Jack Reacher book #23. At this point you either love him or hate him. Unfortunately, the last few books in this series find me hovering a little closer to the hate side of the fence.
In this latest adventure, Reacher hits the pavement and sticks out his thumb. No surprise that he’s hitch hiking, right? He plans on a trip across America, from Maine to California, but he doesn’t get far. On a country road deep in the New England woods, he sees a sign for the town where his father was born. He thinks, “What’s one extra day?” and takes the detour. I was really intrigued by this story, by the opportunity to see a little deeper into Reacher’s personal life. While it was interesting, it wasn’t anything to write home to mom about.
At the same moment that Reacher enters town, a car breaks down with two young Canadians inside. Now they’re stranded at a lonely motel in the middle of nowhere and the owners seem almost too friendly. In the beginning, this story really had my interest up. The two are stranded with a huge case they won’t let out of their sight. What was in that case really interested me. Perhaps I made it out to be more than was intended, but I was let down once the contents were revealed.
So, you might ask, how do these two different stories merge? Well, it’s ¾ of the way through the book before they finally do. And let me tell you, I wasn’t all that thrilled with the merger. What intrigued me about both stories at first was lost because the middle half the book was SO. SLOW! And then BAM! Both stories wrapped up a little too fast and neatly for me.
Past Tense still finds me on the fence regarding Reacher. Do I keep reading the series or not? Even though I’ve had a hard time with the last several books, part of me can’t let go. There’s a huge hope that the Reacher I loved in the beginning will return. Fellow Reacher fans, what do you say? Keep going? Or break up with Reacher once and for all?
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewer: Jennifer
Title: Past Tense
Author: Lee Child
Release Date: November 5, 2018
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