Three More Don’t-Mess-With-Me Novel Heroes

“Read the Orphan X series. You’ll thank me later.” — David Baldacci

Nearly ten years ago, I wrote “Three Don’t-Mess-With-Me Novel Heroes”, in which I gave brief descriptions/recommendations of three action/adventure heroes who star in their own book series. I have written a handful of similar posts (slightly modified format) but of different types of heroes/series. So, I thought it was about time I wrote a “don’t-mess-with-me” follow-up about three more heroes of the same type. (It took me awhile to finally read a sufficient sampling of each.) Maybe you will find one or more of them interesting enough to give ’em a try….

1) “John Milton” series by Mark Dawson

John Milton has spent a decade working as an operative (mostly assassinations) for Group Fifteen, a little-known, off-the-books kill-squad division of UK’s MI-6. When we meet him in the first novel, The Cleaner, Milton has become increasingly disillusioned by the moral grayness of his work, and the guilt has driven him to drink. He decides to take a “sabbatical” and disappear for awhile, but his boss has reluctantly decided to “retire” him. Fortunately for him, Milton is G15’s #1 operative and pretty good at staying under the radar… mostly. Meanwhile, he travels the world, trying to balance the scales, as it were, by helping people he comes across who are in dangerous situations and can use someone with his skillset.

I have read the first three novels (out of 23) in this series, as well as the first prequel novella. There are many similar series out there based on a current or former government assassin or other special ops type. Yet, this one feels a bit different from those I’ve read. Part of it might be that the main character is British (as are his former employers), but it has a very different feel from others I have sampled. In any case, I have enjoyed what I’ve read so far — both the character and the stories. They have a very street-level realism to them. The series has been called “a cross between James Bond and Jason Bourne,” but I think it is more of a cross between Bond (for the secretive and British aspects) and Jack Reacher (for the solitary and brutal parts), yet very much its own thing.

Btw, I belong to a fairly big city public library, but they only have the first novel of this series in paperback. (There are no hardcovers.) I finally bought three omnibuses, so I now have the first nine novels plus a couple novellas in print form. But, if you don’t want to go that route, you can get the Kindle versions, which are relatively cheap or free to borrow with Kindle Unlimited.

2) “Gray Man” series by Mark Greaney

Greaney’s character is Court Gentry, 36, who effectively trained with tactical officers at his father’s SWAT school. He was recruited by the CIA and worked in covert ops, earning himself quite a reputation. He was given the call-sign ‘Sierra Six’ (or just ‘Six’) when he joined an agency irregular rendition task force nicknamed the ‘Goon Squad’. Things went bad on one op (or maybe he was framed), and his old bosses marked him for neutralization. Gentry escaped before they could “render” him, killing a few teammates in the process. Nowadays, Gentry works as an assassin-for-hire in the private sector, and many in the biz would call him “the best”. He has a new nickname, too. He is now known as the Gray Man, due largely to his ability to “blend in” so well wherever he may be, and to seemingly slip in and out of the shadows.

Sometimes the Gray Man gets jobs through an Englishman by the name of Fitzroy, owner of Cheltenham Security Services, but that’s not always reliable. Other times, Gentry takes on work from shadier groups, though he does have loose guidelines for determining which missions to accept. If he can morally justify the assignment, he’ll probably take it, especially if he needs the funds. But, when Gentry’s old CIA employers close in on him, he disappears again, blending in and trying to stay out of trouble. Not surprisingly, trouble tends to find him.

I have only read the first three books in this series, but the thirteenth just came out last month. So far, each story is very different from the others. (However, I read Book #3, Ballistic, right after reading the second John Milton book Saint Death, which was somewhat confusing, ‘cuz they both involved our hero “hiding out” in Mexico and getting caught up in something with drug cartels.) The Court Gentry character is continually being fleshed out, there are fun/interesting plots, and good groups of supporting characters. Overall, an enjoyable read in the action/adventure, spy-thriller genre.

A quick note: If you watched Netflix’s “The Gray Man” film (w/ Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans), you have some idea of what the series is about. But, like most such adaptations, it was rather commercialized and, imho, has a very different feel than the original novels.

