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Jack Reacher #12.5
James Penney's New Identity / Guy Walks Into a Bar
These two short stories are part of the Storycuts series.
In 'James Penney's New Identity', in the dry desert of Southern California, James Penney is laid off from the plant after seventeen loyal years of service. With the threat of the bank repossessing his treasured red Firebird, he goes on the run. But why are the cops so hot on his trail? And who is the tall military policeman, built like a weightlifter, who offers him a ride?
Set just a few minutes before the terrifying opening of the bestselling Jack Reacher thriller Gone Tomorrow, in 'Guy Walks Into a Bar', old habits die hard for Jack Reacher. He is always on the look-out for trouble. When he stops at a bar in lower Manhattan for a late night beer and some music, his eyes are drawn to a rich young Russian girl and her bodyguard. Is she in danger? Who are those two suspicious-looking guys sitting at separate tables, watching her?
33 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 17, 2011
177 people are currently reading
8917 people want to read
About the author
Lee Child
448 books33.7k followersLee Child was born October 29th, 1954 in Coventry, England, but spent his formative years in the nearby city of Birmingham. By coincidence he won a scholarship to the same high school that JRR Tolkien had attended. He went to law school in Sheffield, England, and after part-time work in the theater he joined Granada Television in Manchester for what turned out to be an eighteen-year career as a presentation director during British TV's "golden age." During his tenure his company made Brideshead Revisited, The Jewel in the Crown, Prime Suspect, and Cracker. But he was fired in 1995 at the age of 40 as a result of corporate restructuring. Always a voracious reader, he decided to see an opportunity where others might have seen a crisis and bought six dollars' worth of paper and pencils and sat down to write a book, Killing Floor, the first in the Jack Reacher series.
Killing Floor was an immediate success and launched the series which has grown in sales and impact with every new installment. The first Jack Reacher movie, based on the novel One Shot and starring Tom Cruise and Rosamund Pike, was released in December 2012.
Lee has three homes—an apartment in Manhattan, a country house in the south of France, and whatever airplane cabin he happens to be in while traveling between the two. In the US he drives a supercharged Jaguar, which was built in Jaguar's Browns Lane plant, thirty yards from the hospital in which he was born.
Lee spends his spare time reading, listening to music, and watching the Yankees, Aston Villa, or Marseilles soccer. He is married with a grown-up daughter. He is tall and slim, despite an appalling diet and a refusal to exercise.
Killing Floor was an immediate success and launched the series which has grown in sales and impact with every new installment. The first Jack Reacher movie, based on the novel One Shot and starring Tom Cruise and Rosamund Pike, was released in December 2012.
Lee has three homes—an apartment in Manhattan, a country house in the south of France, and whatever airplane cabin he happens to be in while traveling between the two. In the US he drives a supercharged Jaguar, which was built in Jaguar's Browns Lane plant, thirty yards from the hospital in which he was born.
Lee spends his spare time reading, listening to music, and watching the Yankees, Aston Villa, or Marseilles soccer. He is married with a grown-up daughter. He is tall and slim, despite an appalling diet and a refusal to exercise.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 243 reviews
March 18, 2024
These both were very small fillers, with Reacher's involvement in the first almost non existent. They are easy for me to access via the library in the audio format, which is fine because I want to read all titles in the series chronologically, which really isn't happening as I didn't know the first book directly preceded Gone Tomorrow by minutes.
The inbetweeners are not narrated by Phil Harding, which is very much our loss, so I definitely don't enjoy these as much as the regular books.
James Penney's New Identity- An ex veteran, sacked from his job, does something rash which I couldn't really see anyone in their right mind doing. Avoids the full wrath of the law where Reacher makes his appearance. This is an ok little story.
Guy Walks Into a Bar - Reacher is in full observation mode as always and sees a seedy event unfolding, and steps in to right the wrong.
An easy listen while I was doing chores, and I will be on to the next Reacher book very soon. I need to say that while not all of my Reacher ratings are 5⭐, 4⭐ reads for me are wonderful, so this 3⭐ rating here also isn't a bad thing.
My all time favourite author, Harlan Coben is the same, I don't always rate 5⭐. I'm never disappointed, there is always a sliding scale.
The inbetweeners are not narrated by Phil Harding, which is very much our loss, so I definitely don't enjoy these as much as the regular books.
James Penney's New Identity- An ex veteran, sacked from his job, does something rash which I couldn't really see anyone in their right mind doing. Avoids the full wrath of the law where Reacher makes his appearance. This is an ok little story.
Guy Walks Into a Bar - Reacher is in full observation mode as always and sees a seedy event unfolding, and steps in to right the wrong.
