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Dead Men Walking

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“You do not mess with the special investigators.”Jack Reacher handpicked a group of the smartest, toughest and most fearless individuals in the Army’s 110th MP to form an elite unit which he called “The Special Investigators.”Those who were reckless or stupid enough to mess with Reacher’s unit were labeled “dead men walking.”Now, a deadly conspiracy has forced the special investigators to reunite, in the first book in an explosive new series, set in the Reacher universe by permission of Lee Child.FROM A USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR“This whiplash-inducing novel is filled with deadly intrigue, chilling murders, cold-hearted deceit and a twisting mystery that will keep you guessing to the last page. Hold on tight!” –R. Vuher, Amazon.com“Exciting and suspenseful. Highly recommended for anyone who likes action-packed, intelligent and pulse-pounding thrillers.” –B &N Thrilling Reads“Razor-sharp, nerve-wracking and wildly engrossing, this thriller is utterly addictive.” –FirstReads“Ames is a sensation among readers who love fast-paced thrillers.” –MysteryTribune

178 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 10, 2020

297 people are currently reading
95 people want to read

About the author

Dan Ames

238 books495 followers
Dan Ames is an international bestselling author and winner of the Independent Book Award for Crime Fiction. He is the author of The JACK REACHER Cases. You can learn more about him at authordanames.com

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5 stars
286 (46%)
4 stars
204 (32%)
3 stars
88 (14%)
2 stars
27 (4%)
1 star
14 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Abibliofob.
1,640 reviews107 followers
February 7, 2020
A great new adventure in the Reacher universe. I love everything Reacher, sadly I think this one is a little short but it's great meeting some of Reachers old coworkers solving mysteries. As usual with Dan Ames it's well written and hard to put down. I sincerely hope that there will be many more in this series to come. Please keep up the good work. And thanks for the ARC.
595 reviews10 followers
February 7, 2020
A very fast paced thriller with a good storyline that is full of non-stop action and plenty of suspense. This well written book is very addictive and hard to put down. An excellent thriller that is intense and highly recommended. Dan Ames hit a home run with this one. Bring on the next Special Investigators adventure.
Profile Image for Rosemary.
3,983 reviews73 followers
February 9, 2020
Dead Men Walking - a review by Rosemary Kenny

Assembled from the elite members of Reacher's MP 110th unit, the Special Investigators Team suffer a major blow when Karla Dixon, one of their own, is kidnapped and held in a cell-like room without means of escape or calling for help, by a shadowy unknown enemy.
Luckily,the indomitable Frances Neagley reaches out to her team-mates and being 'in the know', is able to decode the covert cry for help sent by Dixon, (alerted by a less than expert stalker) before the trap was sprung.
Though as ever Reacher's dropped off the radar and is un-contactable, the others never doubt Neagley's detective powers and utter refusal to give up the hunt without a satisfactory resolution.
The bad guys are, as the title says, dead men walking - meaning once caught, there will be no mercy.
Although rather abruptly ended and with a sense of disappointment as a result, this new Dan Ames Jack Reacher's Special Investigators novella, provides a small taste of riches to follow!
1,839 reviews13 followers
April 6, 2020
This is the 1st story in what appears to be a new series for Dan Ames and it is a real winner.

Frances Neagley has just left her office and when she finally gets home she receives a postcard from Karla Dixon a former member of her military group identified as "Reacher's Special Investigators". The postcard identified a code which asked for Frances Neagley's help. She immediately tries to reach her, but was unable to. The next day she flew to NYC which was Karla's last known address.

While searching for Karla, she found information which made her call up the rest of "Reacher's Special Investigators" for additional assistance. With information gathered, they were able to identify an organization which was responsible for Karla's disappearance. They wound up fighting individuals of this group a couple of times and ultimately located Karla where a major battle occurred.