3) “Orphan X” (aka “The Nowhere Man”) series by Gregg Hurwitz

See that white guy coming out of the coffee shop, walking this way… in the black sweatshirt and dark jeans? I’d say he’s under 6′ tall, mid-30s, fit but otherwise average looks and build, right? He may not stand out in a crowd, but that works for him in his line of business. What business? If you ask him, he’ll say his name is Evan Smoak and he’s a salesman of industrial cleaning supplies to restaurants, etc. But, …

I have it on good authority that the dude is the urban legend known as the Nowhere Man. If you or a loved one is in over your/their head with some dangerous people — drug dealer, bookie, street gang, kidnapper, corrupt cop, etc. — he might be able to help. He’s got mad skills. But, you can only contact him if a former client of his knows your problem and passes his business card to you on the down-low. (They can only do it once.) If it sounds legit and he can help, he’ll arrange a meet to get more info.

How did Smoak get his skills? You didn’t hear it from me, but he was recruited out of an orphanage by some “mystery man” when he was twelve. He got special training from his mentor (the “mystery man”) and a select group of instructors. Eventually, he became a regular operative for the Orphan Program, an off-the-books, assassin program known by very few even in the U.S. intelligence community. He was quite successful as “Orphan X”. But, after a few years, he’d had enough and broke ties with the Program. (Sound familiar?) Then, new management decides to scrub the program altogether, and that includes eliminating currently surviving Orphans and those still in training. Orphan X refuses to cooperate. It helps that he was able to use certain resources available to him to secretly remodel a top-floor, city condo into a veritable fortress. And “they” don’t know where he lives… yet.

As of this writing, I have read Books 1-3, but there are currently nine in the series. Both the character and the setting are different enough to set them apart from similar action thriller series. There’s some humor, too, usually around Smoak’s dealing with a variety of neighbors, the Homeowners’ Association, his quasi-love interest and her kid. Very enjoyable! In fact, I’m in the mood for one now, but it will have to wait until I finish the Reacher book I’m slowly working my way through. Fun, fun, fun!

I hope you have enjoyed these write-ups. Let me know if you try one and what you think. If you enjoy another series of this sort, please share your recommendation(s)!

Review of Reacher, Season 2

“You do not mess with the Special Investigators!” — unofficial motto of the Army’s 110th Special Investigations Unit (under command of Maj. Jack Reacher)

As with my review of Season 1,…

*** THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW! THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW! ***

(Well, maybe just a couple of minor things might be mentioned, but nothing that would spoil the viewing.)

I have mentioned in a previous post or two that I prefer to read book series in order, as I do watching seasons of a TV series. It just makes sense. This is why I was one of those fans who hoped the “Reacher” series would adapt each book in order, while accepting that they might want to skip one or two here or there. The fact that season 1 was an adaptation of Killing Floor, i.e., Reacher book #1, boded well. I seem to remember star Alan Ritchson saying or implying that this was the plan. Unfortunately, this doesn’t appear to be the case, since Season 2 of the show was based on the 11th book in the series (Bad Luck and Trouble), and Season 3 will be based on the 7th book (Persuader).

I have only just begun reading book #10 (The Hard Way), so I cannot comment on how closely the plot and characters in Season 2 stuck to the novel version. (However, I am aware that the book version takes place in Los Angeles, whereas the TV show places most of the action in New York City, which also means that a different police department will be involved.)

In Season 1, I recognized Malcolm Goodwin (‘Det. Finlay’) from “Breakout Kings”, among other things. In case you’re unfamiliar, that was a short-lived show about a small group of convicts working with a beleaguered U.S. Marshal on a special task force. This season of “Reacher” includes two more people who worked on that earlier show — Serinda Swan (‘Dixon’) and Domenick Lombardozzi (‘Det. Russo’). I checked, and the common denominator is writer/producer Nick Santora. If the pattern continues, I hope to see Laz Alonso, Brooke Nevin, and Jimmi Simpson in future seasons of “Reacher”. Santora also produced “Scorpion” (which co-starred Robert Patrick, who plays bad guy ‘Langston’ in “Reacher” Season 2) and “Prison Break”, both shows I watched and enjoyed, so maybe we’ll see some actors from those shows, too.

