of the Echo, Texas, ranch that's owned by the bigoted, bitter, but powerful Greer family. This is the best Jack Reacher yet, smart, stylish, and convincing.
Helpful Score: 1
The 5th Jack Reacher book didn't let me down. Also, reading these books in order is interesting; watching Reacher evolve. In Echo Burning, he is still incredibly insightful, almost overly so, but that's part of the fun! As noted on the cover Texas has never been captured in quite this way before... and that's the truth! Jack Reacher brings out his super-heroism once again. Fun read - great mystery to try to unravel.
When I ordered "Echo Burning", there was no alert advising me that I was going to receive a Reader's Digest condensed version of the novel. Very disappointing!
Average. 2/3 of the book is a somewhat plodding setup for an intricate and clever finale.
3 out of 5 stars
3 out of 5 stars
page turner.can not put it down.
Great book!
this is a very good book; I had not read Lee Child, but I will be happy to read more. Well done...good mystery.
Marlene W. (KansasSunflower) -
I didn't like this one as much as others he's written. It just didn't hold my attention as much as some of the others. His vivid description of Texas did make me want to visit Texas again.
Lee Child does it again!!
This is another GREAT Jack Reacher story.
Starts a little slow, but quickly holds your interest. Some situations and conclusions are a little far-fetched and the hero relies a little to much on "instinct". But comes to a satisfying conclusion.
Reacher keeps on kicking ass and getting it right
This a Jack Reacher book. Jack is a former military cop who travels in search of justice for those in need. Great action novel without too much thinking required.
Jack Reacher is hitchhiking in Texas ahen Carmen Greer picks him up. He finds himself involved in another nail-biting adventure. A great plot.
I'm not really into thrillers, so I often hesitate to start a new "Reacher" novel. But once in, I"m hooked.
This one was interesting in that you first start off thinking there are two opposing groups. But further on you realize there are three. But who is running the third group, and why? You meet the "foot soldiers" of the third group, but the person behind them is a mystery. But Child keeps dropping hints you later realized you overlooked. However, halfway through the book he drops a short hint, that, if your thinking cap is on, gives you a good idea who the person running the third group is. Only much later do you understand why.
However, there was one time "Reacher" came to a conclusion that leaves you wondering how he arrived at it. And Child never explains.
This one was interesting in that you first start off thinking there are two opposing groups. But further on you realize there are three. But who is running the third group, and why? You meet the "foot soldiers" of the third group, but the person behind them is a mystery. But Child keeps dropping hints you later realized you overlooked. However, halfway through the book he drops a short hint, that, if your thinking cap is on, gives you a good idea who the person running the third group is. Only much later do you understand why.
However, there was one time "Reacher" came to a conclusion that leaves you wondering how he arrived at it. And Child never explains.
Standard Reacher novel--good airplane read
I really like the Jack Reacher novels however the plot of this one felt a little bit forced for me. I just couldn't buy it completey just at the very beginning. Still, I'm a fan and it had me guessing who, what and how with the plot. Sometimes I guessed right and sometimes I was caught completely by surprised.
I do like the fact that with each novel, we learn a little bit more about Jack and how he came to be and, for me, that's always a treat.
The only downside I'm beginning to see is Child's style of writing. Not that there's anything wrong with it - don't get me wrong. Its just that since I've discovered the Reacher novels and starting from book #1 I immediately want to to go the next one. But I have to pace myself. If you read them in succession too quickly, you pick up on the style of writing and then it becomes some what predictable. I don't want that to happen.
I've got plenty on my to-read list that I need to get to before I dive into another Reacher novel. But believe me, I always look forward to reading another Reacher novel!
Happy reading!!!!
I do like the fact that with each novel, we learn a little bit more about Jack and how he came to be and, for me, that's always a treat.
The only downside I'm beginning to see is Child's style of writing. Not that there's anything wrong with it - don't get me wrong. Its just that since I've discovered the Reacher novels and starting from book #1 I immediately want to to go the next one. But I have to pace myself. If you read them in succession too quickly, you pick up on the style of writing and then it becomes some what predictable. I don't want that to happen.
