Simon Holdsworth

“Prepare for the worst and hope for the best” would have been good advice to me prior to reading Blue Moon. Whilst a good read the book turned out to be formulaic, rather too predictable and the characters lacked plausibility. The story line at times felt rushed and outcomes engineered for convenience rather than evolving as has been true in some of Jacks better adventures. The level of violence here, the death toll and the extensive use of firearms makes me wonder if Jack has been watching too much John Wick! My disappointment with the book is almost on the same page as my disappointment on seeing Mr Reacher hitting Hollywood played by a pretty, 5’7” Scientologist! On second thoughts that still has a disappointment ranking all of it’s own. I eagerly await each new Reacher novel with great anticipation and then tend to devour it. Between instalments I often go back and reread some of the older books like watching a favourite movie. That said, Mr Child, I would rather wait longer between books than be disappointed with the outcome. Whilst again this has been an enjoyable piece of escapism and Reacher style adventure it just isn’t up there with the best. Mr Child, you are a victim of your own success and have set the bar very high. This one fell a little short.