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Without Fail [Mass Market Paperback]

Lee Child
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)

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Mass Market Paperback, April 1 2003 --  
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Book Description

April 1 2003 Jack Reacher (Book 6)
Skilled, stealthy, and unknown, Jack Reacher is the perfect man to assassinate the Vice President of the United States. Theoretically. His job is to find holes in the VP's security system-before a group of assassins does.

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From Amazon

What better way to test the security surrounding a U.S. vice president-elect than to hire someone skilled in the killing arts to penetrate his protection? Assassination strategy, though, is only part of the assignment facing Jack Reacher in Without Fail. This restive, blunt-edged ex-military cop must also determine whether recent threats against VP-to-be Senator Brook Armstrong are legitimate or are primarily intended to embarrass the perfectionist head of Armstrong's new Secret Service detail, M.E. Froelich, who happens to have been a girlfriend of Reacher's late brother.

If Without Fail lacks the emotional urgency of Lee Child's previous novel, Echo Burning, it still barely lets the reader catch a decent breath between plot crests. Jack and his fetching yet formidable colleague, Frances Neagley, must figure out how warning letters to Armstrong are being delivered into the Secret Service sanctum, whether the senator is at risk because of something political or personal, and who staged the demonstration murders of two innocent men also named Armstrong, first initial B. Unfortunately, a few twists (including the source of a thumbprint applied to the threats against Armstrong) can be figured out in advance, and the story is light on character development. A tiny breach in Reacher's reclusive carapace opens as Froelich transfers the love she once felt for his brother toward him, and there are suggestions that Neagley may have depths of feeling just waiting to be plumbed. However, other players are mere ciphers--the sacrificial victims of an action-oriented yarn. --J. Kingston Pierce --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The sixth time's a charm for thriller meister Child, whose latest escapade starring ex-military cop Jack Reacher is handily his most accomplished and most compelling to date. The suspense-laden plot kicks off with U.S. Secret Service agent M.E. Froelich telling Reacher: "I want to hire you to assassinate the Vice President of the United States." V-p-elect Brook Armstrong has received a series of anonymous death threats, and Froelich needs to uncover their source and ascertain the effectiveness of Armstrong's security detail. Reacher agrees to masquerade as an assassin because he can't resist a challenge and because Froelich had loved his older brother, Joe, a Secret Service colleague killed in a botched operation. As Reacher pieces together an increasingly frustrating puzzle, Child ratchets up the excitement with several breathtaking set pieces, including a Thanksgiving dinner for D.C.'s homeless that turns deadly, a jaw-dropping coup de th‚ƒtre and a slam-bang finale in Wyoming's mountains. He even extracts tension from mundane events, as when Reacher searches for clues on a security video of an office cleaning crew. The novel's detailed insider's view of political skullduggery is certain to intrigue readers, and the various characters' relationships, handled with careful restraint, provide an added layer the growing attachment between Froelich and Reacher; both characters' recollections of Joe; Reacher's regard for Frances Neagley, a former colleague whom he calls in for help. And then there's Reacher himself, the stolid, flawed man's man who gives no quarter on any level. Indeed, the novel's final line serves as a pr‚cis of this quietly fascinating character: "He headed west for the Port Authority and a bus out of town." This Child's play will be a tough act to follow.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Reacher cannot fail. Jan 11 2013
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A good story and well told. Classic Reacher performing as only Reacher can in stopping a plot to assassinate the Vice President of the United States. There is always something to learn in a Lee Child novel and this is no exception as you find out how threats to public figures are handled by the Secret Service, and how blindly following a policy can lead to unforeseen consequences. Laterally thinking, and unstoppable, Reacher brings the story to a dramatic conclusion in the winter snows of Wyoming. The ending contains everything I look for in a Lee Child novel.
Jim French
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Reacher Reaches the Insider's Place Dec 6 2008
By Donald Mitchell #1 HALL OF FAME TOP 10 REVIEWER
Format:Mass Market Paperback
If you have read any of the Jack Reacher novels you know he's the ultimate outsider, someone who was an insider and now enjoys his freedom. In Without Fail, old ties bring him into contact with the Secret Service to protect the Vice President. Reacher finds himself tied down a bit too as his brother's ex-lover becomes attracted to the resemblances between them.

The premise of this book is strong. Take someone who is tough and resourceful and have them probe for security weaknesses. Reacher is obviously perfect for that role.

While focused on that premise, the book works well.

But it turns out there's a real threat . . . and it's frightening! In the beginning, this premise also works well. But the premise eventually breaks down into a series of plot twists that left me feeling disappointed with who the baddies are and why they are after the Vice President.

The book's ending is clearly the weakest part of the story. It's too bad. The book starts off quite strong.

If you don't like to read books that end weakly, I suggest you read the next book in the series, Persuader, instead. It's a much more satisfying offering.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Without Fail Oct 26 2010
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I so like Lee Child's writing and love his character,Jack Reacher.
Super,good read,as always.
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Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Reacher on the government payroll again??
Lee Child's "Without Fail" has a slightly different onset than his previous novels. Ex-MP major Jack Reacher, for once hasn't inadvertantly stumbled into a quagmire... Read more
Published on Jun 9 2004 by Cory D. Slipman
4.0 out of 5 stars Layer Upon Layer of Mystery and Violence
This is a complex thriller, and in it we see Jack Reacher a little differently than we have in previous outings. Read more
Published on April 18 2004 by S. Schwartz
4.0 out of 5 stars Favorite new Author
LOVE Jack Reacher. Loved all the books, except maybe the Persuader... But all the ones that precede that one are well worth your time.
Published on Feb 9 2004
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good but gun lore sadly lacking
I thought this was a pretty good adventure tale, which got better as it went along. My biggest beef is that the author really needs a firearms consultant. Read more
Published on Sep 29 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars Not A Failure: A Great Thriller!
The Secret Service classifies serious threats of assassination in two ways. They are separated into those assassins that want to commit the assassination and get away as compared... Read more
Published on Aug 28 2003 by Kevin Tipple
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book. The first that I've read by this author..
But not the last one I'll read by this author. Lee Child has set up a tight story with many twists and turns. Read more
Published on Aug 21 2003 by apoem
4.0 out of 5 stars Favourite so far
I've recently discovered the Jack Reacher series - this is the third I've read and by far the best. I enjoyed all of them but loved the side of Reacher that we see in this novel. Read more
Published on Jun 2 2003
2.0 out of 5 stars Cardboard characters and preposterous plotline
Come on. Jack Reacher, hired by a top secret service field officer to "consult" and beef up the security afforded our vice-president, is given no ear piece with which to... Read more
Published on May 28 2003 by desefinado
5.0 out of 5 stars As good as the genre gets
Jack Reacher returns in this lengthy and compelling thriller revolving around the Secret Service. Upon the recommendation (and reputation) of his deceased brother - who was a... Read more
Published on May 24 2003 by D. Ross
4.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a Great Reacher Novel
I really enjoy Reacher novels for the character and action but the plots tend to be farcical and sometimes even ludicrous which spoils the fun. Read more
Published on May 19 2003 by C. Baker
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