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Night School

(Jack Reacher #21)

Lee Child (Goodreads Author)

3.99 · Rating details · 61,904 ratings · 4,099 reviews

It’s 1996, and Reacher is still in the army. In the morning they give him a medal, and in the afternoon they send him back to school. That night he’s off the grid. Out of sight, out of mind.

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Hardcover, 1st Edition, 369 pages

Published November 7th 2016 by Delacorte Press

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Nov 29, 2016 James Thane rated it liked it

Shelves: crime-fiction, lee-child, jack-reacher

The twenty-first entry in the Jack Reacher series is another flashback to an adventure that occurred while Reacher was still in the army. The year is 1996; Reacher is only thirty-five years old, and he's fresh off a very successful mission for which he has been awarded a medal. But immediately after the ceremony, he's issued new orders to attend a night school course--hardly the reward he was expecting after a job well done. He's now effectively off the rest of the Army's radar, at least for the The twenty-first entry in the Jack Reacher series is another flashback to an adventure that occurred while Reacher was still in the army. The year is 1996; Reacher is only thirty-five years old, and he's fresh off a very successful mission for which he has been awarded a medal. But immediately after the ceremony, he's issued new orders to attend a night school course--hardly the reward he was expecting after a job well done. He's now effectively off the rest of the Army's radar, at least for the time being.

Reacher arrives at the facility where the course is supposed to take place only to find two other "students," one from the CIA and the other from the FBI. They too have just come off successful missions and are wondering why they've been consigned to a duty like this. But the three are soon joined by a pair of very senior government officials who explain that they are not actually going back to school. Rather, they've been delegated to work on a very secret mission of extreme urgency.

All anyone seems to know at the moment is that a group of jihadists, with a cell in Hamburg, Germany, has offered to spent one hundred million dollars for something that an American proposes to sell to them. No one has any idea who the American is or what he could possibly have that would be worth that much money. But whatever it might be, if the jihadists want it that badly, the exchange has to be very bad news for the United States and probably for the rest of the western world as well.

Reacher will recruit his old compatriot, Sergeant Frances Neagley, to work with the team and Reacher and Neagley will spend most of their time in Hamburg, attempting to unravel the mysteries surrounding this transaction. Unlike most of the Reacher novels, Reacher is obviously now back in uniform. He's part of a huge institution and, while fans of the series are used to watching Reacher act as a solitary individual, basically making up his own rules as he goes along, here he is compelled to work as a member of a team. Naturally, though, he will do so in a style that is uniquely his own and that will still enable him to beat the crap out of a lot of bad guys along the way.

This is an okay book, but it's not among the better ones in the series. In part this is because of the constraints that the plot places upon Reacher and also because the book has a tendency to bog down in places as Reacher, Neagley and the rest of the team race around Hamburg pursuing a lot of leads that will prove fruitless before they finally get on the right track. Fans of the series will certainly want to read it, but more casual fans of crime fiction who just occasionally check in on Jack Reacher might want to look for one of the other books in the series. ...more

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Feb 21, 2017 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it

Shelves: crime-mystery, 21th-century, fiction, british

Night School (Jack Reacher, #21), Lee Child

Night School is a 2016 novel by Lee Child. This is the twenty-first book in the Jack Reacher series.

It is written in the third person. It’s 1996, and Reacher is still in the army.

In the morning they give him a medal, and in the afternoon they send him back to school. That night he’s off the grid. Out of sight, out of mind.

In 1996, U.S. Army Major Jack Reacher is in Virginia to receive a medal for eliminating two militants in the Balkans when he receiv Night School (Jack Reacher, #21), Lee Child

Night School is a 2016 novel by Lee Child. This is the twenty-first book in the Jack Reacher series.

It is written in the third person. It’s 1996, and Reacher is still in the army.

In the morning they give him a medal, and in the afternoon they send him back to school. That night he’s off the grid. Out of sight, out of mind.