Assuming the new characters were faithful to the book, then I think the actors who played them did a decent job overall. On the one hand it was great getting to see flashbacks of the 110th, so the audience could see them bonding and working together. It made the deaths of some of them hit harder. And it was good to see some of them working together again X years later, watching each others’ backs, etc. On the other hand, it seemed a bit strange to see Reacher intentionally working and hanging out with so many people, let alone getting teased by them, both then and now.

As before, there were some pretty good — not to mention, brutal — fight scenes this season, both with guns and unarmed. I noticed some bad choreography (e.g., widely telegraphed punches) in at least one, but I don’t want to ruin it for you. There was a fight scene in episode 6 that I found unsatisfying, as well.

Flashback photo of the 110th Special Investigations Unit

The running joke is that Reacher travels with only a toothbrush and the clothes on his back… and a wad of money in his pocket. But, it’s established in the first episode or two that he has an ATM and a passport, too. It makes sense, since he a) occasionally needs to get cash and b) might need to travel internationally. (For example, I remember him traveling to France in one novel.) In fact, since he doesn’t have any other form of ID on him, he probably needs to use the passport to travel domestically, too, as he does when Neagley (Maria Sten) buys him a plane ticket to NYC.

A few more observations and brief commentary…

1) Reacher seems more socially awkward in the show than I remember him being in the books. Quiet, yes, but not so awkward.

2) The scenes in the diner served their purpose, but a couple things were kinda stupid (e.g., brad vs. fastener). Unless, of course, they were to remind the audience that Reacher actually enjoys these guys’ company, and the arguing/ribbing is all part of it. Another side of Reacher, I guess. (See my earlier comment.)

3) Reacher and the rest of the 110th seem somewhat careless when it comes to leaving their own footprints, fingerprints, and possibly DNA at scenes of their fights, even when dead bodies are left behind.

4) I find myself rather conflicted about the necessity(?) of Reacher’s scenes (however brief) of, er, physical intimacy.

5) I like Reacher’s methods of “gun shopping”.

6) Time for some “cowboy $#!+”…

7) Russo will never know how close he came to getting the crap beat out of him by Reacher.

8) I appreciated the surprise cameo by… whoops, can’t tell ya. No spoilers, remember!

9) I was surprised at how well Reacher got along with O’Donnell (Shaun Sipos), who is easily the most annoying (and somewhat unscrupulous) of his old crew.

10) That ‘A.M.’ guy (played by Ferdinand Kingsley, son of Sir Ben Kingsley) is a calm, cool killer. Scary dude without a conscience! Same could be said for Langston, I suppose, but he mostly lets his men do the dirty work.

11) Without going into specifics, there were a few times when a character did or said something foolish or should have realized not to do X, or no way they should have gotten away with Y, etc. Annoying! Makes me wonder if those incidents were actually in the novel.

12) Why was there no one else in the vicinity of that operating room where Neagley had the fight in the hospital? Was there supposed to be a fully-stocked O.R. in an abandoned (or otherwise unfinished) hospital wing?

13) Dealing with the two main villains at the end didn’t take as long as I anticipated. But, that left time for Reacher et al. to tie up loose ends (in a good way) and say their good-byes.

14) Great, funny moment between Reacher and Dixon at the end. Nice convo with Neagley, too. I really like their friendship.

To be honest, I didn’t feel that this season was quite as satisfying as the first. But, it was still entertaining and had a lot of good moments — action, drama, and fun/humor. The good definitely outweighed the bad/disappointing for me. So, maybe I’ll give it… 1 1/2 thumbs up! 🙂

Review of Reacher, Season 1

*** THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW! THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW! ***

(Except maybe for confirming that a couple characters are bad, but that becomes apparent rather soon.)

