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| Nothing to Lose | 
 enlarge | List Price: £17.99
Buy New: £5.75
You Save: £12.24 (68%)
Buy New/Collectible from £7.20
Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 35 reviews)
Sales Rank: 135
Category: Book
Author: Lee Child
Publisher: Bantam Press
Studio: Bantam Press
Manufacturer: Bantam Press
Label: Bantam Press
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.6
ISBN: 0593057023
EAN: 9780593057025
ASIN: 0593057023
Publication Date: March 24, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A shame May 1, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book has little to recommend it. The characters are wooden and as I gratefully finished the book I couldn't care less about what happened to them. A previous reviewer said that Lee Childs couldn't write a bad book if he tried - I disagree, this is very poor, and would have benefited greatly from some judicious editing (about 100 pages worth), which is a shame considering some of his previous books. Hopefully he will take on board the citicism in these reviews and his next book will be back on par.
A blemish on an otherwise perfect series April 28, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The Jack Reacher series of books are my favourite. I live in Canada, and the release date is 2 months after the UK release date. So I order the book off Amazon UK to a friends house in Scotland. He sends me the book, and I anxiously check the mail every day for a week or two until it finally arrives. Then after all that wait, I end up reading it right away, and inevitably pull an all-nighter until I'm finished it.
Not this one. Oh the process of purchasing it was the same, but reading it took a couple of weeks as I just didn't feel like finishing it. It didn't capture me at all, and it was quite a poor book overall. The story was boring, and there was some really outrageous, hard to believe parts. The characters lacked substance, and this really seemed like one of those books where the author is just trying to meet a quota, rather than inspired by an idea. The whole plot came over so forced.
As a book on its own, its passable I guess. However Lee Child has set high standards with his excellent series that he was unfortunately nowhere clear to matching in this latest episode.
my worst read in years April 26, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
A book that completely loses its way, almost as if the author had no idea where the story should go. This was actually the poorest book I have read in as many years as I can remember, I certainly wont be purchasing other work by this author
A new review after last one was sabotaged - a conspiracy theory anyone? April 22, 2008
8 out of 14 found this review helpful
I am adding this preface to express my admiration for whoever has seen fit to award me 5 "helpful" votes and an amazing 13 "unhelpful ones" in the last 24 hours. Have I disturbed a wasp's nest? Have I upset someone? Come on, even with the reservations expressed below I still give it 3 stars. Conspiracy theorists should rejoice. Anyway I've started again so if you wish to vote for me as being unhelpful then please add a comment so I can improve next time.
I have problems reviewing this book. Lee Child has obviously created a memorable hero here but I just wonder if he has come to the end of the tracks - at least for a while. I enjoyed "Bad luck and trouble" as it introduced a gang to play with. Other people for Reacher to play off, rely on and have conflict with. The return to the only cowboy in town (and there are many echoes of the old cowboy movies in this book) is perhaps just one novel too many. Don't get me wrong, for all its flaws - and there are many - this is one of the better thrillers out there as it genuinely carries you with it, a genuine page turner (sorry!), it is a great "read", but the cracks are beginning to show.
I don't want to give too much of the plot away but just like "One shot" Reacher is incredibly slow to pick up on what might be going down. I saw what the problem was almost right away (and no I'm not being wise after the event - I always get the killer wrong in genuine whodunits) and Reacher (especially for one who is so usually infallible) just doesn't get it until the last few pages. This is annoying! It has to be said that this infallibility - you know he always knows what sort of punch is coming his way in a fight, so him taking out 6 country hicks leaves him with not much more than a bruised fist - is perhaps being addressed by Mr Child as he refers to failings in his logic on quite a few occasions. He might be getting old!
I'll leave you to spot the many holes in the plot yourself (the "good" police have heat sensitive cameras in their cars but it doesn't occur to Reacher that the "baddies" compound may even have so much as normal cctv) but what did it for me is the bit early on when Reacher is picked up by the "good" police. This is introduced where the car slowly travels towards Reacher in the prairies/desert and I said to myself " I bet the cop is a good looking female" Well guess what? SHE IS!
BUT, BUT, BUT. All these critiques aside, there are still some pertinent issues addressed in this book, mainly to do with the military it has to be said, but interesting and informative none the less. This is a very readable and ultimately exciting book, so don't let me put you off. If you like thrillers this is one of the better series, but start with some of the earlier ones. Ultimately, for me, Reacher needs a change of scene and format. The Reacher books have become formulaic and the plots are getting steadily weaker. I wonder if his publishers will allow Mr Child to break the mould with his next book and try something new. All the better thriller/crime writers (Crais, Coben, Block, for example) have managed to branch out and return to old favourite characters if required. Lee Child should do the same as he is a talented writer but needs to push himself out of the Jack Reacher comfort zone.
Not up to par April 21, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
As a huge fan of Lee Child and having read all the books at least 3 times, I have to agree with comment by M.D.Ward. I too wanted to throw this out the window only because I so look forward to each new book and paid extra to get it from the UK asap. To repeat, it is repetitive, boring and far-fetched. I guess we can't expect authors to always hit the mark. Would like to see Reacher break out a little and accept a private contractor job in Afghanistan or battle terrorists in the US, something.
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