Past Tense: A Jack Reacher Novel Kindle Edition

Past Tense is an entertaining book in the Jack Reader series. The author has created a strong character with a heart and a dry sense of humor that makes for an endearing and unforgettable protagonist.This book has plenty of action, suspense and tension as the story unfolds with two unsuspecting travelers who are kept hostage in an out of the way motel. Jack Reacher crosses paths with these two travelers and the action ratchets up.I have read other books by Lee Child but enjoyed this one the most so far. I will read more of this series.

The new Jack Reacher novel is a decent addition to the Jim Grant/Lee Child canon, but it is not among the very best within the series. Having said that I must add two additional statements: I read it in two breathless sittings and I look forward to the next installment.Jack is in Maine, planning to head to San Diego for the onset of the winter. Finding himself near Laconia, New Hampshire, he makes what he expects to be a one-day side trip to check out the old stomping grounds of his dad, Stan. Unfortunately, there is no record of a Stan Reacher in the local records. What's up?Simultaneously, a young Canadian couple with a rattletrap car find themselves in the uber boonies at a mysterious motel. When they are trapped within its spooky Room 10 we (and they) quickly find ourselves in the genre country known as Horror-ville.When Jack works his magic on the teeth and jaw of a local bully his mob-related daddy puts out a call to Boston to dispatch Jack with extreme prejudice. This further complicates Jack's life because in searching for the remains of the town in which his own dad lived he discovers that a local apple farmer has midnight-requisitioned some additional acreage (namely the road into Jack's dad's town). While he is not prepared to kill Jack he does desire to inflict a great deal of pain upon his 6'5" body (a quixotic task by any reasonable measure).All of these plotlines come together and we are offered a satisfying ending for our attendance at the Lee Child campfire. There are three problems. First, the book's setting is a bit too claustrophobic for my taste. Second, I am not a committed reader of horror fiction, even when it is done skillfully. Most problematic for me was the fact that the doings at the creepy motel directly paralleled the exact same plot as that of Brett Battles' second Excoms thriller, TOWN AT THE EDGE OF DARKNESS, which I reviewed about a week and a half ago. Both stories find their ur-text in a famous 1924 short story, which I will not identify in order to avoid SPOILING this novel.The Battles novel appeared 11 months before PAST TENSE. Given publishing and writing schedules the similarities appear to be absolutely coincidental. In some ways it is fun to watch two very imaginative writers plowing similar ground, but given my reading and reviewing schedule the similarities resulted in some disappointment. There was considerable compensation, however, in the account of Jack's dad and his origins and exploits.The bottom line is that readers of the series will enjoy the book and look forward to its successor.

Reacher tries to find his father’s family and the result is very interesting. Loved the book. On to the next one in the series.

Lee Child is a an accomplisher storyteller, and his prose has a rhythm as captivating as his story. I’m helpless to resist a Jack Reacher novel. I kept reading this book till three in the morning when I finally finished the last page. Past Tense is a perfect Reacher novel, full of appealing characters, sleazy villains, and tough guys begging to be taught a lesson.Best of all, Reacher is on his best superhero behavior. He comes to the rescue of victims of crime, promotes a local romance, keeps the peace when he can, and fights brilliantly when pushed to it. The move-to-move, blow-by-blow description of his fight against five big bruisers is terrific. I always enjoy the working of Reacher’s calculator brain — not to mention his deadpan sense of humor subtly visible to the reader, often missed by his listeners.One of the narrative threads takes us to a creepy motel in the middle of nowhere. The crime planned here leads to a great action scene, with a feisty female heroine on site as well as Reacher.The plot starts out innocently enough. On his way south, Reacher decides to take a detour to his father’s birthplace in Laconia, New Hampshire. Amusing scenes ensue in his search through town records. And startling things emerge about his family, which Reacher takes in stride in a cool manly fashion.Loved this book, no reservations.

Slow moving tales from the past and the very current life threatening present. Not my favorite in the series, but it fills in some in Reachers story.

"Past Tense" involves two virtually independent plots. The first is pretty standard Reacher story: mayhem (what we all read these Child books for) with local thugs and mobsters in a small New Hampshire town. The second story, which takes place in an isolated motel some distance away, is far grimmer, almost macabre. The two stories do not really come together until more than two thirds through the novel, through an extraordinary and not really believable coincidence. But the two stories never turn out to have much to do with each other.All this said, the novel has some considerable strengths even beyond the overall high quality of Child's prose and command of detail. I found that I really came to know Patty and Shorty, and also to admire them -- the sort of persons I would love to encounter in real life. The officials in the town of Laconia -- Detective Amos, Carrington, and Castle -- are sharply drawn and wholly believable. But the Rev. Patrick Burke (apparently an elderly defrocked priest), who offers Reacher invaluable assistance, is the most interesting of all. He goes way above and beyond the call even of religious duty.We also get to learn something about the background of Reacher's New Hampshire family -- details that come as a surprise even to him. Reacher's story starts almost by accident, as he is travelling through NH on his way to San Diego, when he recognizes the name Laconia and stops to do a little research.This is the penultimate of the Reacher novels written by Lee Child alone. Savor it!

Great storytelling although the theme of human hunting has been well used by others this take was great.Reacher came across more real in this novel than in some of the older books.