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Jack Reacher #12
Nothing to Lose
Book by Child, Lee
426 pages, Paperback
First published March 24, 2008
7165 people are currently reading
20071 people want to read
About the author
Lee Child
442 books34.2k 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 3,565 reviews
July 22, 2008
After reading about 8 of Child's Jack Reacher books, I finally found a dud. It started out thrilling, as expected, but quickly became almost boring. I can not believe I am typing those words.
Reacher's repeatedly doing the same thing, over and over (returning to a bad place) was tedious and so unlike our hero's usual behavior. The plot wandered all over the place and the book was too long.
I found it impossible to buy into the far-fetched "conspiracy theory" with its pathetic "villains" and was surprised at Child's foray into political opinion (putting his opinions into Reacher's mouth -which completely changed Reacher's character). This was totally out of place, I thought, and awkward at best.
I just hope that Child has not run out of stories and that he will return Reacher to his previous inventive adventures.
I only read the Amazon reviews after finishing the book, and must say I am not surprised that there are 190 reviews and the average is an abyssmal 2.5 stars. Most of his other books have averaged 4 stars.
Reacher's repeatedly doing the same thing, over and over (returning to a bad place) was tedious and so unlike our hero's usual behavior. The plot wandered all over the place and the book was too long.
I found it impossible to buy into the far-fetched "conspiracy theory" with its pathetic "villains" and was surprised at Child's foray into political opinion (putting his opinions into Reacher's mouth -which completely changed Reacher's character). This was totally out of place, I thought, and awkward at best.
I just hope that Child has not run out of stories and that he will return Reacher to his previous inventive adventures.
I only read the Amazon reviews after finishing the book, and must say I am not surprised that there are 190 reviews and the average is an abyssmal 2.5 stars. Most of his other books have averaged 4 stars.
July 25, 2017
3.5/5
At the individual level in sweaty gyms the thugs doing the training had pointed out that gentlemen who behaved decently weren't around to train anyone. They were already dead. Therefore: Hit early, hit hard.
Good, almost great.
As always happens when I pick up Lee Child's books, I was completely hooked and once I got into the story, I had real trouble putting it down. The moment I opened the first page, my curiosity was piqued immediately. I couldn't stop guessing and wondering what was really going on in Despair, why the locals acted so strange, and what secrets they were hiding.
I enjoyed reading this twelfth installment a lot, so much so that I thought I would give it five stars for certain. But unfortunately, by the end, it didn't quite hit its mark. The book left me with some unanswered questions and some of the answers I got were not what I expected. Let's just say, they were somewhat unclear which I found a bit unsatisfying.
So far, this one is my least favorite of Jack Reacher series.
However, despite that, I considered Nothing to Lose a good read. It had an interesting and gripping plot that moved forward at a nice pace. But most of all, Jack Reacher alone makes this book worth reading! Recommended for fans of suspense/mystery/thriller.
At the individual level in sweaty gyms the thugs doing the training had pointed out that gentlemen who behaved decently weren't around to train anyone. They were already dead. Therefore: Hit early, hit hard.
Good, almost great.
As always happens when I pick up Lee Child's books, I was completely hooked and once I got into the story, I had real trouble putting it down. The moment I opened the first page, my curiosity was piqued immediately. I couldn't stop guessing and wondering what was really going on in Despair, why the locals acted so strange, and what secrets they were hiding.
I enjoyed reading this twelfth installment a lot, so much so that I thought I would give it five stars for certain. But unfortunately, by the end, it didn't quite hit its mark. The book left me with some unanswered questions and some of the answers I got were not what I expected. Let's just say, they were somewhat unclear which I found a bit unsatisfying.
So far, this one is my least favorite of Jack Reacher series.
However, despite that, I considered Nothing to Lose a good read. It had an interesting and gripping plot that moved forward at a nice pace. But most of all, Jack Reacher alone makes this book worth reading! Recommended for fans of suspense/mystery/thriller.
June 2, 2021
"If I get a cup of coffee, I'll walk out of here. If I don't get a cup of coffee, these guys can try to throw me out, and you'll spend the rest of the day cleaning blood from the floor and all day tomorrow shopping for new chairs and tables . . . " -- Jack Reacher laying the ground rules, page 15
Quite the disappointment - just a few weeks after really enjoying the preceding novel Hard Luck and Trouble, the follow-up Nothing to Lose was an overlong, densely plotted misfire in the long-running series. This time drifter Jack Reacher shuttles between the neighboring towns of Hope and Despair (nothing like some heavy and thick symbolism to hit the reader over the head) in rural Colorado, where he deduces some sort of criminally treasonous conspiracy is afoot after a group of mooks attempt to scare him off immediately upon his arrival. At 500+ pages it felt like it would've been better served at only half that length, plus the boring non-entity of an antagonist and laborious plot (involving an uneasy mix of the military, the government, and some odd religious factions) did it no favors, either. It was a little too slow, with not enough suspense or action to keep things interesting.
Quite the disappointment - just a few weeks after really enjoying the preceding novel Hard Luck and Trouble, the follow-up Nothing to Lose was an overlong, densely plotted misfire in the long-running series. This time drifter Jack Reacher shuttles between the neighboring towns of Hope and Despair (nothing like some heavy and thick symbolism to hit the reader over the head) in rural Colorado, where he deduces some sort of criminally treasonous conspiracy is afoot after a group of mooks attempt to scare him off immediately upon his arrival. At 500+ pages it felt like it would've been better served at only half that length, plus the boring non-entity of an antagonist and laborious plot (involving an uneasy mix of the military, the government, and some odd religious factions) did it no favors, either. It was a little too slow, with not enough suspense or action to keep things interesting.
November 22, 2022
I LOVE this series for good reason. I can escape into the craftily put together world of Reacher and Child. I read a lot of heavy and serious Australian crime fiction, where there is a lot of bad done. There is always a lot of bad that Reacher stumbles upon, but he is uber smooth. Funny, dead pan, mocking. Always mocking the bad, and sometimes this is directed at himself, too. I don’t need bells and whistles with the Reacher series.
‘We don’t want you here.’ Reacher said, ‘You’re confusing me with someone who gives a shit what you want.’
‘No, I’m a man with a rule. People leave me alone. If they don’t, I don’t.’
The back to basics with this character, his NMI, the need for no belongings, the always available surplus or thrift store to enable his last-minute clothes purchases, all the while fitting his beautiful bulk.
The geography here, Hope and Despair, two desolate towns where Reacher hops over the bordering line so to speak, is full of corruption, greed and warped religious thinking. I love how he deals with the zealots, always with a cool crisp and clear come back. I can’t quote any here as I listen to this series, and it provides me such comic relief delivered by the talented Jeff Harding. This guy can put no foot wrong in my opinion, and I assume he will carry the series all the way through.
The unfortunate places Reacher finds himself in tell me the United States of America is full of so many bad places! But never fear, Reacher will always right some wrongs. The author details Reacher’s reasons and actions all the way through, a lot of this is ingenious and always brings a smile.
I noticed the romantic tension with this instalment’s lucky lady (don’t judge me) was not so chemistry fuelled , but I adore how Reacher used his wiles to dress down some workers at a repatriation facility for catastrophically injured veterans, and the way in which he made sure these soldiers were treated with the respect they deserved. What can Jack not do?