I've got plenty on my to-read list that I need to get to before I dive into another Reacher novel. But believe me, I always look forward to reading another Reacher novel!
Happy reading!!!!
Liked the book very much. One of my favorite authors now. Think Bruce Willis!
Just as good as the other Reacher novels
I enjoyed this book. Lee Child has a way of grabbing the reader and not letting go. Very hard to put down. He keeps Reacher interesting and puts him in crazy situations that you'd probably never thinkof. Love his books!
Went for bloodwork and picked up 4 "Jack Reacher" titles at a book "donation" sale, my first ones. (Had never heard of him before the Tom Cruise movie.)
This is *really* good stuff! Lee Child writes a tightly wound plot, with enough intricacies and twists to keep you guessing. I read this in less than 48 hours, it was that compelling.
Highly recommended for fans of both action/adv and mystery genres.
This is *really* good stuff! Lee Child writes a tightly wound plot, with enough intricacies and twists to keep you guessing. I read this in less than 48 hours, it was that compelling.
Highly recommended for fans of both action/adv and mystery genres.
Another exciting Reacher novel.
another great Reacher story! Can't go wrong with Reacher!
This is my least favorite of the Reacher series so far. To quote from Jackie Chiles (Seinfeld reference) this plot was "outrageous, egregious, preposterous". Preposterous being the key word. And Reacher's ability to find buried bodies and solve the murder without a shred of a clue was nothing short of magical. On top of that, the "tough guy" dialogue that Child assigned to Reacher was infantile and moronic. Had his other Reacher novels not been far superior to Echo Burning, I would put down this series forever. But I'm hoping this bomb was an exception and not a jump the shark moment.
This is a good book, as are all of Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels, but in terms of stakes and events, I enjoyed this one less that most of the others. No fault of the writing, per sey -- Lee Child is a good, consistent writer who knows his series characters and sticks to them -- more of a stylistic choice that didn't work for me. It (intentionally) mimics the sense of endless desolation inherent to the geography in which it is set, but sitting in the sun, waiting, while your brain boils in your skull as you wait, while you're waiting, and did I mention there's a lot of waiting? doesn't make as good a story as the book needs in order to truly succeed.
The primary support character is (again, intentionally) drawn with a frustratingly ambiguous brush, presumably to mirror the doubt Jack feels in wondering if he's being played the fool by a master manipulator rather than being the knight on the white horse he so oft strives to be, but for me, the strategy backfires. Yes, it smacks truer-than-most to real life dynamics of spousal abuse; but for the needs of the story being told, it holds me at arm's length from characters in whom I need to vest to feel Reacher is justified in the lengths he will go to in order to protect them.
The villains are one-dimensional and stereotypical -- more placeholders for "this is a bad person" than actual people, in fact -- and whether intended or otherwise, Child conveys such a pervasive bias against the landscape (and by association, the people who populate that landscape) that it comes across not as an aspect of the story itself, but rather a reflection of the author's personal feelings ... something that almost begs the reader to wonder what Texas ever did to Lee Child to make him see that chunk of the country as such an utter and irredeemable waste of sand.
All in all, it was a good enough read, but side-by-side with Child's other Reacher books, it left a lot to be desired. I suspect this was a bit of an authorial experiment in using geography and characters to personify the hot-button social issues addressed by the story line itself (spousal abuse, racism/bigotry, immigration), but if it was, it didn't work for me.
Yes, I got that being in abusive marriage is like being stranded in the middle of a desert with no one but enemies in sight. Yes, I got that the endless waiting in the book paralleled the endless waiting of being trapped in such a situation with no way out, waiting for rescue that odds-on will never come. Yes, I got that the uniformity of soullessness in the general population was a parallel for America's "notorious" indifference to the plight of those not born American; and that for the most part, even relatively benign racists are interchangeable cogs in a hate machine, so alike in their bigotries that they can be mistaken for one another if you didn't grow up with them.
The problem is, I don't really care, particularly when these points are made at the cost of the plot, support characters and pacing Jack Reacher needs to justify himself as the violent avenging angel of doom he's always going to, in the end, be.
The primary support character is (again, intentionally) drawn with a frustratingly ambiguous brush, presumably to mirror the doubt Jack feels in wondering if he's being played the fool by a master manipulator rather than being the knight on the white horse he so oft strives to be, but for me, the strategy backfires. Yes, it smacks truer-than-most to real life dynamics of spousal abuse; but for the needs of the story being told, it holds me at arm's length from characters in whom I need to vest to feel Reacher is justified in the lengths he will go to in order to protect them.
The villains are one-dimensional and stereotypical -- more placeholders for "this is a bad person" than actual people, in fact -- and whether intended or otherwise, Child conveys such a pervasive bias against the landscape (and by association, the people who populate that landscape) that it comes across not as an aspect of the story itself, but rather a reflection of the author's personal feelings ... something that almost begs the reader to wonder what Texas ever did to Lee Child to make him see that chunk of the country as such an utter and irredeemable waste of sand.
All in all, it was a good enough read, but side-by-side with Child's other Reacher books, it left a lot to be desired. I suspect this was a bit of an authorial experiment in using geography and characters to personify the hot-button social issues addressed by the story line itself (spousal abuse, racism/bigotry, immigration), but if it was, it didn't work for me.
Yes, I got that being in abusive marriage is like being stranded in the middle of a desert with no one but enemies in sight. Yes, I got that the endless waiting in the book paralleled the endless waiting of being trapped in such a situation with no way out, waiting for rescue that odds-on will never come. Yes, I got that the uniformity of soullessness in the general population was a parallel for America's "notorious" indifference to the plight of those not born American; and that for the most part, even relatively benign racists are interchangeable cogs in a hate machine, so alike in their bigotries that they can be mistaken for one another if you didn't grow up with them.
The problem is, I don't really care, particularly when these points are made at the cost of the plot, support characters and pacing Jack Reacher needs to justify himself as the violent avenging angel of doom he's always going to, in the end, be.
As usual, Child's great story-telling is a wonderful adventure. Reacher does it again!
Another good Jack Reacher novel.
. An excellent read.
Lee Child is such a great writer! I love Jack Reacher!
I'm on a Jack Reacher binge. How had I missed this unlikely hero with all the reading I do? Now I'm voraciously reading all the books in the series.
Jack Reacher is hitchhiking and is picked up by a pretty Mexican senora. The charge for the ride is for Reacher to kill her abusive husband who is being released from jail. Very good story.
Julianna & Vanessa T. (torotech) - , reviewed Echo Burning (Jack Reacher, Bk 5) on + 124 more book reviews
Lee Child's novels are the best books I have ever read. They all involve Jack Reacher an ex-military cop who is just an all around American hero who doesn't really want or need to be a hero he just happens to find himself in some strange and sticky situations where he almost always has to save himself or someone else from harm. He rocks and so does Lee Child.
Another decent read in the Jack reacher series.
Great book!!! I have read all of Lee Child's books and this is definitely one of his best! Very hard to put down.
A very good read. Could not put the book down. Read the entire book in a day and a half.
Can't beat the Jack Reacher series!
Another great book in the Reacher series~!
Jack is wandering in the desert and finds murder and mystery
part of a series
Lee Child has got to be the best or 1 of the best authors in todays world. Read this one at no stopping too. Whats his latest?
Another great "Reacher" read
suspense, can't put it down. neat plot. hitchhiker cruising with person...has a story to tell about not so good family secrets. fast paced
This one starts slow & I thought the ending was sorta predictable, but a good story in all. Kept my attention & I wanted to see what happened next. If a book can do that, its a winner to me.
Great Story!!!!!!!!!!!
Warning! a book with no ISBN# (like this one) that is 20 years old or less could be a Reader's Digest condensed version.
this is my second "Jack Reacher" novel that I've read. Was not disappointed. The author (Lee Child) has a way with his writing that you can't put it down!
