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437 of 472 found the following review helpful:
Some minor quirks but a rousing good read.Jun 23, 2005
By Naomi Johnson
"beauvallet"
I'm new to the Jack Reacher series but I have to say that I enjoyed this first book. I was interested in reading what other reviewers had to say: Author was charged with using the word "shrugged" too much. I never noticed, I was busy turning the pages I guess. Author was charged with using short, choppy sentences. Is that a literary offense? Because if it is, it's time to take Hemingway's work out and burn it, he having been critically lauded for years for that short, choppy style which is supposed to be very manly -- in a literary sense, I suppose. All I know is that I find old Hem's work mindnumbingly dull. At least Mr. Child keeps me awake, those choppy sentences lend a sense of urgency to the story. (Just like Earl Emerson's short chapters in 'Pyro'!) Author is charged with not being an expert on America. Neither am I and I've spent 48 out of 50 years here. Oh, and one review bemoaned the fact that somehow the author failed to realize the US has no Marines stationed in Europe, that we have no naval base there. Hm, I don't keep up with the exact locations of all US bases but I spent two years at Zaragoza Air Base, Spain, and when I was there, the US had a naval base at Rota. Author is charged with having a written a very violent book. Well. There you have me. It IS violent. If violence disturbs you, what the heck are you doing reading books in this genre in the first place? There was a great honking picture of a bloody handprint on the cover of the paperback I bought -- I would have thought that was a (you'll excuse the pun) dead giveaway as to the nature of this book. Oh, almost forgot. The author is also charged with too much coincidence in the brother/killing plot point. Stranger things happen every day -- gee, Bush got elected twice. I think THAT's stretching coincidence!
Yes, Jack Reacher is an anti-hero. Yes, the books has some flaws (as most every book I've ever read does). But I enjoyed the book and am looking forward to seeing Reacher's character progression in the next book. Do I think he's the next Lucas Davenport? Nope, not unless he gets a stronger sense of humor and a lot more sexy. But Reacher is verrrry interesting!
OK, I'm done defending the book. Now, here's the bit that bothered me: A top gun in the Treasury Dept drops out of sight and the Feds don't swarm all over looking for him when his prints come across the computer? A second Treasury Dept worker is brutally murdered in an airport and (1) it's the busy airport at Atlanta and no one sees it??? and (2) the Feds don't follow up on this either? Still -- I was able to suspend my disbelief long enough to overlook these things, just because I wanted to see what Jack would do next.
86 of 90 found the following review helpful:
 What a Book!Sep 05, 2000
By Michael Butts
Wow, what a book! Lee Child has given us perhaps the most interesting and complex hero in some time. Jack Reacher is Clint Eastwood, John Wayne and Arnold Schwarzenegger rolled into one...but with much more personality and pizzazz! I'm only sorry it's taken me so long to read Mr. Child's book! The story is a riveting one, focusing on Jack's involvement in a crime in a small town in Georgia. Boy, does he make a mistake in deciding to stop off in this little burg, just to find out about a blue singing legend named Blind Blake. But, what a story unfolds. The dialogue is brisk, economical, and very involving! Along with Jack, there are a ton of characters that are so remarkably fleshed out and described, you would think this was a true crime story! There are scenes of nail-biting action; very graphic and disturbing scenes of violence; and amidst all this some really well-written scenes of sensitivity and poignancy. Jack's meeting with an old lady who once knew the old blues legend is outstanding in its emotional punch! Paul Hubble, the neurotic banker; Roscoe, the beautiful policewoman; Finlay, the chief of detectives; and the evil villains are some of the best written characters in recent mystery fiction. What is so amazing about this book is the way Lee Child has not only woven a complex murder mystery, but also a chilling tale of greed, madness, and lost loves and lives. This is an emotional, wrenching debut, and I cannot wait to start in on the rest of this series! An outstanding piece of fiction!
100 of 108 found the following review helpful:
Jack Reacher can have my number !Sep 27, 2000
By Suzanne Vitale
"jackeroophillip"
I started with "Running Blind," Lee Child's third book, and finished it off in record time to jump back online to see what else Lee Child had written. The hero, Jack Reacher, was a military brat growing up, a military career man until the army downsized, and then became a drifter by choice. He's a one-man swat team correcting injustice as it finds him. In "Killing Floor" he just happens to get off the bus near the intersection of a small town in Georgia and after wandering on foot into the town of Margrave he is immediately arrested for a brutal murder which he obviously did not commit. He digs his way through several mysteries at one time including the identity of the murdered man. The suspense never lets up; there is a girl (a cop) that he loves but leaves with good romance and dialogue throughout. The only problem I had with the hero is that he arrives without any luggage and only occasionaly needs to buy a new outfit of clothes as he thows away what he has on at the time. He gives new meaning to traveling light. I'm going to quit writing now and start reading the next book..."Die Trying" I hope to see more of Jack Reacher after I have caught up with the next two.
14 of 14 found the following review helpful:
Jack Reacher's debut novel.Aug 05, 2001
By E. Bukowsky
"booklover10"
Having already read three other Jack Reacher novels, I finally got around to reading "Killing Floor," the first in Lee Child's popular series. Here is the Jack Reacher that we know and love--macho wanderer, man of few words, quick with his fists, an expert at weaponry, fearless and unforgiving. Jack is passing through Margrave, Georgia. It is a town that is surprising clean and well-kept, considering that most of the residents have little visible source of income. Jack intends to stay for a brief period to look up some history about a blind musician, and then he intends to move on. However, Jack is arrested for a vicious crime that he did not commit, and he then becomes embroiled in a murder investigation that involves his brother. It turns out that Margrave is a corrupt town, rotten to the core. With the help of a few good police officers (one of whom makes for a sexy love interest), Reacher gets to the heart of an extremely profitable criminal operation run by some very ruthless and powerful men. "Killing Floor" is a fast-moving, engrossing and extremely violent thriller. Reacher is quick-witted, unerring in his instincts, and relentless in his pursuit of justice. One of Reacher's quirks is that he rarely changes his clothes, since he hates to be bothered with laundry. Since he never carries luggage and he only showers when he gets a chance, he must be fairly malodorous. Surprisingly, no one seems to notice. I enjoyed "Killing Floor," recognizing it for the entertaining fairy tale that it is. Child does not try for realism. If you can stomach tremendous carnage and you like non-stop action, then you will enjoy "Killing Floor".
21 of 23 found the following review helpful:
Lucky FindMay 19, 2006
By J. Underwood
"echo1"
I picked up "Killing Floor" in hardback on the clearance rack at Half Price Books for $1.00 about 7 years ago (good luck finding it now!) I knew nothing of the author and really just needed something to pass the time between Dark Tower installments. Little did I know...
I literally couldn't put this book down from the time I opened it until it was complete. "Killing Floor" has an original plot, contains an interesting "hero", and kept me guessing to the finish.
Since "Killing Floor" I have bought and reads ALL of Lee Child's books, all in hard back and all as soon as they were available, and have never felt cheated.
I was concerned that the books would get boring after several installments (as with James Patterson's books, when you have the same indestructible character over and over, sooner or later you get tired of reading about them). Fortunately, each "Jack Reacher" novel has had a completely original premise, and I haven't gotten bored yet.
I recommend this book wholeheartedly.
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