Can’t wait to continue with this series, I’ve read a little about the writing process the author takes via a short eBook, he is on a good thing. I have faith the series will be ok, even as the author steps away as after all, my reasons for reading this are for pure escape and fun times. Bring it on.
‘We don’t want you here.’ Reacher said, ‘You’re confusing me with someone who gives a shit what you want.’
‘No, I’m a man with a rule. People leave me alone. If they don’t, I don’t.’
The back to basics with this character, his NMI, the need for no belongings, the always available surplus or thrift store to enable his last-minute clothes purchases, all the while fitting his beautiful bulk.
The geography here, Hope and Despair, two desolate towns where Reacher hops over the bordering line so to speak, is full of corruption, greed and warped religious thinking. I love how he deals with the zealots, always with a cool crisp and clear come back. I can’t quote any here as I listen to this series, and it provides me such comic relief delivered by the talented Jeff Harding. This guy can put no foot wrong in my opinion, and I assume he will carry the series all the way through.
The unfortunate places Reacher finds himself in tell me the United States of America is full of so many bad places! But never fear, Reacher will always right some wrongs. The author details Reacher’s reasons and actions all the way through, a lot of this is ingenious and always brings a smile.
I noticed the romantic tension with this instalment’s lucky lady (don’t judge me) was not so chemistry fuelled , but I adore how Reacher used his wiles to dress down some workers at a repatriation facility for catastrophically injured veterans, and the way in which he made sure these soldiers were treated with the respect they deserved. What can Jack not do?
Can’t wait to continue with this series, I’ve read a little about the writing process the author takes via a short eBook, he is on a good thing. I have faith the series will be ok, even as the author steps away as after all, my reasons for reading this are for pure escape and fun times. Bring it on.
December 15, 2020
Nothing to Lose is an okay Jack Reacher novel, but certainly not one of the best in the series. The description above summarizes the plot perfectly and so there's no need to repeat it. Suffice it to say that, as the novel progresses, Reacher pinballs back and forth between Hope and Despair, both literally and metaphorically. The story seems awfully far-fetched even for a thriller like this one, and it's probably at least a third longer than it needs to be. Reacher (and Lee Child, apparently) is a guy who likes his technical details, and here you get a lot of them. The problem is that all of the detail slows the pace, defuses the tension, and tends to take the reader (or at least this one) out of the story. I think I liked this book better the first time I read it, but this time, I kept wanting things to just move along already. Not a bad book, certainly, but if you are new to this series, you would probably want to start elsewhere.
March 17, 2023
Book twelve in the Jack Reacher series.
This is such a bias review because at this stage I'm a fan, Lee Child can do no wrong, and I'm here for whatever he writes.
Also, Jack Reacher is far too loveable to criticise.
In this book, we see Jack get kicked out of Despair into Hope, which kick starts his curiosity and adventure.
Had no idea where this was going, but I was in safe hands. Lee Child always has a tight control of the plot and ties everything up nicely at the end.
Five stars.
This is such a bias review because at this stage I'm a fan, Lee Child can do no wrong, and I'm here for whatever he writes.
Also, Jack Reacher is far too loveable to criticise.
In this book, we see Jack get kicked out of Despair into Hope, which kick starts his curiosity and adventure.
Had no idea where this was going, but I was in safe hands. Lee Child always has a tight control of the plot and ties everything up nicely at the end.
Five stars.
November 9, 2018
In my mind, Jack Reacher is mine - though arguably the worst commitment-phobe, ever- but whatever!
Bless Paramount for casting Tom Cruise.... who woulda thunk it. Gargantuan Jack and Tinny Tom. Match made only in Hollywood.
December 6, 2024
Good book.. I’ve read 2 other jack Reacher, books, so pretty much the same journey you take..
Reacher is wandering around America, hits small town … something dodgy going on , jack gets involved, kicks ass, joins up with a female, usually has sex with them, also a lot of showers!
Reacher is wandering around America, hits small town … something dodgy going on , jack gets involved, kicks ass, joins up with a female, usually has sex with them, also a lot of showers!
March 10, 2019
Number 12 in the Jack Reacher series.
When there are corruption and cover ups being performed by both the military and the government, cover ups that could have major repercussions in the USA and overseas. Couple this with a group of fanatical ‘End of Times’ zealots that want Armageddon to happen sooner rather than later. Who you gonna call? (Jack Reacher).
On a whim Jack decided to stop in the small country town of Despair. He’s there about five minutes when he is asked, with menace, to leave the town by a group of four burly men, big mistake.
Jack says “you got a hospital in town”?
The men reply “why”?
If there was ever a dumb question this is it.
Jack says “because you’re going to need one”.
This starts a series of events that Jack just can’t help getting involved in. Saying “get out and stay out” to Jack Reacher guarantees one thing and one thing only, trouble.
This is the standard Jack Reacher formula, Jack against the world and winning.
That being said, Lee Child knows how to write entertaining thrillers and without a question this is one of them.
An entertaining 4/5 star thriller.
When there are corruption and cover ups being performed by both the military and the government, cover ups that could have major repercussions in the USA and overseas. Couple this with a group of fanatical ‘End of Times’ zealots that want Armageddon to happen sooner rather than later. Who you gonna call? (Jack Reacher).
On a whim Jack decided to stop in the small country town of Despair. He’s there about five minutes when he is asked, with menace, to leave the town by a group of four burly men, big mistake.
Jack says “you got a hospital in town”?
The men reply “why”?
If there was ever a dumb question this is it.
Jack says “because you’re going to need one”.
This starts a series of events that Jack just can’t help getting involved in. Saying “get out and stay out” to Jack Reacher guarantees one thing and one thing only, trouble.
This is the standard Jack Reacher formula, Jack against the world and winning.
That being said, Lee Child knows how to write entertaining thrillers and without a question this is one of them.
An entertaining 4/5 star thriller.
January 22, 2012
The least fun Reacher book. Read the others first. Only die hard fans will want to do this one.
STORY BRIEF:
Reacher is hitchhiking west to California. He happens to be let off in Despair, a small town in Colorado. He stops in the town’s only diner for coffee. The waitress and owner refuse to serve him. The local police arrive and put Reacher in jail. Later he sees the judge who orders him to leave town. The police drive him five miles to the town limit. The nearest town is Hope, another ten miles or so from there.
Throughout the book there are several mysteries going on. Some young women are worried and secretive and staying at the hotel in Hope waiting for word from their boyfriends. The boyfriends went to Despair. One of the boyfriends may be dead. The only industry in Despair is a recycling plant which has a government contract to recycle military vehicles and other. Thurman owns the recycling plant and almost every other business in town. Everyone works for him. He is also the local preacher. Every night he flies his small plane somewhere and returns a few hours later. There is a military base of some sort near the recycling plant. When Reacher drives near the military base he is ordered to leave.
Vaughan is a female cop in Hope. She assists Reacher with some of his activities. There is a mystery about her husband who is not around. No one will tell Reacher anything about her husband.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
Lots and lots of questions and mysteries for the plot. And then even more questions are created through every day conversation. For example, when Vaughan and Reacher are driving he asks her “where are we going?” She says “you’ll see.” When Reacher is traveling with Thurman he asks the same question. Thurman says “you’ll see.” Toward the end, Reacher has figured things out. When Vaughan asks him what’s going on with the plant. He says “I’ll tell you later.” When she asks what’s going on with the boyfriends. He says “I’ll tell you later.”
