book data
1227 ratings, 3.98 average rating, 184 reviews
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published
April 2nd 1998
(first published 1997)
by Bantam
binding
Paperback, 528 pages
characters
literary awards
Barry Award for Best First Novel (1998); Anthony Award for Best First Novel (1998)
isbn
0553505408
(isbn13: 9780553505405)
description
When Jack Reacher suddenly decides to ask a Greyhound bus driver to let him off near the town of Margrave, Georgia, he thinks it's because his brother...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1543)
Read in May, 2008
I had seen these books listed in a few 'guilty pleasure' booklists. The beginning of the book promised a lot of momentum (its protagonist, Jack Reacher, is being placed under arrest)and the pacing of its plot and development of its characters kept me reading. However, I am pretty certain I'm not going to read any further in this series. It's mostly because I found myself quite unsettled by the book's brutal revenge scenes and the way Jack cooly exalted in fulfilling that whole "take them...more
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Read in January, 2006
Margrave is a no-account little town in the Georgia Sunbelt. The busiest it ever gets is at the end of ther schoolday. But there's something strange about Margrave: it's completely perfect. So perfect, it's frightening. The lawns are like velvet and the trees look like they've just had a manicure. And from the laid-back barbershop to Eno's state-of-the-art diner, the local businesses thrive without customers.
When drifter and ex-military policeman Jack Reacher hits town, he plans to be gone by...more
When drifter and ex-military policeman Jack Reacher hits town, he plans to be gone by...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in August, 2006
Right from the beginning, I was hooked! How can you possibly put a book down when the main character is arrested for murder in the first chapter? LOL, I don't know anyone who could. I liked this! Written in the first person, I felt like I was seeing everything through Jack's eyes. His opinions and his takes on his surroundings and the predicament he found himself in was different from what I've read before. It was weird how I knew exactly who the bad guys were, including one no one would ever su...more
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Read in November, 2008
I feel bad about giving this 3 stars, because it deserves 2.5, but such wonders aren't possible on GoodReads.
The Good:
Fast read, like watching a movie. Cinematic. I learned a lot about military policemen and got some good ideas on how to counterfeit money.
The Bad:
The ending was anticlimactic.
The dialogue is wooden, and every character talks exactly the same as every other, with the same speech patterns. They all end their sentences with, "...right?" and pepper thei...more
The Good:
Fast read, like watching a movie. Cinematic. I learned a lot about military policemen and got some good ideas on how to counterfeit money.
The Bad:
The ending was anticlimactic.
The dialogue is wooden, and every character talks exactly the same as every other, with the same speech patterns. They all end their sentences with, "...right?" and pepper thei...more
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Read in November, 2008
recommends it for:
violent action thriller fans
I read this from a library and I'm not honestly sure whether I want to read another in this series or not. It is very effectively written, a highly competent thriller with a genuine detective plot, a striking criminal conspiracy, and a little wry humor. On the other hand, the cold-blooded violence on both sides is disgustingly gruesome. The killing of two of the victims is the worst thing I've ever read aside from the authentic Jack the Ripper. I started reading it once, stopped when I got to t...more
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Read in October, 2008
I have read these books out of order, which isn't how I like to read a series... but not a huge deal. However, THIS book - the first in the series - I think was my favorite so far. THAT is saying alot because I LOVE these books. I am going to have to rethink my "no book gets a 5 star rating rule."
I don't know how anyone that reads this "type" of book can't love this series. If you aren't into the genre, then OK, I will give it to you... But Child does a great job in an...more
I don't know how anyone that reads this "type" of book can't love this series. If you aren't into the genre, then OK, I will give it to you... But Child does a great job in an...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Junx by:
My fatherrecommends it for: Thriller fans, military light
This was my first foray into the world of Jack Reacher, ex-Military Police Officer, and his misadventures, seemingly being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
After having read Eisenhorn, another book written in the first person, I was interested in seeing how Lee Child managed to work this into the story. I found the fashion in which we get into Reacher's mind a fascinating experience. We see what he sees and nothing more, which I thou...more
After having read Eisenhorn, another book written in the first person, I was interested in seeing how Lee Child managed to work this into the story. I found the fashion in which we get into Reacher's mind a fascinating experience. We see what he sees and nothing more, which I thou...more
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I've read and heard a lot of great things about this series and finally decided to give it a try. One thing I can say after finishing this debut novel is that Child does write some pretty non-stop action, keeping things pretty fast-paced through the entire novel. However, I was a little disappointed in the predictability of the plot. It started out good, with a twist I didn't quite see coming. But after that one initial hook, it kind of turned Hollywood predictable for me and I saw everythin...more
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Read in August, 2008
Lee Child's Killing Floor took me a really long time to read, mostly because it just never captured my interest. Child is an incredibly popular thriller writer, so I'm sure there are a lot of readers who've consumed this entire book in two or three sittings. I am not one of them, however. I read a few pages at a time, on my way to or from work, and never found myself wanting to tear through it, the way I do when a thriller really captures my interest.
Killing Floor opens well, w...more
Killing Floor opens well, w...more
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Read in June, 2005
KILLING FLOOR (Suspense-Unlic. Invest.-Georgia-Cont) – G+
Child, Lee – 1st in series
Putnam, 1997-Hardcover
Jack Reacher is on his own for the first time after spending his life on military bases. While having breakfast in a small Georgia town, he is arrested for murder. At first it's a misunderstand but when he realizes the victim was his brother, a U.S. Treasury Agent, Reacher is determined to find out why his brother was in this town and who killed him.