If you want to find out why Karla was abducted and who Frances and her group battled, then you must read this book. You won't be disappointed.
7,800 reviews51 followers
February 10, 2020
DEAD MAN WALKING ..Dan Ames
Jack.Reachers Special.Investigators..# 1
Neagley had a passion for investigating, her career was everything to her.
Retrieving her mail, a postcard, with only a coded message on it from Karla.
A call went to her voice box. In the army she had been one of Jack Reacher’s Special Investigators, as was Karla. If someone was after her, realizing they are probably after her also. Now she was in New .York going to Karla apartment for clues. A spreadsheet with numbers on it, the decision to reunite the Special Investigator.Team had to be done.
New series, in this book we find out about the two women as investigator. I liked how the plot flowed, giving one details on this special group.It sounds intriguing as we meet them in following books. Another winner for the author, Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion
135 reviews
July 31, 2025
Neagley Gets Her Own

Having been a Reacherfan (yes, one word) for all these many years, one person I was most interested in was/is Neagley, who seems every bit as competent, intelligent, resourceful et al, as Reacher, but more complex. While we don't know how Reacher keeps his skin so clean shaven without a razor, thus being a tiny bit cyborg, we now have an opportunity to learn about some of the people genuinely loyal to him and to principles we hold so dear that we keep following/reading/buying series devoted to Jack (and Joe) Reacher. This one was a wowser! It is just one tiny step off reality, enough to intrigue and enough to discomfit. I look forward intensely to where we are going, because my experience with Dan Ames as an author tells me it is going to be one Disney of a ride. Let's go, Danny! You're on.
2,120 reviews11 followers
February 11, 2020
This is an exciting new series in the Jack Reacher world that will get you hooked from the beginning. There is an interesting cast of characters who served together as Special Investigators in the Army. Frances Neagley takes the lead in this book since she's the one who received the mysterious message from Karla Dixon. Karla has disappeared and it's up to Frances and the rest of the team to find out what Dixon was taken and by who.

In a separate segment, we get introduced to Ace who is a huge guy physically and has no problem with killing people. But what does he have to do with Dixon's disappearance?

There are some twists along with way with a lot of suspense and some surprises as you get to the end. I can't wait to see what other mysteries await the Special Investigators.
Profile Image for John Kuvakas.
58 reviews1 follower
March 2, 2020
I haven't been a big fan of short stories. I want to dive into a book and spend some quality time with the characters. Dan Ames is changing my mind! Hie Reacher books have been well thought out, thoroughly engaging with incredibly satisfying conclusions, something a lot of short stories lack.

"Dead Men Walking" begins a new series from Ames, this one featuring a familiar cast from the Reachereverse. I like the familiarity but have to admit, DMW stands well enough on its own. The action is fast, the characters are well-sorted out and the plot is tight and fast, but not too fast.

Looking for a great action romp and an exciting roller coaster ride, it's right here waiting for you to start. Be careful, though, it's contagious. I'm trying to wait patiently for the next installment.
Profile Image for Teresa Collins.
1,170 reviews21 followers
April 9, 2020
I received a review copy from the author at my request and this is my honest opinion. Written in the world of Jack Reacher and the group of Special Investigators he ran while in the military, this story focuses on the remaining members of the group and shows why their motto is "If you mess with the Special Investigators, you are dead men walking". Like most of the books Mr. Ames writes set in the world of Jack Reacher, this one is fast-paced, hard-hitting, and rough. There's plenty of action, rough language, shoot-outs and all of the other things you would expect from this genre. Very well written and thoroughly enjoyable. I look forward to the next book in the series.
1,477 reviews25 followers
December 21, 2020
Dead Men Walking. Dan Ames

A group of elite MP'S. They all have one thing in common. They all worked for Jack Reacher. One of them has been kidnapped. They will stop at nothing to find her. She is being held prisoner by a group of former military operatives. They work for an clandestine of government organization.Utilizing nano technology, they have created the perfect soldier who cannot be stopped by conventional methods of death. They have one fatal flaw. They kidnapped one of Reachers former soldiers. Now, they will play a price. Permanently. An excellent fast paced action packed thriller!! Enjoyed immensely!!
911 reviews15 followers
February 12, 2020
I am part of this authors advance team and this is an honest review.

This very fact paced action packed book introduces you to four new very hard core characters that fit well into this series. This book starts off with a bang, pulls you in and doesn’t let you go until the end. This is a very enjoyable fast read a great new book to this series. I look forward to the next book with these characters all previously part of the Reacher Team.
4 reviews
May 2, 2023
Excellent Introduction to the Speciall Investigators series.