So, I’m at the end of the book, and the mysteries have been revealed, and my reaction is “what?...Oh....Not very good.” In all other Reacher books he is frequently up against several bad guys at once and wins. I’m wondering if the author was thinking “what if he was up against a whole town?” Maybe that’s how the story started. Maybe it could have been good. But it didn’t work. Things weren’t supported logically enough. Even at the end, I was asking why would everyone in town be so aggressively against every traveling outsider? I know he answered that, sort of, but it wasn’t a good answer. And then other things were not justified or explained well enough.
I always have to suspend disbelief in Reacher stories, and I don’t mind. But in this book, the reasons were not fun. And the action was not as exciting. There was an occasional fight. But it’s mostly just mystery upon mystery with unsatisfying reveals at the end.
SOMETHING FOR TRIVIA BUFFS:
We learn that Reacher used to smoke Camels. He quit before any of these books.
WHAT I LIKED:
A couple scenes. I liked what he did to the two Despair police cars. That surprised me. I wasn’t expecting it. When told that the Despair police would be coming to Hope to search for Reacher, Reacher went to Despair for the night. Reacher wanted to search all the rooms at the rooming house in Despair. He told the owner to give him the pass key. If not, the owner would have a lot of expense to repair all the broken doors.
NARRATOR:
The narrator Dick Hill was very good.
DATA:
Unabridged audiobook reading time: 13 hrs and 58 mins. Swearing language: mild. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 5 referred to not shown. Setting: 2007 mostly Colorado. Book copyright: 2008. Genre: mystery suspense. Ending: mysteries are revealed, but I did not feel satisfied.
THE SERIES:
Following is a list of the Jack Reacher books in order with my ratings. All the books could be read as stand-alones, but I suggest reading them in order, saving the lower rated ones for last.
4 ½ stars. Killing Floor (#1)
4 stars. Die Trying (#2)
4 stars. Tripwire (#3)
2 ½ stars. Running Blind (#4)
4 stars. Echo Burning (#5)
3 ½ stars. Without Fail (#6)
4 stars. Persuader (#7)
3 stars. The Enemy (#8)
4 ½ stars. One Shot (#9)
3 stars. The Hard Way (#10)
3 ½ stars. Bad Luck and Trouble (#11)
2 stars. Nothing To Lose (#12)
4 stars. Gone Tomorrow (#13)
3 stars. 61 Hours (#14)
4 ½ stars. Worth Dying For (#15)
4 stars. The Affair (#16)
4 ½ stars. Second Son (short story at the end of the “The Affair”)
STORY BRIEF:
Reacher is hitchhiking west to California. He happens to be let off in Despair, a small town in Colorado. He stops in the town’s only diner for coffee. The waitress and owner refuse to serve him. The local police arrive and put Reacher in jail. Later he sees the judge who orders him to leave town. The police drive him five miles to the town limit. The nearest town is Hope, another ten miles or so from there.
Throughout the book there are several mysteries going on. Some young women are worried and secretive and staying at the hotel in Hope waiting for word from their boyfriends. The boyfriends went to Despair. One of the boyfriends may be dead. The only industry in Despair is a recycling plant which has a government contract to recycle military vehicles and other. Thurman owns the recycling plant and almost every other business in town. Everyone works for him. He is also the local preacher. Every night he flies his small plane somewhere and returns a few hours later. There is a military base of some sort near the recycling plant. When Reacher drives near the military base he is ordered to leave.
Vaughan is a female cop in Hope. She assists Reacher with some of his activities. There is a mystery about her husband who is not around. No one will tell Reacher anything about her husband.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
Lots and lots of questions and mysteries for the plot. And then even more questions are created through every day conversation. For example, when Vaughan and Reacher are driving he asks her “where are we going?” She says “you’ll see.” When Reacher is traveling with Thurman he asks the same question. Thurman says “you’ll see.” Toward the end, Reacher has figured things out. When Vaughan asks him what’s going on with the plant. He says “I’ll tell you later.” When she asks what’s going on with the boyfriends. He says “I’ll tell you later.”
So, I’m at the end of the book, and the mysteries have been revealed, and my reaction is “what?...Oh....Not very good.” In all other Reacher books he is frequently up against several bad guys at once and wins. I’m wondering if the author was thinking “what if he was up against a whole town?” Maybe that’s how the story started. Maybe it could have been good. But it didn’t work. Things weren’t supported logically enough. Even at the end, I was asking why would everyone in town be so aggressively against every traveling outsider? I know he answered that, sort of, but it wasn’t a good answer. And then other things were not justified or explained well enough.
I always have to suspend disbelief in Reacher stories, and I don’t mind. But in this book, the reasons were not fun. And the action was not as exciting. There was an occasional fight. But it’s mostly just mystery upon mystery with unsatisfying reveals at the end.
SOMETHING FOR TRIVIA BUFFS:
We learn that Reacher used to smoke Camels. He quit before any of these books.
WHAT I LIKED:
A couple scenes. I liked what he did to the two Despair police cars. That surprised me. I wasn’t expecting it. When told that the Despair police would be coming to Hope to search for Reacher, Reacher went to Despair for the night. Reacher wanted to search all the rooms at the rooming house in Despair. He told the owner to give him the pass key. If not, the owner would have a lot of expense to repair all the broken doors.
NARRATOR:
The narrator Dick Hill was very good.
DATA:
Unabridged audiobook reading time: 13 hrs and 58 mins. Swearing language: mild. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 5 referred to not shown. Setting: 2007 mostly Colorado. Book copyright: 2008. Genre: mystery suspense. Ending: mysteries are revealed, but I did not feel satisfied.
THE SERIES:
Following is a list of the Jack Reacher books in order with my ratings. All the books could be read as stand-alones, but I suggest reading them in order, saving the lower rated ones for last.
4 ½ stars. Killing Floor (#1)
4 stars. Die Trying (#2)
4 stars. Tripwire (#3)
2 ½ stars. Running Blind (#4)
4 stars. Echo Burning (#5)
3 ½ stars. Without Fail (#6)
4 stars. Persuader (#7)
3 stars. The Enemy (#8)
4 ½ stars. One Shot (#9)
3 stars. The Hard Way (#10)
3 ½ stars. Bad Luck and Trouble (#11)
2 stars. Nothing To Lose (#12)
4 stars. Gone Tomorrow (#13)
3 stars. 61 Hours (#14)
4 ½ stars. Worth Dying For (#15)
4 stars. The Affair (#16)
4 ½ stars. Second Son (short story at the end of the “The Affair”)
July 24, 2025
Jack Reacher, the ex-Army MP protagonist in Lee Child's long-running series, knows what duty means. He understands a soldier's duty to his country, but he also knows that duty runs two ways. One's country---and its leaders, politicians, and citizens---has a duty to its soldier. More often than not, Reacher believes, that duty is forgotten, and when that happens---when a soldier feels that he has nothing to gain from serving a corrupt country with a corrupt ideology---he starts to feel that he has nothing to lose, as well.
"Nothing To Lose", the twelfth novel in the Reacher series, is Child's most blatant commentary on the Bush-era Iraq War, but it never comes across as too preachy or, in any way, an outright castigation of the Bush Administration. Child knows that the secret to good writing is the age-old axiom "show, don't tell." He knows that he doesn't have to tell the reader how ugly or pointless the war is, or how mistreated our soldiers are by our own government. Like any good writer, Child makes his point by simply creating a good story. The "message" within the story never becomes the focus, and it never gets in the way of the story.
In "Nothing To Lose", we find Reacher hitch-hiking through Colorado, and he literally finds himself walking the line between Hope and Despair. Hope, Colorado and Despair, Colorado are two small neighboring suburban cities, but, as their names imply, they are as different as night and day. In the town of Despair, a weary Reacher walks into a diner and is denied a cup of coffee. Minutes later, the sheriff and several deputies arrive to kick him out of town for "vagrancy". They drop him off at the Hope city limits, where the Hope police chief, a woman named Vaughn, is waiting to pick him up. Unlike the Despair cops, she's friendly enough. She drops him off at the diner in Hope and tells him an interesting story.
Despair, she tells him, is a company town. It's a huge steel recycling plant---the largest in the country, actually---that employs over half the town, while the other half works for the smaller businesses that are kept afloat by the factory workers. The plant and the town is owned by the richest man in the region, a man named Thurman. He's also the town's fire-and-brimstone preacher at the End Times Church, the only church in town. The people in Despair don't like strangers.
She tells Reacher to leave it alone, but Reacher doesn't like being kicked out of towns for no good reasons. He also likes a good mystery. Like: why do so many of the people in Despair look physically ill? Why is there an Army installation attached to the factory? And why does a a plane take off and arrive hours later every night from Thurman's hangar? Where is it going and what is it carrying? When he decides to cross the city limits back into Despair to find out, he literally stumbles over a body. Now, Reacher has a real murder mystery to solve. And a townful of secrets to uncover.
"Nothing to Lose" is Child's most engrossing and suspenseful thriller yet. It unfolds slowly, but it never unfolds in ways one would expect. It is also thought-provoking and moving in parts, as Child shows the reader the ugly aftermath of war and the all-too-human human costs of war.
"Nothing To Lose", the twelfth novel in the Reacher series, is Child's most blatant commentary on the Bush-era Iraq War, but it never comes across as too preachy or, in any way, an outright castigation of the Bush Administration. Child knows that the secret to good writing is the age-old axiom "show, don't tell." He knows that he doesn't have to tell the reader how ugly or pointless the war is, or how mistreated our soldiers are by our own government. Like any good writer, Child makes his point by simply creating a good story. The "message" within the story never becomes the focus, and it never gets in the way of the story.
In "Nothing To Lose", we find Reacher hitch-hiking through Colorado, and he literally finds himself walking the line between Hope and Despair. Hope, Colorado and Despair, Colorado are two small neighboring suburban cities, but, as their names imply, they are as different as night and day. In the town of Despair, a weary Reacher walks into a diner and is denied a cup of coffee. Minutes later, the sheriff and several deputies arrive to kick him out of town for "vagrancy". They drop him off at the Hope city limits, where the Hope police chief, a woman named Vaughn, is waiting to pick him up. Unlike the Despair cops, she's friendly enough. She drops him off at the diner in Hope and tells him an interesting story.
Despair, she tells him, is a company town. It's a huge steel recycling plant---the largest in the country, actually---that employs over half the town, while the other half works for the smaller businesses that are kept afloat by the factory workers. The plant and the town is owned by the richest man in the region, a man named Thurman. He's also the town's fire-and-brimstone preacher at the End Times Church, the only church in town. The people in Despair don't like strangers.
She tells Reacher to leave it alone, but Reacher doesn't like being kicked out of towns for no good reasons. He also likes a good mystery. Like: why do so many of the people in Despair look physically ill? Why is there an Army installation attached to the factory? And why does a a plane take off and arrive hours later every night from Thurman's hangar? Where is it going and what is it carrying? When he decides to cross the city limits back into Despair to find out, he literally stumbles over a body. Now, Reacher has a real murder mystery to solve. And a townful of secrets to uncover.
"Nothing to Lose" is Child's most engrossing and suspenseful thriller yet. It unfolds slowly, but it never unfolds in ways one would expect. It is also thought-provoking and moving in parts, as Child shows the reader the ugly aftermath of war and the all-too-human human costs of war.
July 22, 2015
Reacher makes me drink more coffee .... Love the series.
April 22, 2024
I loved the interactions between Reacher and the citizens and leader of the town of Despair. The constant smart ass comments from Reacher were hilarious as he sought answers as to why they were opposed to outsiders. Not the best entry in the series but still a fantastic page turner.
February 22, 2012
I can always depend on Lee Child to keep me up all night to finish Jack Reacher’s latest “mission” to help in a desperate situation. But, not this time! After a thrilling, mysterious prologue, Child has Reacher in Colorado where he finds that there is little distance between the fictional towns of Hope and Despair – both in the physicality and allegorical senses. All Reacher wanted was a cup of coffee. He is ignored, beaten up, thrown in jail, and driven back toward Hope after being convicted of vagrancy. He is picked up by Vaughn (Reacher’s love interest in this novel) and driven back to the bus stop from where just mere hours before he had arrived. The pretty officer suggests Reacher to move along taking the next bus, but Reacher is determined to find out what the people of Despair are hiding, especially after he learns that a number of active servicemen disappear after traveling to the small town. Child throws in a doomsday sect and a mysterious metal recycling plant into the mix. Sounds good, but it really wasn’t. The sect and the plant were completely over the top. The villains were lackluster and I really didn’t care about the predicament presiding over Despair.
Child’s overt political opinions didn’t ring true to Reacher’s character, especially at the end when he discovers the truth about the missing servicemen. Even if Jack has become more liberal in his world view, what he discovered couldn’t have been accepted and dismissed that easily as an ex-MP. The conspiracy was so far -fetched that I couldn’t by into it and was bored with the story. Jack Reacher is not the hero that I neither love nor respect any more. Why can’t authors just leave their politics private and tell a damn good story these days? 2 Stars
Child’s overt political opinions didn’t ring true to Reacher’s character, especially at the end when he discovers the truth about the missing servicemen. Even if Jack has become more liberal in his world view, what he discovered couldn’t have been accepted and dismissed that easily as an ex-MP. The conspiracy was so far -fetched that I couldn’t by into it and was bored with the story. Jack Reacher is not the hero that I neither love nor respect any more. Why can’t authors just leave their politics private and tell a damn good story these days? 2 Stars
June 24, 2010
I shoulda effin' known better.
On the recommendation of quite a few (formerly) reliable folks, I finally cranked through a 500+ Jack Reacher novel.
Short version: Fucking terrible.
Longer and angrier version:
It seems to me that Lee Child really wants to write Robert B. Parker novels, but doesn't have the balls to actually go through with it. There are entire pages that could have been ripped out of a Spenser novel. Shit like this (paraphrasing because I don't want to open the goddamn book ever again):
He unlocked the door.
He opened the door.
He walked through the door.
The room was empty.
It's a specific style choice that could have made for an interesting read. But Child forgets the brevity-type writing for 50 pages at a time, when he feels the need to expand on the convoluted 'mystery' that is so far beyond retarded that it might be brilliant if it wasn't so boring.
