Killing Floor (Jack Reacher) – Book Review
January 10, 2013After seeing the movie trailers for Jack Reacher, I thought I’d take a look at the novels. Killing Floor seemed to be the best place to start, being the novel that introduced us to Jack Reacher’s universe.
The book does not waste time on settings. We are thrown straight in from the first page. While eating his breakfast and minding his business, Jack Reacher is arrested for murder and hauled into the police station of a small, quiet town. The story begins to unfold after that, and we start to piece the puzzle together with our protagonist.
The main thing I love about this book is Jack Reacher himself. He is what I like to call a throwback to the action heroes that filled the silver screen in the eighties. He is so confident in his ability to survive the most hostile of situations, even if the people he’s up against are double his size.
Although others assisted in solving the case and saving the innocent bystanders, Reacher was pretty much a one-man team. As a fan of the old-school legends, I found that aspect of the novel awesome, but somewhat predictable at the same time. At no time did I feel scared for Reacher. Every dangerous situation was handled as if he were on the training ground, where his assailants were told not to hit too hard. But as I read on, I came to realise that the book was about Jack Reacher first, and everything else, second.
The book itself was a fantastic read. The mystery cranked up with every page, even to the point that it seemed implausible. But Child kept peeling the layers as the story went on, and it kept making sense. The detail in the novel was brilliant. I was impressed with the amount of research that must have taken place. I found a few convenient resolutions to problems, but that didn’t happen often.
The short sentences helped to maintain the novel’s fast pace. But they were sometimes too short, which made the prose a bit harsh. It distracted me during the beginning of the novel, but I quickly got past it. My other minor issue was to do with Reacher himself. His character was depicted as an indestructible force, but he also had his moments of human emotion, even vulnerability. I found a few of those sections somewhat forced and slightly unbelievable. But those were small issues, and nowhere near enough to disrupt my enjoyment of the book. I found it to be a scintillating read.
I would recommend it to lovers of thrillers and mystery novels. I would just advice every reader to prepare for graphic violence. This novel most certainly doesn’t hold back.
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