Running Blind (Jack Reacher, No. 4)
Across the country women are being murdered by a killer who leaves no evidence, no fatal wounds, no signs of struggle, and no clues to a motive. They are, truly, perfect crimes. In fact, the only thing that links the victims is the man they all knew: Jack Reacher.
Perhaps the dumbest "mystery" I've ever read.
About 1/3 of the way into this book it's painfully obvious who the killer is. It couldn't be that obvious right? It had to be a red herring right? Well, it wasn't. I finished the book simply so that I could see if I'd been right. Throughout the whole book obvious red flags should have... WOULD have caught the attention of any characters with enough brain power to scramble eggs. It's as if Jack Reacher's IQ is the only one high enough to add two and two together. This is a DUMB book.
Whiffy detective (for want of a better term) in pursuit of preposterous killer
I strongly suggest that anyone who contemplates buying this book on the basis of the strong overall rating go immediately to the one-star ratings for a dose of reality--and nevermnd the fact that they contain spoilers.
Those slashing reviews point out many of the outrageous faults of this book. I shall therefore limit myself to just two areas.
Jack Reacher is a totally immature, highly disfunctional, neurotic thug who, for some wholly elusive reason, seems to be irresistibly attractive to most women. The fact that he owns just one set of clothes which he NEVER changes over the whole course of the book and for heaven knows how long before the book starts and after it closes strikes me as making that attractiveness more than slightly improbable--but, hey, maybe some women like a man whom they can smell before they can see.
The killer's identity is painfully obvious about half-way through the book, not from any logical analysis--for their is no logic here--but from the endlessly unnecessary prominence given to the character, that character's relationships and that character's motives. If that is not bad enough, the killer's overall plan is an ancient wheeze that was executed with infinitely more skill by Agatha Christie in "The ABC Murders." Finally, worst, is the actual method of killing, for which I have just one word: ridiculous!
There is only one way in which to enjoy this sort of book: turn off all your higher brain functions and simply enjoy the rush. If you are of a disposition to do that, then this is a three-star book, otherwise it fully deserves its one-star (or lower) status.
LEC/Am/1-10
FOURTH REACHER NOVEL
I am a fan of the Reacher series and this is the fourth book in the series and the fourth I have read. And I will keep going with the series, but I might not have gone on if this one was number one. It is far below the quality of the others. Jack Reacher is a loner but in this one it is too extreme. Hope for better in number five.
Poor quality tapes and mediocre storyline
We have enjoyed listening to the Reacher series on unabridged audioboks. This one was on cassette tapes and they sounded like a distant echo chamber with muffled narration. In addition the story line was fluffed out with the meat being less than 40% of the time. I believe we have heard 5 others which were much better than Running Blind and suggest you skip this one, particularly if it is a cassette audiobook.
Light & not much mystery, but OK for airplane reading
The murderer becomes clear reasonably early, exposed by peculiar behavior and a couple incongruous factlets that the author pulls out of mid-air and tosses into the story. I am usually quite good at missing such clues, but not in this case - they were too glaring.
Beyond this, there is the typical Reacher activity - chasing around, dealing with thugs, etc. And those things can be fun if you can gloss over the clues and accept the pretty much impossible method the killer uses to do in the victims.
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Jack Reacher is back, dragged into what looks like a series of grisly serial murders by a team of FBI profilers who aren't totally sure he's not the killer they're looking for, but believe that even if he isn't, he's smart enough to help them find the real killer. And what they've got on the ex-MP, who's starred in three previous Lee Child thrillers (Tripwire, Die Trying, Killing Floor), is enough to ensure his grudging cooperation: phony charges stemming from Reacher's inadvertent involvement in a protection shakedown and the threat of harm to the woman he loves.
The killer's victims have only one thing in common--all of them brought sexual harassment charges against their military superiors and all resigned from the army after winning their cases. The manner, if not the cause, of their deaths is gruesomely the same: they died in their own bathtubs, covered in gallons of camouflage paint, but they didn't drown and they weren't shot, strangled, poisoned, or attacked. Even the FBI forensic specialists can't figure out why they seem to have gone willingly to their mysterious deaths. Reacher isn't sure whether the killings are an elaborate cover-up for corruption involving stolen military hardware or the work of a maniac who's smart enough to leave absolutely no clues behind. This compelling, iconic antihero dead-ends in a lot of alleys before he finally figures it out, but every one is worth exploring and the suspense doesn't let up for a second. The ending will come as a complete surprise to even the most careful reader, and as Reacher strides off into the sunset, you'll wonder what's in store for him in his next adventure. --Jane Adams
Product Description:
Across the country women are being murdered by a killer who leaves no evidence, no fatal wounds, no signs of struggle, and no clues to a motive. They are, truly, perfect crimes. In fact, the only thing that links the victims is the man they all knew: Jack Reacher.
Number Of Pages: 512
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