The Midnight Line

by Lee Child, Lee Child

Hardcover, 384 pages

English language

Published Nov. 6, 2017 by Delacorte Press.

ISBN:: 978-0-399-59348-2
OCLC Number:: 1000297822

(23 reviews)

"#1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child returns with a gripping new powerhouse thriller featuring Jack Reacher, "one of this century's most original, tantalizing pop-fiction heroes" (The Washington Post). Reacher takes a stroll through a small Wisconsin town and sees a class ring in a pawn shop window: West Point 2005.A tough year to graduate: Iraq, then Afghanistan. The ring is tiny, for a woman, and it has her initials engraved on the inside. Reacher wonders what unlucky circumstance made her give up something she earned over four hard years. He decides to find out. And find the woman. And return her ring. Why not? So begins a harrowing journey that takes Reacher through the upper Midwest, from a lowlife bar on the sad side of small town to a dirt-blown crossroads in the middle of nowhere, encountering bikers, cops, crooks, muscle, and a missing persons PI who wears a suit and a tie in the Wyoming wilderness. The deeper Reacher digs, and the more he learns, the more dangerous the terrain becomes. Turns out the ring was just a small link in a far darker chain. Powerful forces are guarding a vast criminal enterprise. Some lines should never be crossed. But then, neither should Reacher. Praise for #1 bestselling author Lee Child and his Jack Reacher series "There's a reason why Child is considered the best of the best in the thriller genre."--Associated Press "Jack Reacher is today's James Bond."--Ken Follett"--

"Reacher rides the bus north from Milwaukee. At a comfort stop in Wisconsin dairy country he takes a stroll. Among the cheap junk in a pawn shop window he notices a West Point class ring for sale. It's tiny. A woman cadet's ring. Why would she pawn it? Reacher knows what Serena Sanderson must have gone through to get it. He fights through a biker gang and a South Dakota gangster, following the trail of the ring to the emptiness of Wyoming, in search of Major Sanderson. Is she OK?"--

1 edition

ridel reviewed The Midnight Line by Lee Child (Jack Reacher, #22)

A Forgettable Story with an Important Message

3 stars

The Midnight Line represents the floor of Lee Child's refined Reacher formula - it's a supremely entertaining read whether it's your first, or twenty-second experience with the series. At the same time, there's nothing in this that excels. It's thoroughly mediocre but comforting... like cold leftover pizza.

All the strengths are here: the core mystery is intriguing, the action rare but rapid and vicious when it occurs, and attention to details shows in every element of the background research as well as the intricate timed plotlines. All the weaknesses are here too: the side characters are forgettable, the conclusion is always too abrupt, and Reacher just has to get-the-girl.

I also intellectually appreciate the effort spent showing all sides of a modern crisis, but there's a degree of delicacy that needs to be exercised when discussing something that is relevant to modern politics. I felt the author ended up on …

Recommended with reservations: this is an entertaining episode of Reacher's life and addresses an important topic. Yet ultimately there's nothing special about the story.

Alastair Montgomery reviewed The Midnight Line by Lee Child (Jack Reacher, #22)

Review of 'The Midnight Line' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Not one of the best examples of the Reacher series.

Alastair Montgomery reviewed The Midnight Line by Lee Child (Jack Reacher, #22)

Review of 'The Midnight Line' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Not one of the best examples of the Reacher series.

state_electrician reviewed The Midnight Line by Lee Child (Jack Reacher, #22)

Review of 'The Midnight Line' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

After the events abroad we're back to a regular Reacher story in some small town in the US. This is where Reacher is best. The writing feels so familiar and so do the characters, even the new ones. And even if the events are less crazy than some of the other books, I enjoyed this latest installment a great deal.