carol.'s Reviews > Persuader

Amazon has a Jack Reacher show. I think each season is going to be based on a book.

I know--and I really enjoyed the tv series (I did not watch the Tom Cruise Jack Reacher movies). Can't wait until season 2.

Reading that paragraph alone was a test. Does appear to have upcoming series, so maybe you're in luck there.

The cop climbed out of his car exactly four minutes before he got shot. He moved like he knew his fate in advance...

Oh. This doesn't look good. Not good at all lol.

That...is a lot of time spent on someone getting out of a car.

Wow, that excerpt reads like closed captioning for the visually impaired.

Jennifer -- Ha!

If it hadn't been exactly four minutes before he got shot -- and please consult Mr. Einstein about the impossibility of establishing what that even means -- if, for instance, it had been 3.97 minutes, would this have changed the outcome of the story?
.

The TV show was so much more enjoyable than reading of one of the Reacher books. I’ve never understood their popularity.

This sounds--painful.

I tried reading the books after I found the show extremely enjoyable as well, but i just couldn't get past the first 10 pages

I don't usually care too much about the prose, if the story is good, but dear god.

Mimi wrote: "The cop climbed out of his car exactly four minutes before he got shot. He moved like he knew his fate in advance...

Oh. This doesn't look good. Not good at all lol."

I have generally positive feels about a lot of the series, except the first couple books (vague memories of violence) and where I stopped (very repetitive). So I picked up one of the ones I had lying around for my mother. Good initial twist, gets right to the action/suspense, but my goodness! I did not recall this 8th grade level of writing.

Allie wrote: "That...is a lot of time spent on someone getting out of a car."

RIGHT?!?

I'm reading a book critiquing short stories and discussing writing. I can tell it's going to ruin me.

Jennifer wrote: "Wow, that excerpt reads like closed captioning for the visually impaired."

Those examples make me think I'd get confused and never figure out when to stop skimming. What I call "bestsellerese" can be pleasant, light reading, but that's pretty awful.

I had no idea how to get out of a vehicle before this! Thanks :)

Ha! I felt exhausted just reading it :D

A very helpful review. I am thinking about all those people who would still be stuck in their cars if they had not read this 😂

Westerly, clearly you and Lesbian are youngsters who may not need these helpful tips on using the doorframe and spinning on your butt 😁😂

Oh no, I am not a youngster, but built in the seventies. Therefore I am now somewhat concerned. What if I will think too much when I try to leave my car next time, now that I know how complicated it is? Will I get stuck?

Is it weird that I don't think that first excerpt is bad writing? :s

I was once told that authors shouldn't say things like 'Time seemed to slow down' because in their story they control the speed. Lee Childs use of longer sentences here of something fairly inane seems like an attempt to slow things down and build tension after the attention grabbing opening sentence. It's not done masterfully, but I wouldn't say it was bad either.

Also, Tom Cruise is the better Jack Reacher! 8p

carol. wrote: "Westerly, clearly you and Lesbian are youngsters who may not need these helpful tips on using the doorframe and spinning on your butt 😁😂"

We'll say it's for future reference!

Ryan, hearsay!

Nah, just kidding. I heard the Cruise movies were fine. But I did read the books first (in 2000!) and couldn't wrap my brain around the casting. And cool if you like it--I've rated a couple in the 4 star range. No judgement of you, but it is fun to mock the writing :)

Westerly wrote: "What if I will think too much when I try to leave my car next time, now that I know how complicated it is..."

hahaha!

I can't wrap my head around preferring Tom Cruise's version of anything when there's a better version of it readily available. Just kidding! But only a little.

I started the first episode of Reacher last night and so far it's good.

Mimi--I get your kidding, I really do. Cruise was da bomb in the 80s and then he went and jumped on that nutty Scientology wagon and he hasn't been the same for me since (view spoiler)[ (again! Those artistic people and their public statements! I can't seem to separate art from the artists!!!) (hide spoiler)]

My mom and I really enjoyed the new tv Reacher. I'd even say that while I think the Reacher casting is good, the supporting cast was great, which sucks a little bit, because Reacher is always on the move to the next place.