*** I had not read Child befo...more
Child, Lee – 1st in series
Putnam, 1997-Hardcover
Jack Reacher is on his own for the first time after spending his life on military bases. While having breakfast in a small Georgia town, he is arrested for murder. At first it's a misunderstand but when he realizes the victim was his brother, a U.S. Treasury Agent, Reacher is determined to find out why his brother was in this town and who killed him.
*** I had not read Child befo...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommended to Kirsty by:
Mandy
I enjoyed this book. I did feel that some parts dragged on a little, but mostly it kept me reading.
I liked the characterisation of the main character - Jack Reacher - the author did a great job and I felt like I really knew him. The other main characters were mostly well established, although I would have liked to have known more about Roscoe.
There was a little too much gory violence for my liking. I've read a lot of thrillers, and this is possibly one of the most violent I've read. Don...more
I liked the characterisation of the main character - Jack Reacher - the author did a great job and I felt like I really knew him. The other main characters were mostly well established, although I would have liked to have known more about Roscoe.
There was a little too much gory violence for my liking. I've read a lot of thrillers, and this is possibly one of the most violent I've read. Don...more
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have heard very good things about this series, and comes highly recommended in More Book Lust
Well I've finished it now, and quite quickly!
Good thriller, does what a thriller is supposed to do, and keeps the reader turning pages at a cracking pace. Very violent as I had been warned by Nancy Pearl , some moments made me go 'eeew..' but I was grossed out in a good way. Reading ...more
Well I've finished it now, and quite quickly!
Good thriller, does what a thriller is supposed to do, and keeps the reader turning pages at a cracking pace. Very violent as I had been warned by Nancy Pearl , some moments made me go 'eeew..' but I was grossed out in a good way. Reading ...more
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This was the first Jack Reacher novel that I read, which is handy as it was the first one that Lee Child wrote - though I was unaware of this at the time. I was not disappointed and have since read all of the other Reacher books. Though I must say that this particular one is still my favourite and a wonderful introduction to a wonderful character. .
I love the sound of Margrave [the town in which the story is set:] I love his character devlopment and the detailed way in which the plot and it...more
I love the sound of Margrave [the town in which the story is set:] I love his character devlopment and the detailed way in which the plot and it...more
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Read in November, 2005
recommends it for:
mystery readers
Another guilty pleasure. Took this one from the library on a whim and came to appreciate the ex-military detective hero. One guy on GoodReads wrote:
"Those who think Steve McQueen or Dirty Harry were badassess never met Jack Reacher."
Reacher is just this side of Jason Bourne, without the amnesia & political struggles. I'm trying to think what makes these stories so compelling. Maybe this unassuming, unmacho, thereby macho, sure shot and expert detective has nothing but the l...more
"Those who think Steve McQueen or Dirty Harry were badassess never met Jack Reacher."
Reacher is just this side of Jason Bourne, without the amnesia & political struggles. I'm trying to think what makes these stories so compelling. Maybe this unassuming, unmacho, thereby macho, sure shot and expert detective has nothing but the l...more
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Read in December, 2008
recommended to Meghan by:
My Dad
Definitely should have read this one first. GAH!! Explains so much about Reacher. I like him better as a character now, he has more depth to him. A little difficult to follow the plot line about the money, but I think the financial stuff is just over my head. Overall an excellent book - couldn't put it down!
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Read in July, 2008
I read this book because a friend of mine who reads a lot (and generally has great taste in books) loves Lee Child. Hmmm, maybe this is a "guy" book because although it is indeed a "page turner", the over the top macho dudeness and violence ruined this book for me. I can gloss over the violent parts (like I have in Patricia Cornwell's books) but the end of this book was just so sexist I really couldn't take it. WHY does the hero have to rescue a highly trained policewoman as ...more
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Read in February, 2007
recommended to Wanda by:
book club memberrecommends it for: everyone
This should be The exam;pe to new writers of how to write a first book...any book.
This is the BEST first book I have ever read and there is NO bad Jack Reacher book so far. Child just keeps getting better and better.
This is the BEST first book I have ever read and there is NO bad Jack Reacher book so far. Child just keeps getting better and better.
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I stopped after the second Jack Reacher novel. They aren't bad books, but they're definitely not for me. Too violent, too many "coincidences," and too many women who are inexplicably attracted to Jack.
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- (#1 of the Reacher Series) "The transient Jack Reacher finds himself in tiny Margrave, Georgia, and is almost immediately arrested, if briefly, as a murder suspect. Imagine his surprise when he discovers that one of the victims is his brother, a brilliant U.S. Treasury agent. Reacher himself is no slouch; a former military policeman, he can dispatch villains with an astonishing array of weapons, including various parts of his body. In the company of a straight-arrow detective and a beauti...more
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Horrible, yet addictive, this is the worst in the series. If you read this novel, you will become addicted... don't worry. It'll get better than what you've just read
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fiction (on 23 people's shelves)
mystery (on 22 people's shelves)
thriller (on 12 people's shelves)
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series (on 6 people's shelves)
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