Also, this Jack Reacher character...holy Christfuck, what a joke. He never loses a fight. He knows everything. He apparently has no ties to anything that isn't happening RIGHT NOW. He fucks the girl, and when she feels guilty for cheating on her brain-dead husband, Reacher fucks her again and makes it all better. We have no idea how he knows what he knows, how he became a fucking ninja (seriously...dude beats up 6 guys in a bar and doesn't sustain a single injury. He makes Swayze look like a puss), etc. Reading about Jack Reacher is like watching old episodes of Quantam Leap if they starred Schwarzenegger's character from Last Action Hero.
Child goes WAY out of his way to show us all the cool shit that Jack knows, whether it has fuck-all to do with anything or not. Hell, I gotta open that POS again, but it's worth it. Lemme quote:
"He looked at the lock and looked at the keys and selected a long brass item and tried it. The lock turned, with plenty of effort. Either the key was badly cut, or the lock's tongue was binding against the striker plate, or both. But the door opened."
Oh...so Jack knows how to select a key just by looking at the lock? And how that lock works and why it might not turn smoothly? Well, that's good to know oh wait no it isn't WHO GIVES A FUCK?!
I think there's 13 of these Jack Reacher books, and this is the 11th in the series. How can there be ZERO background info about your only recurring character? Does each book exist in a vacuum, like this one? Maybe the others fill in the backstory. I'm certainly not willing to find out.
And to top it all off, my copy was one of those tall and skinny new-format novels. The asshole who came up with this idea needs executed, Utah-style.
On the recommendation of quite a few (formerly) reliable folks, I finally cranked through a 500+ Jack Reacher novel.
Short version: Fucking terrible.
Longer and angrier version:
It seems to me that Lee Child really wants to write Robert B. Parker novels, but doesn't have the balls to actually go through with it. There are entire pages that could have been ripped out of a Spenser novel. Shit like this (paraphrasing because I don't want to open the goddamn book ever again):
He unlocked the door.
He opened the door.
He walked through the door.
The room was empty.
It's a specific style choice that could have made for an interesting read. But Child forgets the brevity-type writing for 50 pages at a time, when he feels the need to expand on the convoluted 'mystery' that is so far beyond retarded that it might be brilliant if it wasn't so boring.
Also, this Jack Reacher character...holy Christfuck, what a joke. He never loses a fight. He knows everything. He apparently has no ties to anything that isn't happening RIGHT NOW. He fucks the girl, and when she feels guilty for cheating on her brain-dead husband, Reacher fucks her again and makes it all better. We have no idea how he knows what he knows, how he became a fucking ninja (seriously...dude beats up 6 guys in a bar and doesn't sustain a single injury. He makes Swayze look like a puss), etc. Reading about Jack Reacher is like watching old episodes of Quantam Leap if they starred Schwarzenegger's character from Last Action Hero.
Child goes WAY out of his way to show us all the cool shit that Jack knows, whether it has fuck-all to do with anything or not. Hell, I gotta open that POS again, but it's worth it. Lemme quote:
"He looked at the lock and looked at the keys and selected a long brass item and tried it. The lock turned, with plenty of effort. Either the key was badly cut, or the lock's tongue was binding against the striker plate, or both. But the door opened."
Oh...so Jack knows how to select a key just by looking at the lock? And how that lock works and why it might not turn smoothly? Well, that's good to know oh wait no it isn't WHO GIVES A FUCK?!
I think there's 13 of these Jack Reacher books, and this is the 11th in the series. How can there be ZERO background info about your only recurring character? Does each book exist in a vacuum, like this one? Maybe the others fill in the backstory. I'm certainly not willing to find out.
And to top it all off, my copy was one of those tall and skinny new-format novels. The asshole who came up with this idea needs executed, Utah-style.
May 1, 2019
The worst in the series, so far.
April 17, 2018
Nothing to Lose had quite a lot of negative reviews which almost ruined the book for me before I even went into it. I need to start reading books without reading reviews first because I actually really enjoyed this one. That said, I can see why some people either dislike Reacher or this book but, I still love him.
My main issue with Nothing to Lose wasn’t the story itself, but how long it took to get going. I never want these books to end and so I like the way Lee Child sometimes drags the story out and adds in detail that some readers don’t want, but here it was frustrating because it was just Reacher going back and forth between the towns of Hope and Despair with not much happening in between. The plot itself is highly sensitive and political and seems to have triggered some readers, however for the sake of a fictional novel written for entertainment, I was entertained. Especially as I have just spent the past two hours devouring the last few hundred pages of the book. Two hours after I had said one more chapter before bed. That’s the thing with Reacher, he’s an addictive character to read about.
Another thing about this series I don’t like is how they can all be read as standalones. It’s oftentimes like the previous books haven’t even happened. With continuing series one of my favourite things is that continuance of the characters and their lives but here we don’t always get that with Reacher. Also the cast here wasn’t as strong as in previous books and the obligatory sex between Reacher and the female character just felt forced, the storyline and the relationship between Reacher and Vaughn would have worked without the sex. In actual fact it would have said more about Reacher’s character had he just kept it in his pants for once. We don’t see him for the best part of a year (or an undisclosed period of time) in between stories (aside from those set in the past) so why can’t he sleep around then and just focus on the storyline in these novels? Ah, because the cliche of this genre means that thriller readers are macho straight men who need that sex in the story. Plenty of women, gay men (hi!) and straight men who aren’t living their fantasies through Reacher enjoy these stories too.
I enjoyed the ending even though it was kind of questionable. However as always I finished the story and immediately wanted to read the next one.
My main issue with Nothing to Lose wasn’t the story itself, but how long it took to get going. I never want these books to end and so I like the way Lee Child sometimes drags the story out and adds in detail that some readers don’t want, but here it was frustrating because it was just Reacher going back and forth between the towns of Hope and Despair with not much happening in between. The plot itself is highly sensitive and political and seems to have triggered some readers, however for the sake of a fictional novel written for entertainment, I was entertained. Especially as I have just spent the past two hours devouring the last few hundred pages of the book. Two hours after I had said one more chapter before bed. That’s the thing with Reacher, he’s an addictive character to read about.
Another thing about this series I don’t like is how they can all be read as standalones. It’s oftentimes like the previous books haven’t even happened. With continuing series one of my favourite things is that continuance of the characters and their lives but here we don’t always get that with Reacher. Also the cast here wasn’t as strong as in previous books and the obligatory sex between Reacher and the female character just felt forced, the storyline and the relationship between Reacher and Vaughn would have worked without the sex. In actual fact it would have said more about Reacher’s character had he just kept it in his pants for once. We don’t see him for the best part of a year (or an undisclosed period of time) in between stories (aside from those set in the past) so why can’t he sleep around then and just focus on the storyline in these novels? Ah, because the cliche of this genre means that thriller readers are macho straight men who need that sex in the story. Plenty of women, gay men (hi!) and straight men who aren’t living their fantasies through Reacher enjoy these stories too.
I enjoyed the ending even though it was kind of questionable. However as always I finished the story and immediately wanted to read the next one.
January 10, 2013
apparently when you edit a review everything is deleted first.
As Reacher would say, OK.
And that is the problem, Child writes in short sentences with small words. Frequently just in phrases.
Apparently Child frequently/always puts Reacher into impossible situations that he fights out of. Child includes many details, most of which are wrong.
1) there is no such thing as a 4 cyl el Camino
2) it isn't a truck & you can't take it offroad anymore than
the Chevelle it is based on
3) quit calling an el Camino a truck time after time after time.
did I say child was repetive ? annoyingly so. And no American cars have geometry. They have alignment.