I will begin by saying what probably every other Reacher fan has said: “Alan Ritchson as ‘Reacher’ is a massive improvement over Tom Cruise.” Thank the “casting gods” that Ritchson was available, enthusiastic, and willing to add another 30 lbs. of muscle to his already impressive frame in a short amount of time. (All with no steroids or other illegal substances!) True, he is not 6’5″ or 250+ lbs. But, all things considered, Ritchson’s 6’3″ and 235 lbs. of muscle — plus decent acting ability — is as close as we are likely to get. He is also more handsome and his muscles more defined than the book ‘Reacher’, but I guess we can forgive him for that. 🙂

This Reacher is more vocal than the characteristically silent character in the books — not a lot, but a bit. I suspect this was done to make him a little more likable for TV audiences that didn’t already like him from the books. (I have been reminded that he was indeed more vocal, even sang, in the first book.) In particular, I suspect that some of his normally internal dialogue, such as when sizing up opponents before a fight and deciding how to act/attack, was made external for the benefit of the viewers. After all, the book was told in the first person. A separate narration of sorts — i.e., Reacher’s voice talking to the audience — would have been another option but perhaps not as effective.

His fighting is fairly true to the books, i.e., fast and brutally efficient. It was a little inconsistent at times, though. Seemed like some of the guys he fought gave him way more trouble than they should have and that a couple of the fights lasted a bit longer than they should have. (Unfortunately, I didn’t jot down any notes about this, so I can’t point to any particular fight or even episode.)

Unfortunately, it has been too long since I read The Killing Floor, so a lot of the details are sketchy in my mind. Therefore, I won’t say too much about faithfulness to the original plot, ‘cuz I’m not sure. But, as far as the broad strokes, it was certainly recognizable. I thought the pacing was (not perfect but) pretty good, too, which is often a problem in adapting written works for the screen. (Kudos to Nick Santora.)

Goodwin, Fitzgerald, Webster

There were three or four scenes that involved a bit of nudity, which could have been done without. (On the other hand, if it was in the book…) Hopefully, minors aren’t watching this show anyway, due to the violence and occasional profanity. But, ya can’t be sure these days. I also found it a little annoying that certain other characters kept remarking on how Reacher was “Sasquatch” or a “giant” or some such thing. (I’m guessing this was done to reinforce in our minds how big Reacher was supposed to be, even though seeing him next to other people showed that he wasn’t quite that big.) I appreciated the use of flashbacks (pulled from later books) that gave a bit of insight into what made Reacher the man he is. But, when his mother tells slender, mid-teenage Reacher “you have the strength of 3 boys your age,” I just had to roll my eyes.

Semi-random thought: Not enough coffee!

Other than that, I have no real complaints about the plot or writing. Characterizations were believable and, for the most part, accurate. There was some good verbal sparring, both serious and humorous, between characters. Bad guys, though leaning to certain stereotypes, were definitely bad… and ruthless. They did very bad things and got their just desserts. (And I’m not talking about the peach pie.) Good guys (i.e., the real good guys, which were few) were flawed but relatable — more in some ways than others — and came through in the end.

Speaking of good guys and bad guys, I thought everyone was well-cast for their respective parts. I enjoyed Malcolm Goodwin (‘Finlay’) in this role (as in others), and Willa Fitzgerald (‘Roscoe’) was a feisty delight. The fact that they are both on the short side helped to sell the idea that ‘Reacher’ was very big. (So did upward camera angles.) I prefer to see Bruce McGill as a good guy, but he played ‘Teale’ to a ‘T’. Currie Graham was his smug, arrogant best as ‘Kliner Sr.’. I am not familiar with Chris Webster, but his performance as ‘KJ’ made me hate him… and that’s a good thing. Supporting characters played by the likes of Kristin Kreuk (‘Charlie’), Marc Bendavid (‘Hubble’), Maria Sten (‘Neagley’, who was pulled in from later books), Willie C. Carpenter (‘Mosley’), Harvey Guillén (‘Jasper’), et al., did fine jobs, too.