Great read, well written,, if a little short, more a novella. I read it in about 5 hours.
I was about to try the second in the series, however, being on a low income I can't really justify spending the £5.99 for another 153 pages.
A pity because I'm sure I would enjoy them, but thanks , Mr. Ames, you got the Special Investigators spot on.
Profile Image for Dave.
640 reviews9 followers
May 3, 2023
I would call this book "Reacher Lite". The characters could be interesting, but we learn little about them. The plot could have been worth following, but quickly descended into science fiction with genetically engineered supertroops cutting a swath through decent civilization. Dan Ames is certainly not half the storyteller that Lee Child is - I won't be reading any more of this spin-off series. Also, this is not a novel, it's more like a comic book version of a thin novella!
230 reviews2 followers
February 19, 2020
Special Investigators with a Reacher personality !

My 5 star rating is for one of Dan Ames best novels. The intense action, pace and surprise ending are equal to any Reacher adventure. The dialogue pulls the reader from page to page. I look forward to the next story in this series.
235 reviews1 follower
January 6, 2021
Introduction of a new character that was in Jack Reachers team in the past. Neagly gets called for help by Nixon, a team member from the now retired band. Neagly calls for help from all the remaining members, knowing that Reacher is his usual in the wind. Lots of action in the book, a quick easy read. ENJOY!
59 reviews1 follower
May 8, 2023
My kind of action!

I read this in 2 settings ! Just couldn't put it down the action is non stop. A few points were somewhat far fetched for me, But not totally unbelievable And absolutely fascinating here. If you like action big ,, as in bigger than life? This is the book for you ! Great author. Highly recommend!
208 reviews2 followers
February 10, 2020
One of the best Reacher world books that doesn’t come from Child. Introduction of Neagley outside of a Reacher novel is different and welcome. Reassembling the investigators to help one of their own is brilliant and expands the Reacher storyline and shares more of his past than ever before.
4,031 reviews15 followers
February 21, 2020
". "
A new series by Dan Ames based around the last associates of Jack Reacher, who, as in his other established series, never appears in person. This time old army colleagues come to the assistance of another who is in serious trouble.
A good, very quick read with plenty of action.
Profile Image for Don.
1,067 reviews5 followers
March 8, 2022
Wow, This is a fast paced thriller that is read from beginning to end in one sitting. Great job Dan Ames. Glad to see Nealy in action and all of Reachers crew. Quite surprising with the last two chapters. 5
438 reviews10 followers
May 4, 2023
good short read.

Thoroughly enjoyable short story , I'll definitely read more of them , correction I've just checked and the remainder of the books aren't on KU and their pricing for short stories is a total ripoff
Profile Image for Lesley Hewitt.
832 reviews6 followers
May 5, 2023
Really really good

I really enjoyed reading this book, the special investigators go to rescue one of their own . They come up against an unknown department in defence, men who bullets don't affect but they are dead men walking. Well worth five stars.
1 review
February 12, 2024
Segway from second Reacher series (not really, but yeah).

Great team work book to read after you saw the second season of Reacher. I think I may read the next installment, and see what HAPPENS
Profile Image for Connie Hamby.
1,047 reviews9 followers
February 13, 2020
A very good w

It was a really good book but was to short it would have been better if it had Jack Reacher in it
Profile Image for FredM2.
307 reviews3 followers
March 11, 2021
This was a very interesting book to read. The action kept me very interested. I look forward to more of Dan's writing.

I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for Danielle.
56 reviews
April 24, 2023
Meh..good read but not overly excited about moving on in series.
183 reviews3 followers
May 1, 2023
You don’t know Jack!

Not Reacher but dam close. Well written with above average story lines. I will be reading more of Dam Ames books.
986 reviews2 followers
May 7, 2023
Good fast read

The author created a unique and creative plot to go with an amazing group of characters making this hard to put down
225 reviews
February 15, 2025
As good as I hoped.

Wow! This book was as good as I hoped it would be. You knew Reachers people would be badass and here they were. I'm off to the next book.
Profile Image for Dennis.
298 reviews
December 31, 2025
An interesting story, but pretty short, and the ending seemed rather rushed. I'll be reading the next couple in the series though.
14 reviews
January 2, 2026
old characters that I love

I liked it enough to go ahead and purchase the rest of the series. Can’t wait to start on book number two.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews