Running Blind (Jack Reacher, No. 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Lee Child (Author) "PEOPLE SAY THAT knowledge is power..." (more)
Key Phrases: sandy guy, visitor nodded, running blind, New York, Alison Lamarr, Lorraine Stanley (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Jack Reacher is back, dragged into what looks like a series of grisly serial murders by a team of FBI profilers who aren't totally sure he's not the killer they're looking for, but believe that even if he isn't, he's smart enough to help them find the real killer. And what they've got on the ex-MP, who's starred in three previous Lee Child thrillers (Tripwire, Die Trying, Killing Floor), is enough to ensure his grudging cooperation: phony charges stemming from Reacher's inadvertent involvement in a protection shakedown and the threat of harm to the woman he loves.

The killer's victims have only one thing in common--all of them brought sexual harassment charges against their military superiors and all resigned from the army after winning their cases. The manner, if not the cause, of their deaths is gruesomely the same: they died in their own bathtubs, covered in gallons of camouflage paint, but they didn't drown and they weren't shot, strangled, poisoned, or attacked. Even the FBI forensic specialists can't figure out why they seem to have gone willingly to their mysterious deaths. Reacher isn't sure whether the killings are an elaborate cover-up for corruption involving stolen military hardware or the work of a maniac who's smart enough to leave absolutely no clues behind. This compelling, iconic antihero dead-ends in a lot of alleys before he finally figures it out, but every one is worth exploring and the suspense doesn't let up for a second. The ending will come as a complete surprise to even the most careful reader, and as Reacher strides off into the sunset, you'll wonder what's in store for him in his next adventure. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Jack Reacher, the wandering folk hero of Child's superb line of thrillers (Tripwire, etc.), faces a baffling puzzle in his latest adventure: who is the exceptionally crafty villain murdering women across the country, leaving the naked bodies in their bathtubs (which are filled with army camouflage green paint), escaping the scenes and leaving no trace of evidence? The corpses show no cause of death and Reacher's sole clue is that all the victims thus far were sexually harassed while serving in the military. There's got to be some sort of grand scheme behind the killings, but with no physical evidence, FBI agents bumble around until they finally question Reacher, a former military cop who handled each of the dead women's harassment cases. After Reacher convinces investigators he's innocent, theyAcuriouslyAask him to stay on as a case consultant. Reacher doesn't like the ideaAhe's too much of a lone wolfAbut he has little choice. The feds threaten him and his girlfriend, high-powered Manhattan attorney Jodie Jacob, with all sorts of legal entanglements if he doesn't help. So Reacher joins the FBI team and immediately attacks the feds' approach, which is based solely on profiling. Then he breaks out on his own, pursuing enigmatic theories and hunches that lead him to a showdown with a truly surprising killer in a tiny village outside Portland, Ore. Some of the concluding elements to Child's fourth Reacher outingAhow the killer gains access to the victims' homes, as well as the revelation of the elaborate MOAfall into place with disappointing convenience. Yet the book harbors two elements that separate it from the pack: a brain-teasing puzzle that gets put together piece by fascinating piece, and a central character with Robin Hood-like integrity and an engagingly eccentric approach to life.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Jove (August 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515143502
• ISBN-13: 978-0515143508
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (137 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,413 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #37 in	Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Suspense
  #52 in	Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery

• This is item 4 in The Jack Reacher Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

342 of 371 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars US Title - Running Blind, February 27, 2006

By	Karen Bickley (Reisterstown, MD) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Visitor (Jack Reacher, No. 4) (Paperback)

I was really excited that I had missed reading a Reacher book but it turns out to be Running Blind.

110 of 116 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dirty Trick, March 1, 2007

By	George E. McCormick (Lexington, KY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Visitor (Jack Reacher, No. 4) (Paperback)

Running Blind is a great book, as are all of Lee Child's books. Retitling it and selling it as The Visitor is a dirty trick on those of us always on the lookout for a new Jack Reacher book.

104 of 110 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Warning: Rip off, February 12, 2007

By	C. Touart - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Visitor (Jack Reacher, No. 4) (Paperback)

This book is "Running Blind" under a different title. It should be illegal to sell this book. I feel so cheated.