In 1996, U.S. Army Major Jack Reacher is in Virginia to receive a medal for eliminating two militants in the Balkans when he receives orders from his superior officer and trusted friend, Leon Garber, to attend a special "inter-agency cooperation" school alongside Casey Watterman, an FBI agent, and John White, a CIA officer.

Reacher quickly realizes that there is no school: the entire thing is an elaborate joint-agency operation overseen by Alfred Ratcliffe, the National Security Advisor, and his deputy, Dr. Marian Sinclair.

Ratcliffe informs the three men that, through a CIA double agent, the government has learned that a sleeper cell in Hamburg controlled by a Middle Eastern terrorist group has cut a deal with an unidentified American soldier for $100 million.

The three men are ordered to identify the soldier and whatever he's selling, and are given full access to anything they need, including bringing in their own staffs. Reacher chooses Frances Neagley, his former Sergeant.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز چهاردهم ماه مارس سال 2018میلادی

عنوان: مدرسه شبانه (سری جک ریچر #21)؛ نویسنده: لی چایلد؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده 21م

داستان با روایت سوم شخص، نگاشته شده، و نخستین بار در سال 2016میلادی، منتشر شده است؛ «جک ریچر» هنوز در ارتش است، و این کتاب به قلم «لی چایلد»، روزگار گذشته ی قهرمان داستان را بازگو میکند؛ که به ارتش «آمریکا» می‌رود، و داستان، یکی دیگر از ماموریت‌های «ریچر» را، بازگشایی می‌کند، وظیفه ی «ریچر» یافتن یک «آمریکایی» ناشناخته است، که برای پرداخت پول، به رادیکالهای اسلامی به «پاکستان» رفته است

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 20/04/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

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Dec 06, 2016 Matt rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

I'll say 3.75 stars, rounded up...

In penning another of his 'flashback' Reacher novels, Child stirs the pot and leaves series fans divided. Taking the story back to 1997, Reacher still works for the Military Police and is summoned to attend some additional training in the form of an evening class. The course outline is vague and Reacher is sworn to secrecy, but he has nothing to lose, showing up to a classroom where representatives of the CIA and FBI await him. The class is a cover to instil int I'll say 3.75 stars, rounded up...

In penning another of his 'flashback' Reacher novels, Child stirs the pot and leaves series fans divided. Taking the story back to 1997, Reacher still works for the Military Police and is summoned to attend some additional training in the form of an evening class. The course outline is vague and Reacher is sworn to secrecy, but he has nothing to lose, showing up to a classroom where representatives of the CIA and FBI await him. The class is a cover to instil inter-agency cooperation on a pending threat that has come out of Germany. A collection of Muslims from various countries, on both sides of the Shia-Shi'ite divide, are living together and talking about a vague event. An Iranian double agent is reporting that the group has been dealing with an American who is willing to sell them something for upwards of $100 million. With no idea as to who the mystery American might be or what he has to offer for such a large sum of money, Reacher is sent to the region to investigate. While liaising with German officials, Reacher learns that the American might be part of the US Military, based on some information that witnesses have garnered. However, others offer information that leads Reacher to wonder if this could be one of the handful of men who went AWOL over the past while. Working on this premise, Reacher uses his systematic thinking that has made him so popular in twenty previous novels and loosely connects the American and the larger plot to events from the Cold War era. The item worth so much could be something that might ignite a new and highly dangerous war, though Reacher is determined not to let that happen. As Reacher races to locate the perpetrator, he must flex his muscle and seduce yet another woman, keys to the recipe of any Jack Reacher thriller, while also ensuring that there is some degree of finality, knowing full well that the world does not end in 1997. What could Reacher have discovered in the years leading up to America's supposed 'War on Terror'? An interesting throwback novel that has some fans bemoaning the end of Lee Child's success as a bestselling author while others applaud this ingenious spin.

