Customer Reviews

Echo Burning(CD)(Unabr.)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Lee Child started out with some pretty fine novels in his series featuring the ex-military cop, now drifter Jack Reacher. Reacher seems to have a penchant for landing in some rather outlandish and bizarre situations. Unfortunately, Child lost his touch in this one. ECHO BURNING is a slow, drawn out, and rather boring novel. While RUNNING BLIND, his last novel, was a terribly unbelievable and contrived plot - at least there was plenty of swift, moving action that kept the pages turning. Here we get long, unnecessarily detailed descriptions of Reacher sleeping, Reacher driving in a car, the melodrama of a six year old trying to figure out how to open a locked door. This reader kept saying "let's get on with it already!!"

This was a rather slow and disappointing story.

This book has it all for the PC fan: redneck "gringas" that hunt mexican "wetbacks" like dogs; a beautiful lesbian lawyer who helps the oppressed poor - she's from New York City of course, and works for free to "give back"; the latino heroine whose family owns 1000 acres in Napa Valley but is tragically married to a West Texas rancher/oil man who beats her constantly; his matriarchal mother who still wears jeans and fringed blouses fit for a 20 year old and lacquers her hair into a beehive; poor Mexican immigrants living as row croppers that quote Balzac; gum popping white waitresses who won't talk to their "beaner" mexican customers; and of course a hero who was mysteriously discharged from the Army after being somehow psychologically ruined by the military. The local sheriff is a fat drunken anglo, but law enforcement is saved by the sharp looking, well built hispanic ranger. And all this is just the tip of the sterotypical iceberg. After a few chapters the read is funny just to see what kind of a world view is held by this New York City writer. Seriously flawed book by someone who obviously hasn't researched his material.

Ex-Army M.P. Jack Reacher is thumbing a ride to make a hasty escape from a small south Texas town when he is picked up by a young attractive Hispanic woman driving a big white Cadillac. The woman, Carmen Greer had been cruising the locale picking up rough and tumble looking men to coax them to protect her from her husband, Sloop. At 6 feet 5 inches and 250 pounds, Reacher certainly fit the bill.

Carmen Greer had married into an old monied Texas family with a sprawling ranch outside of Pecos in oppressively hot and dusty Echo county. She had married Sloop, the eldest son, after becoming pregnant. The spousal abuse started soon after. Unfortunately due to the racism of the Greer family against "beaners" or Mexicans and the lax laws in that part of the state, Carmen's cries went unheeded.

Reacher initially refused his assistance especially after he was asked to kill Sloop Greer. His posture however softened after meeting Carmen's vivacious six year old flaxen haired daughter Ellie. Reacher posing as a ranch hand looking for work at the Greer's Red House Ranch, instantaneously sized up the situation.

Unknown to Reacher was that the family was concurrently being surveyed and stalked by two groups of three individuals with unknown motives.

As Reacher became more deeply involved in this passion play he became aware that there was a plethora of secrets and lies surrounding the inhabitants of Echo county.

Lee Child, while intriguing me with the exploits of his hero Reacher, never convinces me that Reacher was influenced enough to actually give a darn about Carmen Greer's dilemma. I however will march forward to the next novel in the series.

The story line is fascinating and complex with numerous subplots that tie back to the main theme while showing how creative a talent Lee Child is. Echo Burning is the fifth installment in Reacher's adventures.

In the Texas desert Jack Reacher, former Army police officer and now endless drifter, is picked up while hitch-hiking. His ride is a desperate woman looking for someone to help her with a problem. It seems her husband has been beating her severely for the seven years they've been married. For the past two years he's been in jail for tax evasion and he's about to get out, and the beatings will continue. If it weren't for her young daughter she would just leave but it isn't as simple as it sounds.

After Reacher refuses to kill the man, he agrees to help her any way he can. Unfortunately when the husband gets out of prison he is shot and all evidence points to the wife. Then it appears she may not have been such a victim at all. In fact everything she said may have been a complete lie. All the evidence points that way. But Reacher doesn't think so. It will take all of his investigative skills, and a good amount of strong arm intimidation, to get to the bottom of this.

Wish I had not bothered to read all of it! I was bored when I picked it up and bored when I put it down. The author's first 3 Jack Reacher books were much, much better!