This was a very enjoyable and chiefly faithful adaptation of Lee Child’s first Jack Reacher novel, with the added advantage of making sure the TV ‘Reacher’ adheres more closely to the version solidified in Child’s later novels. I’m so glad it finally got made, and I’m looking forward to subsequent seasons. Two thumbs up! 😉

Jack Reacher Heads to Small Screen

“The size of Reacher is really, really important and it’s a big component of who he is. The idea is that when Reacher walks into a room, you’re all a little nervous just for that first minute.” — author Lee Child

It’s official. Jack Reacher will (eventually) be doling out his particular brand of justice in a TV series.

I know what you’re thinking…. But, it’s way too early to know what the new Reacher will look like, ‘cuz they haven’t begun casting, yet. However, British-born author Lee Child has listened to the fans and assures us that Tom Cruise will not be portraying Reacher on the small screen.

“Cruise is a lovely guy, I’ve got nothing bad to say about him; we became good friends [while working on the two Reacher films]. But, he is not 6-foot-5 and 100-plus kilograms. I picture Reacher as a second-row forward or a lock forward for the All Blacks, someone of that stature. Not that I would ever say it to their face, but a big, ugly guy.”

Interesting, ‘cuz I don’t think of Reacher as being “ugly” so much as just “not very attractive”.

Lee Child

Child has also noted that a few benefits to filming 10-12 episodes for a season of a Netflix-style series rather than a movie are 1) more flexibility for telling stories, 2) no worries about “that awful thing” known as the movie rating, and 3) “it’s not so star-driven as the movies, [so] you can pick your actor a bit more carefully…. [I]t doesn’t need to be a so-called A-list guy.” Sounds good to me. I had a go at fan-casting Reacher five years ago but didn’t come up with any strong candidates. Hopefully, they’ll be able to find a decent match (or near-match) for the series, especially since lesser-known actors will have a better chance this time.

In an interview last August in which he discussed turning over his letters & manuscripts to the British Archive for Contemporary Writing at the University of East Anglia (UEA), Child talked a bit about a new TV adaptation deal he was hoping to sign by that November. But, such deals often take longer than the various parties — not to mention the fans — would like, so it wasn’t until this month (July 2019) that things were finally in place and an announcement could be made.

As with “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”, the winning bid went to Amazon Studios in partnership with Skydance Television and Paramount Television. “Scorpion” creator Nick Santora will be showrunner, adapting the books in a script-to-series deal. Executive producers will be Santora, Child, Don Granger, and Christopher McQuarrie (who wrote and directed the first film and was a producer on the second). Skydance is adding three more executive producers — David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Marcy Ross –, with Carolyn Harris overseeing the project for them. Paramount Television will, of course, be co-producing. No projected premiere date as yet, but the series will stream on Amazon Prime Video.

All I can say is, I hope they put a lot of time and care into getting the Reacher character and the tone of the series right. This could be a great TV franchise, but they gotta please the existing fanbase. Let’s hope Santora et al. take they’re queue from the fans’ outcry regarding the Cruise films and dedicate themselves to more closely honoring the source material. Keep ’em in line, Mr. Child!

Fan-Cast: Jack Reacher

Two weeks ago, I talked about three book series I enjoy reading and their respective main characters: Vince Flynn’s “Mitch Rapp”, Brad Thor’s “Scot Harvath”, and Lee Child’s “Jack Reacher”. Last week, I attempted to fan-cast the first two, and today I’m gonna try the third. And it ain’t easy! As you probably know, there was already a Reacher movie starring Tom Cruise. But, I prefer to think of it as belonging to an inconsequential, alternate universe. If there is any chance of a new movie or TV series starring Reacher, I have a couple ideas about what kind of person should be cast. (Hint: No one under 6’4″ allowed!)

Jack Reacher sketch by illustrator (and fan) Howard Chaykin

When Lee Child’s “Jack Reacher” novel series begins, it has been only a few months since his discharge from the Army, and Reacher is roughly 36 or 37. By the time of the events of Echo Burning (Reacher #5), based on a few comments Reacher makes, he is 40 — maybe 41. Whether they start a new TV/movie series with the story from Killing Floor (Reacher #1) or a little later, we probably don’t want anyone younger than 35, unless they make him up to look just a little older. Plus, he needs to have a certain “hardness” about him. On the other end of the age scale, a youthful 45 is probably our maximum, if we want to stay reasonably close to the source material. (I’m actually more flexible on the age issue for Reacher than I am on his physical size & build.)