I'll wait until you've finished the show before saying why Cruise was the better Reacher, Mimi.

May I suggest watching the movies Oblivion and Edge of Tomorrow before giving up on Cruise entirely. They're really solid SF movies!

"Reacher, honey, I'll wait for Netflix."
"Why"
"To watch it."
"When?"
"Five Thousand Dollars (image of Dr. Evil touching his pinky to his lips)."

Maybe robocop is getting out of the car and every moment is part of some complex protocol lol

carol. wrote: "Mimi--I get your kidding, I really do. Cruise was da bomb in the 80s and then he went and jumped on that nutty Scientology wagon and he hasn't been the same for me since [spoilers removed]

My mom ..."

I keep hearing this legend that, once upon a time, Tom Cruise wasn't like the Tom Cruise of today, and I just can't see it. Lack of imagination, I'm afraid lol.

I'm really enjoying the show, but can only do one episode a day due to work. The days of binging the whole season are over for me.

And agreed--the casting is really good. There's no doubt about Alan Ritchson as Reacher. I haven't met the rest of the cast yet, but looking forward to it

Ryan wrote: "I'll wait until you've finished the show before saying why Cruise was the better Reacher, Mimi.

May I suggest watching the movies Oblivion and Edge of Tomorrow before giving up on Cruise entirely...."

I will keep an open mind and give the movies a try after finishing the series. But if Tom Cruise is too Tom Cruise, then I can't promise I won't see him as Tom Cruise trying to be Jack Reacher.

Re: Oblivion and Edge of Tomorrow

Added to the watch list--thanks! I might try reading All You Need is Kill first though.

Probably because of this thread, I can't stop seeing a character in the Hulu series The Glades as a young Tom Cruise, Risky Business era. I'm rather fascinated.

Although, as Mimi said, these days, I cannot unsee old Tom Cruise as Tom Cruise The Movie Star, ego-maniac and Scientologist. As I will never unsee Charlie Sheen from his nutty winning and tiger blood phase.

Of course, Charlie Sheen has done virtually zero work in years, so it requires virtually zero effort to ignore and forget him. Cruise has only made two movies in that time, but one of them has hyped across every platform I know of at absurd frequency. No forgetting him

I’ve read the first few and then given up. I’m finding Robert Crais’s Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels far preferable.

Elvis Cole is a lot of fun! Some ups and downs to the series, but a lot of good writing.

This is what the public wants....

I must say im struggling with this instalment i DNF the previous 2. This one is slow, the story does not seem to be going anywhere. Its pages upon pages of nothing.

Season 3 is "Persuader"

They have just announced this is the next season of Reacher!

You got your wish...looks like season 3 is based on this book

Just revealed that the 3rd season of Reacher on Prime is going to be based on 'Persuader'!
Can't wait!!

Looks like they heard you and granted your wish. Now let's hope they don't do what they did with Bad luck and Trouble with this one.

Its been confirmed for the third season!

Jacob wrote: "They have just announced this is the next season of Reacher!"

Jacob, I had no idea! Thank goodness I've already forgotten everything but how to spin my butt to get out of a car!

Sreedhar wrote: "Looks like they heard you and granted your wish. Now let's hope they don't do what they did with Bad luck and Trouble with this one."

That was season two, wasn't it? I got so distracted by the dog left in the house by himself because my brain had seized on it when reading the book and I couldn't remember any more than that about it. I thought the second season didn't gel as well as the first did. I get what they were doing by showing the beginning/ending of the team, but the plot in the past didn't work and I kept waiting for it to connect to the present.

Luis wrote: "Its been confirmed for the third season!"

This one will run as long as Amazon fits the bill, I bet.

It seems like the plot from the Night Manager by John Le Carré in another form.

I mean, there's probably only so many 'reasonable' thriller plots available. :D

Fortunately season 3 of Reacher is adapting this book!