It was just the other day that I was discussing the idea of long book series with a protagonist that has an 'active' (read: fighting) tendency. How long can a series go on before the body gives out and it becomes somewhat unbelievable. Scot Harvath and Mitch Rapp seem to be able to do it, though the likes of Jason Bourne may have to hang up his shoes soon (this is likely because of an inferior author guiding him through adventures now). When it comes to Jack Reacher, the same might be said, though Lee Child has taken an interesting spin on things, by penning throwback or 'flashback' novels to help the series grow while not taxing the protagonist any further from where he ended during the last present-based novel. Many series fans don't like this, as Reacher is best known for his renegade and vigilante behaviour, which is lost when he still dons the Army uniform. That said, he remains crisp and uses his analytical mind to decipher the most obscure clues. In this novel, the younger Reacher is his sarcastic self, surrounded by an always-new (and somewhat unique) collection of supporting characters. Pulling time-sensitive plots, Child is able to discuss Muslim terrorism in its kernel stage, before it was used by every thriller writer and flogged to the point of becoming less than intriguing. I will agree, somewhat, that the law-abiding Reacher, one serving his country, is not as exciting as the current incarnation of this character, though this novel way by no means a waste. As with any Reacher novel, there has to be that lovely lady that Reacher is able to seduce and a group of men who are begging to have the snot beaten out of them by the calm protagonist. Child is always happy to offer social commentary pulling on various aspects of America's ongoing need to be involved in wars of all types and the apparent disregard for technological protection from one era to another. If I were to say anything else, I might spill the proverbial beans, so I will encourage readers to give this novel a change and look at the silver lining; Lee Child has not signed off on letting Tom Cruise ruin a handful of other Jack Reacher stories in the years to come.

Kudos, Mr. Child for this refreshing look at the early Jack Reacher, before the chip on his shoulder became the cross he had to bear.

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/ ...more

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Nov 13, 2016 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Lee Child sure writes great books. And Jack Reacher is a great character. I'm a big fan. Although I've read these books in publication order, I'm not sure it's necessary.

With this book, Child goes back to 1996, three years after a bomb went off in the parking garage below a very tall building in New York City. Reacher is Major Reacher, an MP in the U.S. Army. He and two other men from other U.S. government agencies are sent to Night School. I love that Child can write about various periods of R ...more

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Nov 16, 2016 Andrew Smith rated it liked it · review of another edition

In this prequel, set in the mid nineties, Reacher is still in the Army. He’s a major in the military police and has been drafted into an emergency task force. Intelligence services in Europe have heard something: ‘The American wants a hundred million dollars’. Nobody knows who The American is or what could cost such an exorbitant price, but it’s assumed to be bad news, very bad news.

For fans of this series there will be few surprises in the set-up, the cast is small enough to allow readers to b In this prequel, set in the mid nineties, Reacher is still in the Army. He’s a major in the military police and has been drafted into an emergency task force. Intelligence services in Europe have heard something: ‘The American wants a hundred million dollars’. Nobody knows who The American is or what could cost such an exorbitant price, but it’s assumed to be bad news, very bad news.

For fans of this series there will be few surprises in the set-up, the cast is small enough to allow readers to become familiar with all the significant players, the geographic area is well defined and all the standard Reacher traits are on display. We see the story unfold, in the course of a few days, from the point of view of the chasers and the chased. And it’s an interesting enough story with a degree of mystery held back until close to the end. That’s all the good news.

The not so good news is that it’s a bit slow, a bit plodding. The whole thing lacks the raw tension of the best books in this series. I also found the dénouement itself be be rather anticlimactic. Finally, I listened to this book on audio, read by the normally reliable Jeff Harding, and felt that his portrayal of Reacher (his lines read in a slow, flat monotone) somehow contrived to draw all life out of the character. Having listened to a couple of books from this series I’m now firmly of the opinion that they are better left to the printed page.

