Been curious about these books for years. Since the 90’s. Always had something else to read though. Then they made a movie. It starred Tom Cruise. I can’t stand Tom Cruise. So full of himself. Bleeds through into everything he does. Didn’t bode well. For me liking the book.
Still gave it a chance though. Finally. But can’t do it. All of the sentences. Are the same length. Many incomplete.
OK, enough of that. I imagine this is supposed to be all hard-boiled and noir, kinda like Raymond Chandler crossed with a Die Hard movie, but it comes across much as Cruise himself does: So utterly aware of its own performance that the observer can’t help but be aware of it too, so I end up seeing all of the brushstrokes and not much of the painting.
Part of my reaction may be that as Jack Reacher narrated his story to me, I kept seeing and hearing and being annoyed by Tom Cruise. It was unavoidable. Perhaps I would have loved these books if I’d read them way back when, and been able to merely snort at the casting of a an actor I dislike, because I almost never see the movies of books I like anyway. But I didn’t love the couple of Die Hard movies I saw and can’t say I’d like those stories any more in book form.
We’ll never know now. I’m just going to blame Tom Cruise. Dnf’d at 10%.
Bookshelves: abandoned, noir, you’re-trying-too-hard, dnf, thriller, wannabe, manly-men-kicking-ass, ugh
Join me on Goodreads: View all my reviews
99 Monkeys 