Jack Reacher

I have recently discovered and greatly enjoyed the written work of Lee Child. In particular, a character he created named Jack Reacher. When I see the opportunity coming, I've been swinging by the library to pick up another story about Jack's adventures.

What I like about Child's style is the short chapters, the constant development of the story and a simple amount of layers. I also appreciate the relatively minor sexual stuff. If my memory serves me correctly (it's been several years since I spent any time with fiction), many books in this genre have sexual scenes that contribute little, if anything, to the story. Let's keep the focus on the crisis and the solution, not the bedroom; thanks Lee Child.

Jack is a former MP; a very observant, powerful and cunning one at that. Since retiring from the service he has drifted around at his own whim seeking to enjoy what unstructured life has to offer. But trouble often finds him and he's man enough to step up and help sort things out. Who doesn't like the tender-hearted giant? The bad guys, that's who!

I started and finished Bad Luck and Trouble over the July 4th weekend. It was fun because it tied in elements from Reacher's typically vague past. And although I don't usually try to figure the story out, I did anticipate a few things and that gave me a tidbit of satisfaction. It also largely took place in California. Before that I read The Hard Way which takes place primarily in New York City but goes out of country and was a fun read.

If you're looking for a solitary hero who works with his hands and his head (not like McGyver, way more violent) check out Jack Reacher in one of Lee Child's fast-paced and not overly complex books.

The Devils of Bakersfield

This book caught my eye because my parents and grandparents were Bakersfield people. If you've ever been there you can't forget the dryness of the area or the slow and steady oil pumps found in all sorts of places. Bakersfield always seemed like a nice place to me with my child's eye perspective but author John Shannon tells a different story.

Admittedly fiction, there are 'historical accounts' placed throughout the book to shed light on the present circumstances. As I shared some of the 'accounts' [bigotry, racism, classism] with my dad [my leading authority on B-field], he said there was truth in those facts. It was interesting and weird to learn a little B-field history in a fiction book in Michigan.

I sort of liked the main character, Jack Liffey, and thought some supporting characters had more...character. Vicariously visiting Kern County was fun for me. On the other hand, I didn't like the depiction of a crazy church/cult because I just get tired of religious people being portrayed as dorks. The corruption of civil and religious leaders is not new and wasn't interesting in this book. The alternate endings placed the emphasis on a character besides Jack and I just didn't find it sensible or enjoyable or tidy. I wouldn't recommend this book to very many people; my enjoyment came from a personal link to the location and not from the writing.