There’s also a strange element here I haven’t noticed before, in that Child displays a penchant for describing something that didn’t happen and he did this quite frequently. I lost count of the times he stated ‘Reacher said nothing’ and some other characters also said nothing. Also a phone didn’t ring. I’m not sure what this was meant to add but in the end I just found it quite irritating.

All in all, I think it’s pretty average fare. It may just be because I’ve been tiring of the format for some time but I was actually quite glad when this one drew to a close. Will I be back? Well I’m afraid the jury’s out on that one. ...more

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Jul 09, 2016 Joanne Harris added it · review of another edition

I've been following Lee Child's books from the start, and they are always enjoyable, as well as being competent, readable and well-crafted; but recently I've started to feel as if this particular goldmine has been mostly exhausted. I totally see what the author has been trying to do in the past two or three books- to create different scenarios - but I'm not sure the best way of doing this is to go back into Reacher's past. A man is the sum of his life's experience, and the younger Reacher seems ...more

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Nov 14, 2016 Yatharth K rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller, overhyped, tried-but-gave-up, lost-potential

DNF at 77%

I know! 77% is too late to give up, but I had to. I couldn't care to read anymore. It wasn't interesting a bit. The reason I got to 77% was because, Lee Child's writing is very smooth with short and clear sentences, the dialogues are sometimes witty, the descriptions are sometimes interesting, but this particular book had nothing else.

Let me first start first with why you shouldn't read this book:

1. No clear stakes: Well, the conflict is as good as the villain, and in this story, bel ...more

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Nov 25, 2016 Brenda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own-read, thriller, mystery, 2016-release

3.5★s

After receiving a medal in the morning, Major Jack Reacher along with two others, FBI and CIA, were buried deeply in a highly secure establishment they called Night School. But it wasn’t a school. 1996 and the hierarchy had heard something big was going down. The message that had been overheard; “the American wants a hundred million dollars” was chilling – they needed to discover what could possibly have enough value to warrant that figure…

Sergeant Frances Neagley joined the team, and befor ...more

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Jan 01, 2017 Phrynne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Something different from the norm for this series as Lee Child takes Reacher back into his past and back into uniform. I liked it especially as we see a different side of Jack as well - more brain and a bit less brawn than usual!
Of course he still single handedly takes on half a dozen men at a time and comes out not even breathing heavily. Where would we be if he could not do that? However he also has to spend a lot of time planning, strategizing and outguessing the enemy and he does it well.
Nic ...more

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Feb 14, 2018 AB rated it really liked it · review of another edition

My rating: 4.4/5

Night School has everything that you would expect from a Jack Reacher novel. It was fun and fast. It was stylish and.... simple(?) who knows?!
But It was really good. I actually liked this one better than most of the other Jack reacher novels. This one has more simple story but at the same time it's entertaining. I started it and after some pages.. that's it. The novel ended. Blimey!

...more

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Jan 19, 2017 Tim rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This story starts with lots of baseball metaphors and justifiably strikes out. This is one of the most tortuous, xenophobic, clumsy, 3rd Reich inspiring, unappealing Jack Reacher stories I've come across. Could it be that Lee Child has lost it? Based on some of the past readings, it seems the answer is yes. 1 of 10 stars! ...more

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Feb 02, 2021 Rob rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: serial-thrillers, 2021-reads

Book 21 in the Jack Reacher series published 2016.

4 entertaining stars

What can you say? ‘this is Jack Reacher’ what you see is what you get.
Much to my surprise this was not the continuing saga of the worlds most introverted bass ass/nice guy. This is yet another prequel concerning Jack’s life as a MP in the US army.
Not that that was a problem it’s still Jack Reacher and its still bloody good entertainment.
The story starts with three men, all from law enforcement, but all from very different fiel ...more

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Jul 26, 2016 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vine

For his 20th book, Lee Child takes us back to 1996 when Reacher was a major in the U.S. Army. After receiving a medal, Reacher is hustled off to a "training school" which translates into being lost in the system. There is a suspected crisis and the National Security County (NCS) is forming a team of the Army, FBI and CIA to combat it. This is pre- Internet days when about 10% of the population used it. It is amazing how we were able to function.