An easy listen while I was doing chores, and I will be on to the next Reacher book very soon. I need to say that while not all of my Reacher ratings are 5⭐, 4⭐ reads for me are wonderful, so this 3⭐ rating here also isn't a bad thing.
My all time favourite author, Harlan Coben is the same, I don't always rate 5⭐. I'm never disappointed, there is always a sliding scale.
March 24, 2023
Book 12.5 in the Jack Reacher series, and this is made up of two short stories:
James Penney's New Identity:
To call this a Jack Reacher short story is a stretch as he features only in the last few pages and he didn't feel like Jack to me, he was a little off, didn't seem to hold the same morals although I appreciate he's younger in this book. That aside as usual Lee Child's writing is tight and on point. 3 stars.
Guy Walks into a Bar:
This one is so short it's impossible to really have an opinion. It was a 7 minute read in total. It's always nice to hang out with Jack, but there needs to be a point which I didn't get in this one. 2 stars.
Overall, I'd give these short stories 3 stars. For me, they didn't add anything at all to the overall Reacher series.
James Penney's New Identity:
To call this a Jack Reacher short story is a stretch as he features only in the last few pages and he didn't feel like Jack to me, he was a little off, didn't seem to hold the same morals although I appreciate he's younger in this book. That aside as usual Lee Child's writing is tight and on point. 3 stars.
Guy Walks into a Bar:
This one is so short it's impossible to really have an opinion. It was a 7 minute read in total. It's always nice to hang out with Jack, but there needs to be a point which I didn't get in this one. 2 stars.
Overall, I'd give these short stories 3 stars. For me, they didn't add anything at all to the overall Reacher series.
June 14, 2020
Two Jack Reacher short stories published 2011
James Penney
James wakes up one day to find that Mr Murphy with his ‘ if it can go wrong it will go wrong’ rule has taken over his life and it goes wrong big time. This is one sorry son of a gun. That is until he meets Jack Reacher. Jack manages to remove Mr. Murphy from James’s back and solve a very real problem for himself.
An interesting little story.
A Guy Walks Into a Bar.
It is what it is. Jack goes to a bar sees a couple of ne’er do wells that need to be put in their place and the rest is history.
The James Penney story was good and worth 4 stars.
James Penney
James wakes up one day to find that Mr Murphy with his ‘ if it can go wrong it will go wrong’ rule has taken over his life and it goes wrong big time. This is one sorry son of a gun. That is until he meets Jack Reacher. Jack manages to remove Mr. Murphy from James’s back and solve a very real problem for himself.
An interesting little story.
A Guy Walks Into a Bar.
It is what it is. Jack goes to a bar sees a couple of ne’er do wells that need to be put in their place and the rest is history.
The James Penney story was good and worth 4 stars.
May 24, 2016
A Jack Reacher short story by Lee Child.
I came across this book by accident and to be honest I didn't know it even existed. More of a chapter than a story written in the trademark Lee Child way but due to the length doesn't really have chance to get going.
I have read and enjoyed all the Jack Reacher full length books but the shorter stories always leave me disappointed as this one does, but I suppose on the bright side it was free.
I came across this book by accident and to be honest I didn't know it even existed. More of a chapter than a story written in the trademark Lee Child way but due to the length doesn't really have chance to get going.
I have read and enjoyed all the Jack Reacher full length books but the shorter stories always leave me disappointed as this one does, but I suppose on the bright side it was free.
August 13, 2017
A guy works into a bar. Kicks arse. Walks out.
April 28, 2016
Jack Reacher and bar fight. 3 stars!
July 12, 2023
I find myself laughing and shaking my head after reading this one. Reacher really does play by his own rules and this time around James Penney benefited greatly from it and I think I'm ok with how things turned out for him.
The bar fight turned out to be interesting, so not what Reacher first thought.
The bar fight turned out to be interesting, so not what Reacher first thought.
January 3, 2017
Guy Walks into a Bar... does an excellent job of telling new readers exactly what they need to know about Jack Reacher in a very short format. It is basically a truncated version of a typical Reacher story.
1) He goes to a new place.
2) He finds someone in trouble.
3) He shows off his perceptive prowess.
4) He beats up the bad guys.
1) He goes to a new place.
2) He finds someone in trouble.
3) He shows off his perceptive prowess.
4) He beats up the bad guys.
September 5, 2016
Exceptionally short story, not bad, but very short.
March 13, 2019
Review to follow
December 31, 2019
I love Jack Reacher. These are 2 good Reacher short stories
December 15, 2020
A really good short for Jack.... Jack is not even introduced until the very last of the book.... moral dilemmas that’s the story of James penny meets Jack reacher!
A guy walks into a bar!!! Really short but interesting and Jack always finds trouble!
A guy walks into a bar!!! Really short but interesting and Jack always finds trouble!
