It is July 13, 1977 in New
York City as the High Heat: A Jack Reacher Novella opens and Jack Reacher is
three months shy of his 17th birthday. It is 8:30 in the evening on
a day that has been a scorcher. He has just witnessed some sort of altercation
between a man and woman that has resulted in the woman being slapped in the
face.
A son of a Marine does not
allow that to go unchallenged.
Being the son of a Marine
that was stationed all over the world means that Reacher knows how to fight. In
the aftermath of the inevitable, Reacher learns that the woman is an FBI agent
named Jill Hemmingway and the vanquished guy was an organized crime figure
named Croselli. Croselli made threats and will be one of several reasons why
Reacher will be late visiting his brother, Joe.
While the story is decent
enough as it goes, this novella that includes a preview excerpt of the upcoming
novel Never Go Back does have issues. The Reacher of High
Heat does not come off as a 16 year old kid. Not only is he fully
formed physically and has many excellent fighting skills because of having to
deal with fellow kids all over the world at various bases, the 16 year old
Reacher sounds exactly as he would now in his use of language. The same adult
sarcasm streak is not only present; he uses the same type of phrases, verbal
tactics, logic progression comments, etc. It is very hard to believe in
reading Reacher’s dialogue that this is a sixteen year old kid. If one accepts
that then one has to deal with other issues in the novella.
Several believability issues
can't be addressed simply because to do so here would reveal key plot points
later in the short book. However, it is worth noting that for rather unbelievable
reasons, the female FBI agent eventually accepts Reacher's help in her case.
While some have questioned
whether or not Lee Child actually wrote this book, I don't have that issue with High
Heat: A Jack Reacher Novella. To this reader the book definitely reads
as if Lee Child wrote it. My issue with the book is that it has weaknesses and
primarily comes across as a marketing tool that is being used to fill time
between novels as a way to advertise the upcoming book. Since I am not one of
those readers that read preview excerpts at the back of books that aspect is
meaningless to me.
If one can get by the idea
that a 16 year old Reacher would sound the same as a middle aged Reacher as
well as some of the other coincidences and plot points in High Heat: A Jack Reacher Novella
delivers a read that has all the Reacher hallmarks. A little fighting, a little
loving (even at 16 Reacher has his way with the ladies) and a lot of Reacher
observing and assessing his environment and tactical situations. It is
enjoyable if you can steadfastly maintain your willingness to suspend your
disbelief.
High Heat: A Jack Reacher Novella
Lee Child
Delacorte Press (Random House
Publishing Group)
2013
ISBN# 978-0-345-54664-7
E-book (print length estimated 73
pages)
$1.99
This material was purchased for
my use in an objective review by using a gift card received from my participation
in the Amazon Associates Program.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2013
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2 comments:
Not sure why, but I read the first Reacher novel and enjoyed it quite a bit. But I've never been inspired to pick up another(and I have a half dozen or so bought all at the same time). I read and enjoy similar characters all the time.
I'm wierd I guess.
Well... don't know what to say. :)
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