He is described as being neither ugly nor exceptionally attractive. He is 6’5″, very solidly built and mostly muscle, but he doesn’t work out and would not have much muscular definition. Thus, he should look more like a slab of beef than a chiseled bodybuilder. He weighs at least 250lbs (“18 stone”), sometimes closer to 270lbs. It’s also said he has a 50″ chest (though that might be slight exaggeration), dirty blond hair, and blue eyes.

I know this will sound like a pun, but it’s absolutely true: Reacher’s size is a big part of who he is as a character. (On the other hand, he shouldn’t be too tall, either, so I did not consider anyone over 6’7″.) As I indicated in my very first post for this blog, it is for these reasons (and others) that I would never have cast Cruise in the role, no matter how “big” a star he is. He doesn’t fit for so many reasons. Then again, who does? This role is much harder to cast for than Scot Harvath and at least as hard as casting the dusky-skinned Mitch Rapp.

Of course, attractiveness is a subjective thing, but whoever gets cast for Reacher might need some makeup to make him less handsome. Also, a lot of guys this size, whether in show biz or sports or both, work out to try to get more definition, so some candidates might actually have to stop working out for awhile or do something else to reduce the definition, probably by adding some body fat. (Six-pack abs not allowed!) Joe Manganiello (6’5″,b.1976) would have been considered, but he spends a lot of time on sculpting his body — I recently saw a new book (Evolution) he has about his workouts, and he is definitely “cut” — and would probably not agree to erasing all of that hard work. But, I do have a few ideas for who might.

First, though, I’ll mention that Dolph Lundgren (6’5″,b.1957) would have been considered if he was 20 years younger. Same goes for Brian Steele (6’7″,b.1956), who has played a ton of Hollywood creatures over the years. Conrad Goode (6’5.5″,b.1962) would have been *perfect* — check out some of his IMDB pics — but he’s over 50, now, too. Any of them would have been great. I looked at Rory McCann (6’6″,b.1969), but I don’t think he has the right look. I considered Derek Mears (6’5″,b.1972), who is in his early 40s (but might still pass for a few years younger), but I’m not sure he has the right look, either. On the other end of the age scale, I thought Yuriy Kolokolnikov (6’5″,b.1980), who recently played the leader of a tribe of cannabilistic warrior mercenaries in “Game of Thrones”, was worth a look. But, even if he bulked up quite a bit, he is too young-looking. This brings us to my final three candidates to play our reluctant hero….

Jack Reacher

Marc Gibbon

Mark Gibbon (6’5″,b.1970+?)

I could not find anywhere online that gives Gibbon’s birthdate or approximate age. But, based on his looks and length of career, I am guessing he was born around 1970 — give or take a couple years. This just barely keeps him in the running. He has a good look for the part and is big without looking like he works out all the time. (Maybe some, but not much muscular definition.) Gibbon’s genre work is extensive and includes appearances in “The X-Files”, “Stargate SG-1”, “Smallville”, as well as in movies like The Chronicles of Riddick, Underworld: Awakening, and Man of Steel. He is known for his deep voice (and has done genre voice work), which I think would be great for Reacher.

 

Wladimir Klitschko

Wladimir Klitschko (6’6″,b.1976; heavyweight boxing champ)

Klitschko may seem like an unusual choice, and he does have very limited “acting” experience (e.g., Ocean’s Eleven, Pain & Gain), so he’ll need some lessons (and a voice coach). But, he is definitely the right size and build; and, as a heavyweight boxing champ, he is obviously in good shape and should be up for a very physical role. Obviously, he works out, but he’s not overdeveloped, and I’m sure he could lose some of it for the role. He is the youngest of the three and, of course, he is also known for dating actress Hayden Panettiere (seen pic). I wonder what he would look like as a blonde….