Reacher brings his sergeant and flies to Hamburg t ...more

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Nov 18, 2016 picoas picoas rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016

If you're into stuff like this, you can read the full review.

Bubble Gum Fun or On How Davy Crockett Plays a Stupid Part: “Night School” by Lee Child

The way I read the Jack Reacher novels is for their underpants. Because Jack doesn't own clothes he isn't wearing, it means I can know how long he's been wearing the same set of underpants. I’ve been told he changes every three days, which to my way of thinking is still not often enough, to say the least (I change them daily…lol), but in some of the ...more

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Feb 03, 2017 Bam cooks the books ;-) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-reads, mystery, library-book

*3.5 stars. I needed a break from some pretty heavy reading and a new Jack Reacher story was just the ticket. The twenty-first book in the series takes the reader back to 1996. Jack has just been given a medal by the US Army for a job well done and is told that his next assignment will be to return to school for a course entitled 'Impact of Recent Forensic Innovation on Inter-Agency Cooperation.' Of course that is a smoke screen for an important top-secret mission involving the National Security *3.5 stars. I needed a break from some pretty heavy reading and a new Jack Reacher story was just the ticket. The twenty-first book in the series takes the reader back to 1996. Jack has just been given a medal by the US Army for a job well done and is told that his next assignment will be to return to school for a course entitled 'Impact of Recent Forensic Innovation on Inter-Agency Cooperation.' Of course that is a smoke screen for an important top-secret mission involving the National Security Council, CIA and FBI...and fate of the world as we know it.

The men are told that there is a jihadist sleeper cell group operating in Hamburg, Germany, consisting of four men in their twenties--three Saudis and one Iranian--whose mission has been to embed themselves in the West and await instructions. The Iranian is a double agent and has alerted his American handler that they have had a visitor, a messenger who had come to rendezvous with an American, to receive an opening gambit in a sale. When the messenger returns to their apartment, he is excited by the message he has received and spills the beans--the American wants $100 million dollars for the item he wishes to sell.

It is the job of this elite team the NSC has put together, including Reacher and side-kick Neagley, to figure out who is this person and what is he selling? And of course try to stop him.

This thriller is an interesting police procedural with the usual Reacher story formula--beating up gangs of attackers nearly single-handedly, sleeping with the one beautiful woman involved in the case, using his remarkable instincts to pull a rabbit out his hat as far as clues go. Plenty of twists and turns keep the plot moving along nicely and delivers a satisfying ending.

Interesting quote from the ultimate 'bad guy' (considering the current political climate in America and Europe): "They want their country back. I'll make sure they get the country they deserve. Strong again. With purity of purpose. All pulling together in the same direction. No more dead wood. No more outside interference. Nothing of that kind will be tolerated. Germany will be for Germans."

My husband's usual review of these kinds of books is simple: "It was good! The good guys win; the bad guys lose." And so it goes... ...more

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Nov 14, 2016 Dee Haddrill rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller, read-2016, part-of-a-series, action-adventure

Jack Reacher is undeniably one of my top 5 fictional heroes (which is why I'm so unhappy about the movie casting, but I digress). Night School gives us a look into one of Reacher's Army service adventures, and is as awesome a book as always. ...more

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Nov 16, 2016 Jason Merchant rated it did not like it

