The Midnight Line

Paperback, 391 pages

English language

Published March 28, 2017 by Bantam Press.

ISBN:: 978-0-593-07817-4

(4 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 …

"#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?"--

11 editions

Alexander L. Belikoff reviewed The Midnight Line by Lee Child

Review of 'The Midnight Line' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

There are two groups of people: 110th MP vete^H^H^H I mean, those, who have stumbled upon the Jack Reacher series and read all of then - and those, who haven't yet.

I don't know what ingredient Mr. Child puts into his books, but it's got to be on the list of highly addictive, federally-controlled substances. Not being a particular fan of the genre (hardly reading more than one book in 2-3 years), I stumbled upon "Killing Floor" by sheer accident 2 years ago and I was lost - I went through all of Jack Reacher books in rapid fire fashion - one after another. My hobby reading list suffered. My professional reading list suffered. My (already poor) sleeping discipline deteriorated.

For sure, the Jack Reacher series is not perfect. It is uneven - some books are definitely more interesting and engaging than others. Some plots look ridiculous. In case of …

There are two groups of people: 110th MP vete^H^H^H I mean, those, who have stumbled upon the Jack Reacher series and read all of then - and those, who haven't yet.

I don't know what ingredient Mr. Child puts into his books, but it's got to be on the list of highly addictive, federally-controlled substances. Not being a particular fan of the genre (hardly reading more than one book in 2-3 years), I stumbled upon "Killing Floor" by sheer accident 2 years ago and I was lost - I went through all of Jack Reacher books in rapid fire fashion - one after another. My hobby reading list suffered. My professional reading list suffered. My (already poor) sleeping discipline deteriorated.

For sure, the Jack Reacher series is not perfect. It is uneven - some books are definitely more interesting and engaging than others. Some plots look ridiculous. In case of "Midnight Lane" we get a pretty solid read (as far as the series goes) - the plot is tight, the premise reasonably believable and so are the characters. The typical fallacies of the series (great beginning/slow development/hasted catharsis, awkward romantic scenes, author's infatuation with some literary devices, like letting the reader peek into the actions of yet unfamiliar characters) are not too pronounced here, making it a great and pleasurable reading and a very solid book (as far as the series goes). I devoured it in four days and I'm already suffering from a withdrawal syndrome, waiting for the next book.

In nuce: a great and entertaining reading for those who are already hooked on the series. If you aren't yet, but want to get your feet wet, this one is a great place to start (although, I'd recommend starting with the "Killing Floor").

flimflam

rated it

June 18, 2020

Simon

rated it

Sept. 28, 2020

Fryguy451

rated it

Feb. 28, 2022