Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Blue Moon by Lee Child Narrator: Scott Brick
Series: Jack Reacher #24
Published by Penguin Audio on October 29, 2019
Genres: Thriller
Length: 11 hours, 21 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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“This is a random universe,” Reacher says. “Once in a blue moon things turn out just right.”
This isn’t one of those times.
Reacher is on a Greyhound bus, minding his own business, with no particular place to go, and all the time in the world to get there. Then he steps off the bus to help an old man who is obviously just a victim waiting to happen. But you know what they say about good deeds. Now Reacher wants to make it right.
An elderly couple have made a few well-meaning mistakes, and now they owe big money to some very bad people. One brazen move leads to another, and suddenly Reacher finds himself a wanted man in the middle of a brutal turf war between rival Ukrainian and Albanian gangs.
Reacher has to stay one step ahead of the loan sharks, the thugs, and the assassins. He teams up with a fed-up waitress who knows a little more than she’s letting on, and sets out to take down the powerful and make the greedy pay. It’s a long shot. The odds are against him. But Reacher believes in a certain kind of justice . . . the kind that comes along once in a blue moon.
I love this Jack Reacher series. In the earlier books, it seemed to matter more whether they were read in order because of his connections with other characters, and his own progression. Lately, it hasn’t seemed as important with some books going back in time, even to when he was in the army. I have read them all, including most of the novellas except 20 and 22 (which was the same when I read #23). I really have to go read them!
The time frame here is not clear to me; he is obviously out of the army awhile. Reacher notices an odd situation or someone in trouble. He is kind of like that old Equalizer tv show. There is plenty of action and intelligent deduction by Reacher which is always enjoyable. I’m not sure it is always realistic when he doesn’t have more trouble for his actions, but he is all kinds of fun! I love the feel of how smart he is to figure out things.
In Blue Moon, Reacher is up against two groups of thugs who are brutally greedy and unfair to everyone who is not themselves, even within their own organization. While the bad guys are plenty bad, there is some gray in some of the people, especially those businesses being forced to pay protection and the workers like the waitress.
The books have a similar style and flow. They are familiar and comfortable and loved. I enjoy the action and the mystery of figuring out how it will happen. I admire Reacher’s strength, intelligence and compassion, but he does make his own rules.
Narration:
I used to read this series because I didn’t enjoy the narrator. For me, the other narrator sounded too old and was a bit hard to understand. I’m so happy to have Scott Brick narrating. I thought the voices were appropriate and well performed. He captured Reacher’s personality in his tone and manner of speech very well. I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip:
About Lee Child
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 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.
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Anne - Books of My Heart
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2019 Audiobooks
- 2019 Releases
isn’t reacher always on a greyhound bus heading…somewhere. lol i love this series and i’m glad to see it keeps on giving
I think he should try Megabus but that is likely too high tech for him. lol
I only tried one book in this series but I really enjoyed it so I need to read more
Well there are MANY more to binge – yay! I love so many of these older long running mystery thriller series. Luckily I am old and have been reading then for 20-30 years so I have read all but the newest in most of them. lol
I can’t believe that I haven’t read Lee Child yet. I have a couple of his books but haven’t picked them up yet. It does sound like something I would enjoy. Great review!
I really love them. You should try one and see. They are not quite realistic in some ways but it doesn’t seem to bother me – I always have so much fun.
glad the narration is working better for you.
I’m thrilled about it because I think they are fun listening.
I’ve only read the first few books. Glad to see you still enjoying this series so far in.
It changes a bit as it goes forward but I still really enjoy it.
I haven’t read any books by Lee Child. I keep thinking that I should. Where would you suggest I start?
I’d definitely start with book 1. The earlier books are chronological and build on each other. The later books could be standalones because the timeframe is indefinite or irrelevant. But I always want to read a series in order whenever I can so the first one is Killing Floor.
Another series I’ve gotten behind in! I’m thrilled to see you’re still enjoying. One of these days…I’ve all the books on audio.
I’ve read them but I really like the new narrator. Enjoy! It’s like a guilty pleasure – so much fun for me.
Wow! I didn’t realize there were so many in this series. My mom and dad love it. Glad it’s holding up for you after all these years.
It’s great fun. On the fun scale, it’s 5 hearts.