Die Trying by Lee Child - Book Review

         On a bright sunny day in Chicago, a woman is going to bring in her clothes to a dry cleaner.   Since she is limping and is on crutches, Jack Reacher wants to help her.  What he doesn’t know is that this woman is being followed and before you know it, he, along with the woman, is kidnapped by four thugs.  

          Once inside the van, Reacher learns that the woman that is kidnapped is Holly Johnson, an FBI agent.  The kidnappers aren’t saying why they decided to kidnap this woman and Reacher isn’t getting any answers right away.   It seems that neither one is going to get out of this alive.  

          This is the beginning of Die Trying by Lee Child.  I can’t help but say from the start that this is the best book I’ve read by Child since I started reading the books in order.  I like the way Child builds the tension in the story as we slowly learn who the kidnappers are and what they are going to do.  

          There are a lot of layers that are peeled away in the story and each layer builds more suspense and adds to the plot.  There are a lot of surprises along the way as a result.   I thought it was creative that we see the kidnappers connection to a bigger group and what the group represented.  It does come right out of the headlines that you read in the newspapers and it was a great way to make a connection that built up the suspense even more. 

           Holly Johnson was not only an FBI agent but she was tough as well, even under the worst of circumstances.  Child built a great character here and you knew she was not helpless although having Reacher there as a protector even in dire circumstances made the book even better.  

            What can you say about Reacher.  He’s the one who still has to play the hero and of course, that means being a sniper and stopping this insane group of radicals who hate the government.  There is a lot that he has to deal with throughout the story and each part of the plot involves him solving one problem before another one comes up right after that. 

             I had no problem with the point of view changing throughout the story as it switched to the FBI agents looking for Holly to the kidnappers and the group.  It was a great way to add tension to the story since you didn’t know what the ultimate role the FBI would play in the story as well.  

            Compared to One Shot and Running Blind, this is my favorite Lee Child novel and I would easily give it five stars.  I’l be anxious to see how the other ones are after reading this one. 


Ron Hummer