Driving Soundtrack

MacKenzie's been manning the book review department of this blog, but I will be filling in for her today.

My reading interests usually tend toward non-fiction, often of the historical kind. But I started listening to audio books when going on long drives. Music puts me to sleep when I drive, so I need something engaging to listen to. I'd listen to talk radio, but you can't always be sure something good will be on (unless, of course, it's Rush Limbaugh time) or that reception will be adequate. So I turned to audio books. I prefer lighter fare when I drive, something more engrossing and easier to follow (since I can't easily go back and re-read something). I first listened to a couple of John Grisham books, but I exhausted the library's limited supply of Grisham books on CD (they had some books-on-tape options, but, like many people, I don't have a car cassette player).

While skimming the library shelves prior to one trip, I found the book One Shot by Lee Child. This was my introduction to the Jack Reacher series, of which there are 15 books, the first of which was published in 1997. Reacher is a former military police investigator who now wanders the country by bus or hitchhiking and invariably ends up, sometimes accidentally, in the middle of a situation where his investigative and butt-kicking skills come in handy.

I have now finished my 3rd Reacher novel. I joined the party late, as I have read the 9th (One Shot), 11th (Bad Luck and Trouble), and 15th (and latest) offerings (Worth Dying For) in the series. As far as I can tell,  there's not much carryover between books. Each one can stand alone. In fact, there are some aspects of Jack Reacher that only appear in individual books. Examples include his skill with numbers and doing calculations in his head, his money issues (or lack thereof), and his penchant for traveling very light (usually carrying just a toothbrush). In researching this post, I learned that Worth Dying For is apparently a continuation of the previous book, which I have not read, and I had no idea until now.

I like the descriptive detail of the books. Whether describing the landscape of Nebraska, how you can kill someone by punching them in the chest at a certain precise phase of the heartbeat, or the cross-country travels of a truck full of contraband, Child (and the audio narrators) bring the subject to life in a way that is not always necessary to the story but is interesting and enriching nonetheless.

Jack Reacher is not one to leave it to the justice system to sort out guilt and punishment. Often, he is involved in a case because law enforcement, through corruption or lack of skill, is not doing its job. Reacher, through a thorough investigation assisted by his knowledge of human nature and top-notch interviewing skills, figures out who is guilty and how they should be punished. He then delivers the punishment clinically, without a pause or regret. As opposed to Jack Bauer of 24 fame, who was a pretty brutal guy who, in the end, deferred to the authority of the President, Reacher defers to nobody. Whereas Bauer was clearly tortured emotionally over the things he had to do, Reacher apparently feels no such remorse. Of course, Bauer had to hurt a lot of innocent people, something Reacher hasn't had to do in the books I have read. What Bauer and Reacher have in common is that they both know how to cause pain and how to debilitate a foe, and they do it regularly.

The Reacher books (again, as far as I know) end in a meticulous, elaborate assault on the bad guy's compound, in which Reacher is assisted by locals he meets on the case. Reacher is always the underdog and always outmanned, but his victories are complete and guaranteed, almost like a movie plot. Worth Dying For even includes a James Bond/Austin Powers-like ridiculously elaborate, foolish plan to off the good guy that inevitably fails and allows the hero to live another day. In fact, Paramount is apparently working on a production of One Shot.

For me, these novels serve their purpose well. They are enthralling driving fare that entertains me and keeps me alert. I plan to continue to check them out of the library as audio books on future trips. But I don't plan to start reading them the old fashioned way. I think I'll stick to nonfiction.