March 31, 2020
#12.5 in the Jack Reacher series. This 2011 series entry by author Lee Child presents two short stories with very different portraits of Jack Reacher twenty years apart. The first and by far longer of the two was cut from the draft of Die Trying (1998) and has the action happening 10 years earlier when Reacher was an Army Captain. An unusual aspect of the story is that Reacher is almost an afterthought,he doesn't appear until the last few pages. The second story, almost an ultra-short, takes place when Reacher has left the Army after a 15 year career. "I was a military cop. I have been out nearly as long as I was in." It's an atmosphere piece of an evening in a Greenwich Village jazz joint.
In 'James Penney's New Identity', in the dry desert of Southern California, James Penney is laid off from the plant after seventeen loyal years of service. With the threat of the bank repossessing his treasured red Firebird, he goes on the run. But why are the cops so hot on his trail? And who is the tall military policeman, built like a weightlifter, who offers him a ride?
Set just a few minutes before the terrifying opening of the bestselling Jack Reacher thriller "Gone Tomorrow, "in 'Guy Walks Into a Bar', old habits die hard for Jack Reacher. He is always on the look-out for trouble. When he stops at a bar in lower Manhattan for a late night beer and some music, his eyes are drawn to a rich young Russian girl and her bodyguard. Is she in danger? Who are those two suspicious-looking guys sitting at separate tables, watching her?
In 'James Penney's New Identity', in the dry desert of Southern California, James Penney is laid off from the plant after seventeen loyal years of service. With the threat of the bank repossessing his treasured red Firebird, he goes on the run. But why are the cops so hot on his trail? And who is the tall military policeman, built like a weightlifter, who offers him a ride?
Set just a few minutes before the terrifying opening of the bestselling Jack Reacher thriller "Gone Tomorrow, "in 'Guy Walks Into a Bar', old habits die hard for Jack Reacher. He is always on the look-out for trouble. When he stops at a bar in lower Manhattan for a late night beer and some music, his eyes are drawn to a rich young Russian girl and her bodyguard. Is she in danger? Who are those two suspicious-looking guys sitting at separate tables, watching her?
March 25, 2012
In these two short stories on my kindle, we don't find much of Jack Reacher, but they are excellent, all the same. Gripping Lee Child reading!
In James Penney's New Identity we meet James as he's being called in to meet with his bosses after 17 years of loyalty, and 5 minutes later he's without a job, kicked out with his pay being deposited into his bank that afternoon. James is angry, all he has to show for all his hard working years, is a couch he bought to make his wife happy, then she up and left him anyway, in a house which he owns, but doesn't much like. So he decides to take his awesome car, his pride and joy, and all his money, and make a new life elsewhere. But first, he sets fire to his house!
That's where the problem lies, and as we follow James through the countryside, the twists and turns become evident, until the final pages take hold with a thrilling conclusion!
In Guy Walks into a Bar Jack Reacher steps into a bar in Manhattan for a late night beer and some music, and his eyes are drawn to a rich young Russian girl and her bodyguard. As always, he is on the lookout for trouble, and this set up rings alarm bells very loudly! There are two suspicious-looking guys sitting at separate tables, watching her, so he in turn watches them.
A quick but satisfying conclusion to this short story, but not one you'd expect!!
Both well worth the read, typical Lee Child!
In James Penney's New Identity we meet James as he's being called in to meet with his bosses after 17 years of loyalty, and 5 minutes later he's without a job, kicked out with his pay being deposited into his bank that afternoon. James is angry, all he has to show for all his hard working years, is a couch he bought to make his wife happy, then she up and left him anyway, in a house which he owns, but doesn't much like. So he decides to take his awesome car, his pride and joy, and all his money, and make a new life elsewhere. But first, he sets fire to his house!
That's where the problem lies, and as we follow James through the countryside, the twists and turns become evident, until the final pages take hold with a thrilling conclusion!
In Guy Walks into a Bar Jack Reacher steps into a bar in Manhattan for a late night beer and some music, and his eyes are drawn to a rich young Russian girl and her bodyguard. As always, he is on the lookout for trouble, and this set up rings alarm bells very loudly! There are two suspicious-looking guys sitting at separate tables, watching her, so he in turn watches them.
A quick but satisfying conclusion to this short story, but not one you'd expect!!
Both well worth the read, typical Lee Child!
June 15, 2019
Extremely short. Premise was clever though. If you can find it for free it is worth the read.
October 18, 2023
Two short stories back to back with New Identity being the longer and the stronger of the two.
James Penney's New Identity
James Penney gets laid off along with many of his fellow employees in a downsizing exercise. He sees his future go up in flames with his ex-wife having saddled him with unwanted debt in the form of mortgages. His only pride is a Firebird which he is unwilling to relinquish to his debtors.