Night School is certainly one of the weakest and most poorly plotted of the usually enjoyable Jack Reacher series. Set in 1996, with most of the action taking place in Hamburg, it is a mediocre overseas police procedural with Reacher heading a small, secret team trying to track down an American who is about to be paid $100 million for something. The plot is full of implausibilities (view spoiler) Night School is certainly one of the weakest and most poorly plotted of the usually enjoyable Jack Reacher series. Set in 1996, with most of the action taking place in Hamburg, it is a mediocre overseas police procedural with Reacher heading a small, secret team trying to track down an American who is about to be paid $100 million for something. The plot is full of implausibilities (view spoiler) The book is marred by Child's unfamiliarity with the spy terrain: there are tons of implausible interagency things, a way too helpful CIA station chief, poorly rendered German (the intended "Yellow Farm" is given as the ungrammatical "Gelb Bauernhof"--exactly what looking up "yellow" and "farm" in a dictionary and sticking the words together would give you, innocent of any knowledge of German grammar, in particular adjectival endings--even Google translate does a little better job [though still ungrammatical]), and other infelicities: a German bartender in a neo-Nazi bar would pick up a phone to rat out the leader of the neo-Nazi movement to an American who gave him a few extra bucks the last couple of months? Ridiculous. Finally, like many monolingual spy writers, Child's foreign characters miraculously speak flawless idiomatic English, including cops. As good as educated Germans' English is, it's not this perfect. Also, someone please hire an editor who knows American English and can correct for Child's occasional British English: Reacher sometimes says things that sound fine in British English, but strike the American ear as not quite native, e.g., "I'd like to say we've got all day, but I'm not sure about that. Maybe we haven't." (p. 291, where an American would probably prefer "Maybe we don't.")

This one is a definite pass, sadly. Bring back the US-based, non-police-procedural, loner crime-solver and all-around tough guy intervener Reacher, and leave this hackeneyed, Army-embedded, saluting, out-of-his-element-in-a-foreign-land Reacher for the wannabe spy-thriller writers. ...more

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Nov 25, 2016 Terence M - Latin Deferred (for the time being) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: all-audio-other, read-or-listened-twice

Audiobook - 11:12 Hours - Narrator: Jeff Harding
Re-listen - First heard in late 2016 and rated it 1Star dnf. (See original review below).

My second listening was on 18 January 2020. My rating is 3.0 of 5.0 Stars - "I Liked It"

"Night School" was definitely better than a "1Star dnf" rating, but not one of Reacher's best. It was still a bit of a struggle for me as I found the plot, storyline and dialogue all somewhat uninteresting and confusing, particularly in the first 50% to 65% of the audioboo ...more

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Jun 24, 2016 Adam rated it it was amazing

Got an advanced copy from Goodreads Giveaways. Wow! This is a great one, definitely in my top five of Reacher novels. Reacher is in the Army. A major in the MPs in 1996. He's sent to "school", but, being that it's Reacher, nothing is as ordinary as it seems. From there the action continues to build, as do the stakes. Like I said, I've read all the Reacher books and this is one of the best.

Really glad I got a copy early, but now I have to wait even longer until the next one! ...more

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Jul 17, 2016 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-suspense-thriller, books-read-2017

The 21st book in the Jack Reacher series is a step back in time. It is 1996 and Reacher is still in the Army. The story opens with his being awarded the Legion of Merit. Immediately following the ceremony he is given new orders. Ostensibly he is being sent to school. With two other students. One is with the CIA and the other is with the FBI. Each fresh off a big win. Shortly after arriving at "school" they learn the real mission. There is a Jihadist sleeper cell in Hamburg, Germany with an under ...more

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May 31, 2016 Dan rated it really liked it

For the fans of the Jack Reacher novels (Of which I am big one), the latest story takes place in 1996 when Reacher is still in the army. Wasn’t sure how I would feel about that, but turns out it is as good as those that take place in the present. Reacher is sent to school, but in reality he and two others (one from the FBI and the other CIA) are really part of a secret mission to find out what US property or Intel is being sold for millions of dollars. With some assistance, Reacher figures out t ...more

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Dec 17, 2016 Bibi added it

This is an observation and it relates to our Hulking hero, Jack Reacher, who has to be going on a hundred yrs old and also to Lee Child, one of my all-time favorite authors.

Without further ado........Please, Mr. Child.......

It's time to let this money-maker go! Please.