I used to own a SS 396 el Camino, I know what it can do.
4) Canada does not accept US deserters as refugees as it did with Viet Nam era draft dodgers/deserters. USA now has a volunteer Army, not conscripted. Even Canada has its standards who it will accept. This is not a spoiler, the plot is too convoluted to put it in place.
5) 20 tons of TNT is not that much. It will not create a vortex 20 miles away. And Lee has no idea what a dirty bomb is.
6) if you want to read sexy scenes, forget it. It has a little bit of sex, but not sexy.
7) just don't waste your time. If you want to read it, turn your brain off first.
Reacher is Rambo/Terminator/Dr Who. The enemy is militant Christian Zionists and Iraqi deserters.
The local library suddenly has a new shelf of Lee Child books donated by patrons, they rent for $0.25/day. It seems everybody jumped on the Reacher bandwagon, decided it was only worth 1 read and dumped it for a tax writeoff.
YMMV
As Reacher would say, OK.
And that is the problem, Child writes in short sentences with small words. Frequently just in phrases.
Apparently Child frequently/always puts Reacher into impossible situations that he fights out of. Child includes many details, most of which are wrong.
1) there is no such thing as a 4 cyl el Camino
2) it isn't a truck & you can't take it offroad anymore than
the Chevelle it is based on
3) quit calling an el Camino a truck time after time after time.
did I say child was repetive ? annoyingly so. And no American cars have geometry. They have alignment.
I used to own a SS 396 el Camino, I know what it can do.
4) Canada does not accept US deserters as refugees as it did with Viet Nam era draft dodgers/deserters. USA now has a volunteer Army, not conscripted. Even Canada has its standards who it will accept. This is not a spoiler, the plot is too convoluted to put it in place.
5) 20 tons of TNT is not that much. It will not create a vortex 20 miles away. And Lee has no idea what a dirty bomb is.
6) if you want to read sexy scenes, forget it. It has a little bit of sex, but not sexy.
7) just don't waste your time. If you want to read it, turn your brain off first.
Reacher is Rambo/Terminator/Dr Who. The enemy is militant Christian Zionists and Iraqi deserters.
The local library suddenly has a new shelf of Lee Child books donated by patrons, they rent for $0.25/day. It seems everybody jumped on the Reacher bandwagon, decided it was only worth 1 read and dumped it for a tax writeoff.
YMMV
May 27, 2022
Out of the 11 Jack Reacher books I've read so far, this one is my least favourite. Nevertheless, it's a solid 4 stars.
The ending was questionable and the beginning was draggy, but as usual, it's impossible to put down a Reacher novel.
The ending was questionable and the beginning was draggy, but as usual, it's impossible to put down a Reacher novel.
September 21, 2018
I've read several books in this series. I like some more than others. There are several reasons for that I suppose. From the fact that the books usually have some logical inconsistencies to the fact that that Reacher isn't always exactly the same guy and sometimes Reacher holds forth on topics...of which he obviously is, shall we say...under-informed????
That last one is sort of the case here. As we get the story of these two small towns and the (seeming) conspiracy surrounding one the plot isn't too bad, but you will really want to beef up those "suspension of disbelief" muscles.
Jack is an odd guy. He never washes clothes. He carries no ID (except an expired passport) and when a simple answer to an authority figure would make things go a lot easier, he ALWAYS gets taciturn, uncooperative and sometimes even belligerent.
In other words he never read How to Win Friends and Influence People...
He also spent many years in the Army...yet seems to have a...complicated relationship with that service.
Here I just found that the story telling was a little slow and lagging and I was really almost uninterested when I finally got through the book. Even if I find the logic lacking in the books the action and plot usually hold my interest. Not so well here.So while I didn't hate the book neither was I thrilled. I think (and you'll probably need to decide what you think yourself) this is a weaker entry into the series. Just me possibly but I think 3 stars is the highest I can go.
That last one is sort of the case here. As we get the story of these two small towns and the (seeming) conspiracy surrounding one the plot isn't too bad, but you will really want to beef up those "suspension of disbelief" muscles.
Jack is an odd guy. He never washes clothes. He carries no ID (except an expired passport) and when a simple answer to an authority figure would make things go a lot easier, he ALWAYS gets taciturn, uncooperative and sometimes even belligerent.
In other words he never read How to Win Friends and Influence People...
He also spent many years in the Army...yet seems to have a...complicated relationship with that service.
Here I just found that the story telling was a little slow and lagging and I was really almost uninterested when I finally got through the book. Even if I find the logic lacking in the books the action and plot usually hold my interest. Not so well here.So while I didn't hate the book neither was I thrilled. I think (and you'll probably need to decide what you think yourself) this is a weaker entry into the series. Just me possibly but I think 3 stars is the highest I can go.
February 9, 2021
My first and maybe last Jack Reacher novel. My main problem is that Jack Reacher is basically a school yard bully. I guess I expected threats, intimidation and brute force as his chosen tools; but it would have been nice to see him backed into a corner, instead of "getting your retaliation in first." Maybe I'm just an old western romantic in that sense. Seems like the good guy in the story should show some restraint until there's no other choice.
Beyond that, I'm guessing you only need to read one Jack Reacher novel to know them all...
1. Reacher drifts into town.
2. Reacher beats up 5-6 guys and/or 2 smaller guys, plus a giant.
3. Reacher beds a beautiful/lonely/tough woman, but doesn't get too attached.
4. Reacher beats up another 5-6 guys and/or 2 smaller guys, plus a giant.
5. Reacher saves the town/county/world from a threat hidden from the reader until the last 100 pgs.
6. Reacher leaves town.
In order to stick the formula, you're going to have to glide over some plot holes and ignore some inconsistencies. I won't get into them here.
OK, maybe just the last one
Beyond that, I'm guessing you only need to read one Jack Reacher novel to know them all...
1. Reacher drifts into town.
2. Reacher beats up 5-6 guys and/or 2 smaller guys, plus a giant.
3. Reacher beds a beautiful/lonely/tough woman, but doesn't get too attached.
4. Reacher beats up another 5-6 guys and/or 2 smaller guys, plus a giant.
5. Reacher saves the town/county/world from a threat hidden from the reader until the last 100 pgs.
6. Reacher leaves town.
In order to stick the formula, you're going to have to glide over some plot holes and ignore some inconsistencies. I won't get into them here.
OK, maybe just the last one
May 24, 2023
Cred că e cel mai groaznic volum din serie. Cu un început promițător s-a transformat pe parcurs în ceva confuz și greu de crezut. Reacher e un personaj inedit, dar în volumul acesta a devenit banal și greu de recunoscut, iar subiectul deși interesant e lasat cam în aer.
June 25, 2018
Fourteenth chronologically in the Jack Reacher thriller series (and twelfth publication-wise) about an ex-M.P. roaming the world on his own terms and protecting the innocent.
It's been ten years since he left the army.
My Take
I think this was one of the scarier Reacher novels. To think that a town would exist that was so far out of the norm. And how easy it was for its "rulers" to govern! Part of that "easiness" depended upon how the majority of us were brought up: Keep out of your neighbors' business and follow the rules.
The people in Hope know there's something hinky and they simply accommodate their nutty neighbors. Of course, to be fair, they had no idea that Despair was that crazy! It certainly helped Despair protect its way of doing things that the feds had an interest there!