This is my first Reacher and to be honest, it was a tough slog through this rambling story. The story never really built and seemed to go along at a snail's pace for me. I realize there are a whole series of Reacher novels, but there was no real character development in this book and no incentive for the reader to try and figure out the storyline - puzzling it out for ourselves that is. I'll probably try another of Child's novels because he seems recommended by a lot of people. But I prefer more thrilling thriller novels - Iles, Lincoln Child, Rollins and others.

Mr. Child has taken writing blindly to a mediocre level of mediocrity. It's not that he is a bad author, it just seems he's happy to pump out books without putting the information or will into what had the potential to be a terrific series of novels.

The story itself is not bad, but it takes Reacher from being a street smart, tough guy to a naïve adolescent, to the hard-nosed almost psychic investigator whenever the circumstances dictate. Reacher is once again hitchhiking around before being picked up by a beautiful woman who has tales of cruelty, deprivation, and scorn. She convinces Reacher to accompany her, to the middle of nowhere, to protect her from her rich, about to be released from prison, abusive husband. The story also includes the obligatory instances of extreme racism throughout the South, the typical power hungry politicians, and the ideal Harvard graduate lesbian atoning for her wealth by toiling in a legal mission for the indigent immigrants. Sound a little tired and over-done? It is.

In Echo Burning Lee Child doesn't put much research what he writes and should be able to claim some knowledge about, but you'll find the book has more than a few instances of erroneous 'facts'. The story is based on Jack Reacher, a former military policeman, but Mr. Child only has the vaguest notion of what the military life is like. He continually refers to Reacher's past experiences, which could not have happened in the U.S. military, ever, unless you gained everything you know about the army from watching TV. Another example would be that Jack Reacher is purported to be a master at firearms, yet he only has the shallowest knowledge of them and their capabilities. Some of what he states is not only wrong, but is foolishly dangerous if ever done. Oh, and the U.S. army's military police do not assassinate their fellow soldiers and definitely not on a routine basis.

I cannot recommend the unrealistic Echo Burning, but if you like this genre, I would recommend books by Andy McNab or James Lee Burke instead. McNab and Burke both write good, knowledgeable novels about genuine characters that with all their strength still have human flaws and that is something Lee Childs novels do not have.

In our hearts, if we're guys, we want to be Jack Reacher. Heck, I bet even a lotta gals wouldn't mind being him. Here's a guy from nowhere, going everywhere, or is he from everywhere going nowhere. Whatever, he always seems to wind up somewhere where there is a damsel in distress, wrongs to right and plenty bad guys between him and truth, justice and the American way. Reacher, travels with only a tooth brush and sometimes not even that. He buys cheap clothes, wears them for a few days, tosses and replaces them. He has no roots, no possessions except his own sense of right and wrong. Laws? They're for other people.

ECHO BURNING opens with Reacher climbing out of the back window of a sleazy motel as the cops drive by the front. Seems he broke the nose of one of them the night before. But it's small town West Texas, hotter than a branding iron outside, and the next town is miles down the road. Reacher sticks his thumb out with visions of spending the next ten years in a Texas slammer when a pretty young woman picks him up.

What are the odds someone like that would pick up someone like him? There had to be a reason, Reacher muses. And before long she gives it to him. Her husband is in jail, gets out any day now and he's a wife beater. He beat her before he went in and she's afraid he'll take up right where he left off. She wants Reacher to kill him. Reacher says no, but agrees to kind of guard her. She brings Reacher home as a hired hand to help take care of the horses.

Big bad guys who work for the ex want Reacher to take off. The husband's brother wants Reacher to split too. The sheriff doesn't like him and it's beginning to look like the woman might have made up the wife beating bit, but Reacher senses something isn't right and that's trouble for whoever gets in his way.

Okay, I know the Reacher character is a little improbable, but I sure like him. I like the way he breezes into the picture, then fades out, a quiet Lone Ranger, only to show up in the next story, righting wrongs, making the unjust just. I like him a lot. I also like the clean and crisp writing style of Lee Child, like it lot.

Ken Douglas, Underpaid Writer

This is my least favorite Reacher Novel yet. And I have to say that I still thought this was a great novel.

Reacher is picked up by a lady with a six year old daughter while hitchiking on the road. He fast becomes embroiled in a family full of problems. Not only are the problems family problems but the friends of the family are trouble as well.

This is truly a novel of where the past actions come back to haunt the characters of the book. There are so many lies it's hard to know when the truth starts. Interesting.

A great novel.
enjoy.

I love the Reacher series by Lee Child, and this is probably my second favorite book of his that I have read so far. Interesting characters and plot twists the whole way through keep you wanting to read more and more.