...more

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Nov 15, 2016 Matthew rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: police-procedural, kindle-not-loanable, 2016

Did Lee Child even write this? Seriously. Reacher was dramatically different in this book compared to previous books.

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Nov 19, 2016 Jean rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: espinonage, fiction, audio-book

This is book 21 of the Jack Reacher series. In this book, Lee Child has Reacher step back in time to 1996; Reacher is still in the Army. Major Reacher has just received the Legion of Honor Medal. He earned this for action in the Balkans.

Reacher is sent to Germany to Night School, which is a tiny interagency group of American operatives. Reacher represents the Army Military Police; there is an F. B. I. agent and a CIA operative also in the group. They have been watching a Saudi Cell in Hamburg. T ...more

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Nov 23, 2016 Donald Grant rated it did not like it

Lesson learned...

After reading and reviewing Make Me by Lee Child, I had promised myself it would be the last Reacher novel I would read. When I heard about Night School and the story being about Reacher when he was still in the Army, I decided to give it a try. Surely it would be different. Unfortunately, I should have kept my promise.

This book definitely qualifies as Child’s worse to date. There may be one as bad coming in the future, but this reviewer will not be reading it.

Child wrote this a ...more

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Nov 20, 2016 The Pfaeffle Journal (Diane) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016

Jack Reacher stories are always interesting because Reacher is always Reacher. The book takes Reacher back to 1996 while he was still in the Army. Interesting plot but I have read a couple of books with this type of plot so I rated a little lower because of the lack of originality.

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Nov 20, 2016 Skip rated it liked it

Shelves: thriller

In a prequel set in 1996, Jack Reacher is sent to "school" along with two others, one is FBI and one is CIA, reporting only to the head of the NSA, his deputy, and the President. An Iranian mole for the Americans reports that some American is selling something worth $100 million to terrorists. Each student grabs their most trusted colleague, which for Reacher is Sergeant Frances Neagley, who has reappeared in the most recent books. Things develop slowly, and Reacher has to wait 100 pages (maybe ...more

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Oct 04, 2021 Kylie H rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adrenalin

I was a little confused at first, and then realised that this was a story from Reacher's past when he was still in the Military Police.
This instalment sees him pursuing an supposed ex-military man that has apparently set up a deal to sell 'something' for $100 million to the middle east. It becomes a race to work out what is for sale, and what this means for US national security.
Never a dull moment, it is typical Reacher save the day again but we cheer him all the way as he does it with little ef ...more

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Jun 20, 2020 Gary rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is the 21st book in the Jack Reacher series by author Lee Child. The Jack Reacher series is somewhat a 'guilty pleasure' of mine, I normally enjoy Detective Thrillers but there is something about this series that I can't resist now and then. This book was pretty much what I have come to expect from Lee Child, lots of action and adventure but I felt it was a little below the normal standard.

The book goes back to 1995 when Jack Reacher was aged 35 and being given the Legion of Merit for the s ...more

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Jan 27, 2017 Pamela Small rated it really liked it · review of another edition

NIGHT SCHOOL has a boring and laborious start, so much so that I put it down several times, having no interest in it. But then, I thought the beginning of Reacher's story is usually slow and methodical, as Lee Child sets up the exposition. So, I picked it up again and am so glad I did! The story line races along as the mystery unfolds and is enthralling as the mystery is developed and solved. The plot is unique ( how does Mr. Child think of these unusual stories?) The characters, as always, are ...more

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About Lee Child

Lee Child

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Lee 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 pr ...more

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Quotes from Night School

“You could try," Reacher said. "But you'd get hurt. You're out of your league. You're up against something you never saw before."
"You have a mighty high opinion of yourself."
Reacher nodded at Neagley. "I'm talking about her. I'm just here to clear up the mess.” — 5 likes

“My country, right or wrong. Which means nothing, unless you admit your country is wrong sometimes. Loving a country that was right all the time would be common sense, not patriotism.” — 2 likes

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