He flees hoping to salvage his car. His adventure with the police hot in pursuit is the balance of this story.
The story starts off on a slow note but hits a crescendo with a couple of twists at the end.
Guy Walks Into a Bar
Reacher gets involved in a prospective kidnap in a bar although his presumed target a girl turns out to be a player in the attempt.
The stories comprise a total of 32 pages and one can get full value for the money here.
Enjoyed the outings.
James Penney's New Identity
James Penney gets laid off along with many of his fellow employees in a downsizing exercise. He sees his future go up in flames with his ex-wife having saddled him with unwanted debt in the form of mortgages. His only pride is a Firebird which he is unwilling to relinquish to his debtors.
He flees hoping to salvage his car. His adventure with the police hot in pursuit is the balance of this story.
The story starts off on a slow note but hits a crescendo with a couple of twists at the end.
Guy Walks Into a Bar
Reacher gets involved in a prospective kidnap in a bar although his presumed target a girl turns out to be a player in the attempt.
The stories comprise a total of 32 pages and one can get full value for the money here.
Enjoyed the outings.
February 7, 2014
JAMES PENNEY... This was the better of the two short stories. Love the intrigue of the Penney character and how Child left him out of original Reacher book. Also love how Reacher's character here was so on-point with how his moral code is: Screw the law, do what's right. I am hoping on a whole series of books about Penney's adventures. Grade: B+
GUY WALKS IN... A very short story that shows us the events that led Reacher to the train at the beginning of Gone Tomorrow. Some reviews of this story whined about the pointless violence, but those people forgot his moniker: "I don't care about the law, I only care about what's right." Makes sense to me, I just didn't find the story all that interesting. Grade: C
GUY WALKS IN... A very short story that shows us the events that led Reacher to the train at the beginning of Gone Tomorrow. Some reviews of this story whined about the pointless violence, but those people forgot his moniker: "I don't care about the law, I only care about what's right." Makes sense to me, I just didn't find the story all that interesting. Grade: C
July 13, 2012
I love, love, love Jack Reacher and so I thought this would be a great book for those times when I've just read a fabulous book, am not quite sure which book I should read to follow it but still need to have a book on the go! I was a little disappointed. The stories weren't 'meaty' at all - they were good enough and, if I wasn't comparing them to other Jack Reacher novels (including last year's short story 'the Second Son') then I suppose I would have enjoyed them more.
Both stories involve Reacher, although not as the main character. Worth a read but not earth-shattering!
Both stories involve Reacher, although not as the main character. Worth a read but not earth-shattering!
March 22, 2023
Wow. However the 2nd short story as listed in goodreads was not included with my library copy so was not able to read that. So was only able to read James Penney’s New Identity.
Update…found ebook of Guy walks into Bar. Very short short story. Just ok. Not 5*. 3 at most
Update…found ebook of Guy walks into Bar. Very short short story. Just ok. Not 5*. 3 at most
March 7, 2025
3.5 stars Short, sharp and to the point - other story with it was more interesting... still an enjoyable read….
March 24, 2019
Not as good as the other Reacher short stories, but ok.
February 12, 2017
Very short story covering literally the moments before the action in Gone Tomorrow begins. Pretty typical Reacher fare in a very short package.
November 29, 2017
decent short story
July 20, 2018
Another short story about Jack Reacher. Not a lot to it. Fortunately, it was really short!
November 30, 2018
Прекалено кратко и попретупано. Иначе — класически Дж. Р. :) :) :)
March 13, 2019
Review to follow!
September 25, 2019
Heel erg vage shizzle
January 15, 2021
I am learning I’m not the biggest short story fan, too quick and typical simple substance.
June 28, 2023
James Penney New Identity
A guy got laid off about 17 years because he is too old and expensive. He is angry and understandable.
He met Reacher who actually show tolerance for his action. It is kind of established Reacher does not really punish people for victimless crime.
Guy walks into a bar
Reacher is at a bar when he notices bodyguards. Of course he would intervene and get into action.
Fun read.
A guy got laid off about 17 years because he is too old and expensive. He is angry and understandable.
He met Reacher who actually show tolerance for his action. It is kind of established Reacher does not really punish people for victimless crime.
Guy walks into a bar
Reacher is at a bar when he notices bodyguards. Of course he would intervene and get into action.
Fun read.
May 3, 2020
James Penney's New Identity - Reacher is barely in it and there's just as little plot as there is Reacher.
Guy Walks Into A Bar - The whole plot is in the title. I didn't even realise the chapter was over after finishing. I was still waiting for it to start.
Guy Walks Into A Bar - The whole plot is in the title. I didn't even realise the chapter was over after finishing. I was still waiting for it to start.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 243 reviews