I would'a gone around the town after being tossed out on my butt. And the U.S. would be minus some pretty useful territory if I had been in charge and not Reacher.
I don't understand why Child writes in the beginning that Reacher was "angry at himself later, for being so inflexible". Seems it was a good thing! And just the type of action Reacher is good at, so, I'm confused.
Reacher worries me. He's getting older and he still plunges into some scary situations! Although, I do love how Child provides us with a step-by-step of how Reacher plans to thwart the bad guys! He does do some rather stupid things in this story. Makes me wonder what's gonna happen in Gone Tomorrow .
Oh, lordy, Reacher has weaknesses! He can't run very fast. He's a terrible driver. Here I was beginning to think he was Superman.
It's a busy story. There is so much going on and Child keeps it pretty hidden until the end. Oh, there are plenty of clues and loads of red herrings, but I remained pretty clueless about most of it.
The Story
Jack Reacher had a new plan in mind — crossing the country diagonally from Maine to San Diego. There was just this little hiccup with the guy and the comfy Grand Marquis. Then there was the little town of Despair, Colorado, that threw him out. Nuh-uh, nobody keeps Jack Reacher from going where he pleases and it's game on.
The heady delights of power and the crazed interpretation of the Rapture has created a despotic mayor — he's more of a king, really — in Despair. A town that truly lives up to its name.
It's a chance encounter with a preacher in a U-haul that provides the tip that cracks it wide open.
The Characters
Jack Reacher is a big, powerful man with a firm belief in fairness. He served his country for a number of years and he is intent on continuing to serve it and its people. In his own way.
Officer Vaughan is a cop with the Hope PD. A sister town to Despair, but only in that it shares a boundary line. Vaughan has her own reasons to despair. David Robert Vaughan is her husband. In name only. The army was too cheap to properly armor his Humvee and now he's warehoused in a disgusting building run by private contractors. You'd think we could honor the soldiers who serve better than this...
Lucy Anderson, Maria Ramirez (her husband, Rapahel, had been a Marine), and Mrs. Rogers are just a couple of the women waiting on tenterhooks, wondering about the safety of their men.
Jerry Thurman owns the metal recycling plant, he owns the town, and he's their preacher. A gen-yew-ine born-again Christian. Judge Gardner simply does what he's told; Mrs. Gardner is much more human. Although that's not saying much.
Corporal Morgan is part of an M.P. unit guarding the major road into Despair.
The Cover
The cover is a gritty, well-textured target of concentric oranges with a smoking bullet hole in its center.
Hey, when you've got Nothing to Lose, it's easy to destroy.
It's been ten years since he left the army.
My Take
I think this was one of the scarier Reacher novels. To think that a town would exist that was so far out of the norm. And how easy it was for its "rulers" to govern! Part of that "easiness" depended upon how the majority of us were brought up: Keep out of your neighbors' business and follow the rules.
The people in Hope know there's something hinky and they simply accommodate their nutty neighbors. Of course, to be fair, they had no idea that Despair was that crazy! It certainly helped Despair protect its way of doing things that the feds had an interest there!
I would'a gone around the town after being tossed out on my butt. And the U.S. would be minus some pretty useful territory if I had been in charge and not Reacher.
I don't understand why Child writes in the beginning that Reacher was "angry at himself later, for being so inflexible". Seems it was a good thing! And just the type of action Reacher is good at, so, I'm confused.
Reacher worries me. He's getting older and he still plunges into some scary situations! Although, I do love how Child provides us with a step-by-step of how Reacher plans to thwart the bad guys! He does do some rather stupid things in this story. Makes me wonder what's gonna happen in Gone Tomorrow .
Oh, lordy, Reacher has weaknesses! He can't run very fast. He's a terrible driver. Here I was beginning to think he was Superman.
It's a busy story. There is so much going on and Child keeps it pretty hidden until the end. Oh, there are plenty of clues and loads of red herrings, but I remained pretty clueless about most of it.
The Story
Jack Reacher had a new plan in mind — crossing the country diagonally from Maine to San Diego. There was just this little hiccup with the guy and the comfy Grand Marquis. Then there was the little town of Despair, Colorado, that threw him out. Nuh-uh, nobody keeps Jack Reacher from going where he pleases and it's game on.
The heady delights of power and the crazed interpretation of the Rapture has created a despotic mayor — he's more of a king, really — in Despair. A town that truly lives up to its name.
It's a chance encounter with a preacher in a U-haul that provides the tip that cracks it wide open.
The Characters
Jack Reacher is a big, powerful man with a firm belief in fairness. He served his country for a number of years and he is intent on continuing to serve it and its people. In his own way.
Officer Vaughan is a cop with the Hope PD. A sister town to Despair, but only in that it shares a boundary line. Vaughan has her own reasons to despair. David Robert Vaughan is her husband. In name only. The army was too cheap to properly armor his Humvee and now he's warehoused in a disgusting building run by private contractors. You'd think we could honor the soldiers who serve better than this...
Lucy Anderson, Maria Ramirez (her husband, Rapahel, had been a Marine), and Mrs. Rogers are just a couple of the women waiting on tenterhooks, wondering about the safety of their men.
Jerry Thurman owns the metal recycling plant, he owns the town, and he's their preacher. A gen-yew-ine born-again Christian. Judge Gardner simply does what he's told; Mrs. Gardner is much more human. Although that's not saying much.
Corporal Morgan is part of an M.P. unit guarding the major road into Despair.
The Cover
The cover is a gritty, well-textured target of concentric oranges with a smoking bullet hole in its center.
Hey, when you've got Nothing to Lose, it's easy to destroy.
February 21, 2014
Okay, I have been reading the Jack Reach series in order. My intent was to read the entire series and then see the movie based on "One Shot". I have just finished "Nothing to Lose" and I must say I'm becoming more and more disappointed with each subsequent book.
I served in the US Military as both enlisted, and then a commissioned officer. It is painfully obvious that Jim Grant (Lee Child)built a persona of a military officer based on fairy tales. Jack Reacher in no way way resembles any military officer.... ever. Mr Grant's knowledge of the military seems to been founded in the comic book escapades of Captain America and Wonder Woman's Colonel Steve Trevor.
I'm not sure how these books are continuously rated so favorably. They are fairly predictable and monotonous at times. They don't quite reach the level of "thriller". I don't understand the random, seemingly accidentally acts of sex Reacher finds himself engaged in. I'm further confused as to how any woman, real or fictional, would be drawn to a man who wears the same clothes for three days and doesn't change his underwear.
At any rate, I'm going to finish the series.... only because that was my goal at the beginning of "The Killing Floor". Hopefully The later works will portray a better understanding of military life, but I'm not confident.
I served in the US Military as both enlisted, and then a commissioned officer. It is painfully obvious that Jim Grant (Lee Child)built a persona of a military officer based on fairy tales. Jack Reacher in no way way resembles any military officer.... ever. Mr Grant's knowledge of the military seems to been founded in the comic book escapades of Captain America and Wonder Woman's Colonel Steve Trevor.
I'm not sure how these books are continuously rated so favorably. They are fairly predictable and monotonous at times. They don't quite reach the level of "thriller". I don't understand the random, seemingly accidentally acts of sex Reacher finds himself engaged in. I'm further confused as to how any woman, real or fictional, would be drawn to a man who wears the same clothes for three days and doesn't change his underwear.