I really like this author!!
Jack Reacher to the rescue again. Cool loner out to right wrong.
Another Jack Reacher book that will absolutly "grab hold of you". If you've read any other Lee Child books you know exactly what I mean.
Jack Reacher picks up pretty Carmen Greer who has a story to tell of her husband, family secrets, but the ride could cost both of their lives.
Very good book!
absolutely love this author
Another in the very good series by Lee Child. Reacher saves the day again on the hot dusty plains of West Texas.
Excellent!! Another winner. The varied plot lines weave together to make an enjoyable story, and keeps you guessing to the end!!
Another great Jack Reacher book
Another great winner.
another winner.
Another action-packed Lee Child blast. His Jack Reacher is The MAN.
as good as the first 4
Not one of his better books. Was very tedious and repetitive. he used 300/500 pages to impress upon the reader that Texas is hot and dry and one sweats alot when there - could have better used those pages to develope story. Almost did not wade thru book but in the end did finish reading it...altho disappointing.
Wild ride
Another great Jack Reacher Novel.
I'm absolutely in love with the Lee Child "Jack Reacher" series! I think because he's such a nomad,it's hard for me to wrap my mind around the lifestyle that he has chosen, but that it almost endears him to me!:?
He's as tough as they come and when he (always) lands in the big middle of trouble, he doesn't turn his back and this stop in his wandering is no exception. When the bus he's riding crashes outside a town in S.D., he's called upon to help the town out in a terrible crisis and when he gets involved, he's prepared to risk his life to save a brave elderly retired teacher from an assassin sent to silence her from testifying.
This is one of his best!
He's as tough as they come and when he (always) lands in the big middle of trouble, he doesn't turn his back and this stop in his wandering is no exception. When the bus he's riding crashes outside a town in S.D., he's called upon to help the town out in a terrible crisis and when he gets involved, he's prepared to risk his life to save a brave elderly retired teacher from an assassin sent to silence her from testifying.
This is one of his best!
Thumbing across the scorched west Texas desert, loner Jack Reacher has nowhere to go, and all the time in the world to get there. Cruising the same stretch of two-lane blacktop is pretty Carmen Greer. But for Reacher, the lift comes with a hitch. Carmen's got a story to tell, and it's a wild one. All about her husband, her family secrets, and a hometown that's pure Gothic. She's also got a plan. Reacher's part of it. And before the sun sets, this ride could cost them both their lives.
As always, Lee Child is a good to great read
Jack Reacher is the penultimate protagonist.
You can't beat the Jack Reacher books for action and suspense to keep you turning the pages. I'll be seeking out others in the series.
A Jack Reacher novel---
Thumbing across the scorched west Texas desert, loner Jack Reacher has nowhere to go, and all the time in the wold to get there. Cruising the same stretch of two-lane blacktop is pretty Carmen Greer. But for Reacher, the lift comes with a hitch. Carmen's got a story to tell, and it's a wild one. All about her husband, her family secrets, and a hometown that's pure Gothic. She's also got a plan. Reacher's part of it. And before the sun sets, this ride could cost them both their lives . . .
Thumbing across the scorched west Texas desert, loner Jack Reacher has nowhere to go, and all the time in the wold to get there. Cruising the same stretch of two-lane blacktop is pretty Carmen Greer. But for Reacher, the lift comes with a hitch. Carmen's got a story to tell, and it's a wild one. All about her husband, her family secrets, and a hometown that's pure Gothic. She's also got a plan. Reacher's part of it. And before the sun sets, this ride could cost them both their lives . . .
Thumbing across the scorched west Texas desert, loner Jack Reacher has nowhere to go, and all the time in the world to get there. Cruising the same stretch of two-lane blacktop is pretty Carmen Greer. But for Reacher, the lift comes with a hitch. Carmen's got a story to tell, and it's a wild one. All about her husband, her family secrets, and a hometown that's pure Gothic. She's also got a plan. Reacher's part of it. And before the sun sets, this ride could cost them both their lives.
