Reacher can kick the butts of Shaw and Bauer

A few years ago, I discovered David Baldacci, and a new genre of adventure novels. His protaganist, Shaw, is a sort of one man army. A loner who once worked in the government or military, with supreme analytical skills, a tracker and killer of bad guys.

Recently, my son gave me Nothing to Lose, by Lee Child. His hero, Jack Reacher, is like Shaw on steroids. I've devoured a half dozen of his books now, and can't wait for more, they are that addictive. Reacher is even more of a loner, and full of interesting personality quirks.

Without Fail  is my current favorite of his. Child is a very intelligent writer, who has lots of gripping plot twists. Between the excitement and detecive work, these books are great escapism and a good way to relieve stress. I know I'm never going to be in these kinds of situations, or be able to outhink master agents. My mental image of him is a slightly larger Jack Bauer from 24, with a lot more self control.

There is one disturbing thread through all three of these fantasies though; the protaganists are amoral assassins who work in support of the government, but don't follow the law in their methods. This is the world of 1930s Warner Brothers crime movies, pre-Miranda, pre civil rights, pre just about anything but the brutal law of the jungle. They seem to strike a chord for a lot of people, who yearn for those seemingly simpler times, when vigilante justice was in flower.

I think it is more symbolic for the majority of the audience, an escape into a fantasy world where good and bad are clearly defined, and rules sometimes need to be broken to protect the good of society as a whole.

Or maybe I'm just an effete snob, not willing to admit that the law of the jungle has been in effect throughout all history, and no matter how civilized we may think we are, there are nasty people out there who must be dealt with if we are to survive. The turth is somewhere in between, of course, and the lines are often in motion.

Lee Child has really nailed the ambiuities of the American psyche. His Jack Reacher character is a great one, and is a quintessential American type on the lines of Humphrey Bogart. And the darned thing is, he's a British author. Pretty good powers of perception, that's for sure.

Aside form a few parts of the book that get a little rough, this was one of the better action/political thrillers I've read in recent years, and highly recommend it.