At any rate, I'm going to finish the series.... only because that was my goal at the beginning of "The Killing Floor". Hopefully The later works will portray a better understanding of military life, but I'm not confident.
March 26, 2020
Hope and Despair, two quiet towns in Colorado separated by 12 miles of empty roads. He was just passing through, as he always is, but gets caught, yes you guessed it supporting Hope against Despair... you cannot make this up! Well I suppose you can, as Patterson did. More of a mystery than a thriller… Reacher and co set out to uncover the mysteries surrounding Despair. Why am I still reading this series? Because I am a completist. 3 out of 12.
April 19, 2017
Not the best of Reacher's books. I thought the "villains" were not in his league at all and the action wasn't as exciting. He kicked their asses right and left and it was amazing how much he got by with. I never got the explanation of why the whole town was into the craziness. Nothing was a big surprise to me.
The best part of the book was getting an inkling of the reasons why Reacher left a job he was so good at. There had been some allusions in past books but I think this was the strongest: Reacher thinks the US government broke the unspoken covenant with its soldiers: only send me to die when it's absolutely needed. I felt really bad hearing Reacher's hurt and disappointment that he had to leave a placed he loved (the Army) because of what it became.
These books are like chips and once I start listening, I get the itch to continue. I wouldn't be surprised if I pick book #13 next.
The best part of the book was getting an inkling of the reasons why Reacher left a job he was so good at. There had been some allusions in past books but I think this was the strongest: Reacher thinks the US government broke the unspoken covenant with its soldiers: only send me to die when it's absolutely needed. I felt really bad hearing Reacher's hurt and disappointment that he had to leave a placed he loved (the Army) because of what it became.
These books are like chips and once I start listening, I get the itch to continue. I wouldn't be surprised if I pick book #13 next.
October 24, 2020
The story started well with Reacher arriving in Hope and then in the next town of Despair is accused of vagrancy. He then embarks on an investigation to discover why Despair does not like strangers. Despair is a company town run by Thurman a religious zealot who believes the end of days is coming. He owns and operates a metal recycling plant that employs everyone in the town.
Reacher finds out the town has secrets and uncovers a conspiracy. Plus why young men are disappearing from Hope. Deserters unwilling to go back to Iraq. The Thurman secret is around a dirty uranium bomb which is a little farfetched. The metal recycling plant is very weak in having a dirt ground. The fight scene in the mud unlikely as most metal recycle plants will have concrete everywhere as well as sluicing drains.
Still I enjoyed reading the story snd Reachers incredible capacity for drinking coffee. The love interest Vaughn a deputy in Hope was a little over the top and unbelievable.
Reacher finds out the town has secrets and uncovers a conspiracy. Plus why young men are disappearing from Hope. Deserters unwilling to go back to Iraq. The Thurman secret is around a dirty uranium bomb which is a little farfetched. The metal recycling plant is very weak in having a dirt ground. The fight scene in the mud unlikely as most metal recycle plants will have concrete everywhere as well as sluicing drains.
Still I enjoyed reading the story snd Reachers incredible capacity for drinking coffee. The love interest Vaughn a deputy in Hope was a little over the top and unbelievable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2013
My 2nd Jack Reacher book. I don't like his vigilante attitude. Funny when the same "take no prisoners" attitude is on the big screen, I'm cheering for the cowboy but in the slower medium of the printed word, I find it distasteful. And really, what woman would really fall into bed with a man who has no job and rarely changes his clothes?
November 1, 2012
This book maybe my last in the Lee Child series, but my decision isn't solely based on this book alone. The main reasons are that the gory scenes are too gory for my taste, and there is too much of detail in every book which makes me skip many sentences at a time.
This book didn't appeal to me because of the following reasons:
[1] I don't see a 'drive' or reason for Reacher to go back to a town time and again where he isn't welcome.
[2] Reacher pokes his nose in all the private places, and yet, the owners react very coolly and comply to all his demands.
[3] The town almost seemed like a wild wild west town with only a handful of policemen who do what they want, and if they're injured or taken out, then there's no replacement from anywhere else. But I may be wrong, maybe in America the policemen are chosen only by the mayors or the town-heads, and they dont get transferred on duty.
[4] There was a lot of guesswork which turned out to be right - seems too easy to feel true.
[5] Finally, the author has written about a MP station which is strategically located near the highway, the purpose of which is to ensure that trucks with specific cargo aren't stolen. But at the end of the book, we realize that the specific cargo was ordered to be stored in the factory itself! Then why to have an MP station, and why the location?
This book didn't appeal to me because of the following reasons:
[1] I don't see a 'drive' or reason for Reacher to go back to a town time and again where he isn't welcome.
[2] Reacher pokes his nose in all the private places, and yet, the owners react very coolly and comply to all his demands.
[3] The town almost seemed like a wild wild west town with only a handful of policemen who do what they want, and if they're injured or taken out, then there's no replacement from anywhere else. But I may be wrong, maybe in America the policemen are chosen only by the mayors or the town-heads, and they dont get transferred on duty.
[4] There was a lot of guesswork which turned out to be right - seems too easy to feel true.
[5] Finally, the author has written about a MP station which is strategically located near the highway, the purpose of which is to ensure that trucks with specific cargo aren't stolen. But at the end of the book, we realize that the specific cargo was ordered to be stored in the factory itself! Then why to have an MP station, and why the location?
April 22, 2019
Nothing to Lose I wouldn't put up there with the best Reacher installment, but it was good nonetheless.
It just happens to be another typical day for Jack Reacher, that is, until he reaches the town of Despair! Despair, a small, desolate town in the middle of nowhere, twelve miles across from it lies the nearest town Hope, between them, an empty road. Reacher arrives in Despair, wanting nothing but a cup of coffee. What he gets is more than he bargained for, he's not there 5 minutes when 4 hostile locals order him to vacate the premises and to get the hell out of town and never return.
Any normal person would have probably done so, but Reacher has other plans. He believes something is going on in this small random down. With no allies except for a young female cop from Hope, Reacher goes up against the whole town of Despair, which is run and owned by a mysterious businessman with a deadly, diabolical plan in the making. But Reacher decides to take his chances with the corrupt town, because he's a man with NOTHING TO LOSE!!
Tended to drag in some places, but the story and the plot held my interest, keeping me turning the pages until the very end! Lee Child and Jack Reacher deliver!!
It just happens to be another typical day for Jack Reacher, that is, until he reaches the town of Despair! Despair, a small, desolate town in the middle of nowhere, twelve miles across from it lies the nearest town Hope, between them, an empty road. Reacher arrives in Despair, wanting nothing but a cup of coffee. What he gets is more than he bargained for, he's not there 5 minutes when 4 hostile locals order him to vacate the premises and to get the hell out of town and never return.
Any normal person would have probably done so, but Reacher has other plans. He believes something is going on in this small random down. With no allies except for a young female cop from Hope, Reacher goes up against the whole town of Despair, which is run and owned by a mysterious businessman with a deadly, diabolical plan in the making. But Reacher decides to take his chances with the corrupt town, because he's a man with NOTHING TO LOSE!!
Tended to drag in some places, but the story and the plot held my interest, keeping me turning the pages until the very end! Lee Child and Jack Reacher deliver!!
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