 

Adam Copeland

Adam Copeland (6’5″,b.1973)

I’m not a big wrestling fan, but if you are, you might know Copeland as “Edge” from WWE/WWF. Copeland has had a recurring role on the TV series “Haven” since 2011, which is where I became aware of him, but he also appeared in the series “Sanctuary” and starred in the movie Bending the Rules. He’s been trying to get more acting roles, so maybe this is it. He has the height and build for Reacher; plus, unlike the other two, he wouldn’t need to dye his hair. (And, he’s not a jerk like his wrestling character.) Copeland is square-jawed, barely 40 (but can pass for younger), and as of now, he is probably my favorite choice to play Reacher. (Although, a combination of Copeland and Gibbon would be better.)

There are other muscular guys of roughly the desired height, of course. But, they are either way too huge or “ripped” (e.g., Dwayne Johnson, Rob Archer), have no acting experience (e.g., various athletes) or desire to, the wrong ethnicity, the wrong age, or some combination thereof. So, given the limited choices, I think the candidates I came up with are pretty good. I’ll stay on the lookout for “the perfect Reacher”, though. Do you have any suggestions?

EXTRA BONUS: Here is Duncan Munro, “the Aussie Jack Reacher”, roasting Lee Child while in character (sort of) as Reacher!

Three Don’t-Mess-With-Me Novel Heroes

1st “Mitch Rapp” novel

This is for the bibliophiles among you…

For the past couple of years, I’ve been enjoying reading some action/adventure/thriller novels by three different authors — four of each, as of this writing. The first is the series by the late Vince Flynn that stars “Mitch Rapp“. Second are the “Scot Harvath” books by Brad Thor. The only problem with these two series is that the characters are so similar that I sometimes get them (and their previous adventures) mixed up. It’s not that Rapp and Harvath are carbon-copies. They aren’t, really. But, I just can’t read them too closely together. Consider…

 

1st “Scot Harvath” novel

They are both highly-trained federal agents/intelligence operatives in their early- to mid-30s. Each of them often works solo (or almost) and likes it that way, usually on counterterrorist operations (including assassination), sometimes involving going undercover and/or hostage-rescue. Smart. Stubborn. American patriots who aren’t afraid to bend the rules when necessary. (Think: Jack Bauer “meets” Jason Bourne, minus the amnesia.) They each have a high-ranking boss/advocate in the intelligence community and a good relationship with the President himself — especially since both Rapp and Harvath rescued their respective Presidents in their first chronicled adventures. Neither hero has much of a personal life and both have trouble maintaining a romantic relationship, for both personal and professional reasons. Still, I like both characters, partly because they are so good at what they do and because their different “origin” stories and relationships with various supporting characters — good, bad, and in-between — make them interesting individuals who have entertaining (for the reader) adventures.

1st “Jack Reacher” novel

The third series of books I have been enjoying is the “Jack Reacher” stuff by Lee Child. Reacher has some similarities to Rapp and Harvath, but he is also quite different. The first Reacher novel takes place shortly after he was forced to retire from the Military Police — after 17 years, with rank of Major — and assumed a nomadic lifestyle, traveling with only the clothes on his back and a toothbrush. So, he’s even more of a loner than Rapp or Harvath. He’s a man of very few words, as indicated by the recurring narrative line, “He said nothing.” Reacher doesn’t go looking for trouble, but trouble tends to find him. He doesn’t make friends easily, but if one of the few (either old or new) needs assistance, Reacher will do what he can to help, especially if he perceives some injustice being done. He’s a pretty big dude (6’5″, ~250+ lbs.), clever, observant, resourceful, a no-nonsense streetfighter, and he lives by a unique set of rules. (If you’re curious, go to the bookstore or library and check out Jack Reacher’s Rules.) All of this makes for an intriguing, fairly unique character and “fun” stories.

So, if you enjoy action/adventure stories, spy thrillers, and somehow haven’t latched onto one or more of these series/heroes, I strongly urge you to check ’em out! (And, if all you read is sci-fi/fantasy or comic books, then for goodness sake, try something new!) You can thank me later.