The fix was too short

What made the experience of listening to Never Go Back the most enjoyable?

Like Gregory House and Harvey Spector, Jack Reacher is one of those characters you wish were real and that you could be in their lives or live by their rules. Each book brings new lessons and observations on life. The satisfaction of hearing Jeff Harding say chapter one is one of the most pleasureable moments I know. And the moment Jack Reacher heads for the nearest bus station at the end is like mourning a loss. I only came across the Reacher series a year ago and I thought it would take forever to go through the whole set, but the 12 months have flown by. Now like all the other fans I am up to date and I am a Reacher addict waiting for my next fix. This one lasted less than 12 hours.....too short for such a hard addict. I was hooked on Harry Bosch and Harry Hole for a while, but they are class B drugs...sure they are pleasurable and hit the spot, but the cold trukey wears off quickly. I even tried a few tabs of Dave Gurney and Juan Cabrillo and they took my mind off Reacher for a few weeks. But now I got it bad. This new book touched all the buttons and then some. Pace, characters, stroy line, intrigue, action and dialogue were honed to perfection. A masteclass in being inside a fictional characters head and looking through their eyes, with no inhibitions on how to behave to get the job done.Mr Cruise, thank you for trying to portray JR and your recognition of the character, but please leave the rest of his books to our imagination and lets have our own trips of ecstasy

Who was your favorite character and why?

All the female parts...Lee Child understands the female internal voice well. I particularly liked Sam Dayton...I wish Reacher had taken her with him they would make a wonderful couple.

What about Jeff Harding’s performance did you like?

As comfortable as pipe and slippers

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

For sure.

Any additional comments?

To get my next fix I am going back to book one and starting the Jack Reacher series all over again. Hopefully when I finish it in 6 months, the next one will be out.....

9 people found this helpful

Reacher at his BEST!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Jack Reacher as he should be, finally got that vision of Tom Cruise out of my mind. Jack as he should be 6' 5" and hard as nails!

5 people found this helpful

Child in the Zone

Going back to this one felt like reaching back to when Jack Reacher was really Jack Reacher. The latest books are decent enough but they don't have this edge. This is what I want, the man himself up against the odds, fighting for his moral code. I want Child delivering in great, staccato style, simple truths and Jack's mindset stripped back to its lethal best. And the narration, granite tones, matter of fact, to the point.

Violence of course with Jack's wonderfully neutral appraisal of the situations he finds himself in. The famous Reacher investigative certainty which is fallible of course but his faith in his abilities and the inventiveness of his conclusions never fail to make me smile.

Child also delivers something else with this one in the form of two very strong female characters, both officers in the US military and they definitely add to the mix.

One of the better Reacher books.

9 people found this helpful

Not one of Reacher's best

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Reacher novels are always time well spent. The story moves along nicely. Reacher could easily come across as unrelatable, but Child manages to keep him human rather than a superman, despite his incredible fighting and analytical skills. The the books are good at getting into Reacher's head. For all that he says he chooses the roaming life, he spends time thinking about family, which makes me feel he is a melancholic character at heart.

Would you recommend Never Go Back to your friends? Why or why not?

I would recommend it to those who had read the most recent Reacher novels. It completes an arc, so it wouldn't be a good place to start with the series. It wasn't the best story - things seem to happen around Reacher without his involvement. But there was good character development, and it took twists and turns I didn't expect.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration mostly matched the pace of the story. I'm used to Dick Hill's narration on Reacher novels; this narrator sounded like a cross between Peter Weller and Zap Brannigan. Quite terse and clipped, with a slightly odd way of speaking. Fight scenes sometimes came across like lists of moves rather than a rapid sequence of actions. But he did well at creating distinct voices for different characters, and his female voices were particularly good.

Did Never Go Back inspire you to do anything?

Reacher novels always revolve around Reacher doing what he believes is the right thing. That inspires me to try to keep that approach to life.

3 people found this helpful

Another great Reacher story

I love all the Reacher books and have really liked the development of this story arc as he sets off to find the woman with the voice. This one is one of my favourites.
The great thing aBout Lee Childs is he writes women really well. They are strong confident characters in their own right and well rounded.
Jeff Hardings narration is once again excellent. His narration and Childs story is a match made in heaven.

5 people found this helpful

Jck is back!

Would you listen to Never Go Back again? Why?

Definitely. The story is good, the plot and arc drives the story on, and the narration is catching.

What other book might you compare Never Go Back to, and why?

Well, the other books by Lee Child, because he is consistence.
He reminds me a little bitt of David Baldacci in his way to build a plot you can believe in.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

When Reacher met an important person confined.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Actually I could not put it down, so I read it in one evenening and one night.

Any additional comments?

This book is a good example of how an arc can come to a conclusion without being to flamboyant. I feel the story tells about a modern Lone Ranger seeking something or someone, again and again. He may be hard, he may be scroupolus to the ones meaning him or others harm, but his heart is in the right place.

3 people found this helpful

Just go back a little Lee

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes of course it is a Reacher book.
Better than some recent ones but still not vintage.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I cannot answer that !!!

What about Jeff Harding’s performance did you like?

Along with the two guys that read the Baldachi books this guy is the best.

Did Never Go Back inspire you to do anything?

Oh absolutely
When finished I did some chores and even started talking to my family again.

Any additional comments?

We'll worth reading
And better than The Affair but not as good as 61 Hours and A Wanted Man.

2 people found this helpful

Typical Reacher

If you like Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels, then you'll like this. You'll know exactly what to expect and you'll get it. However if you're new to Reacher, there are better places to start, for example Killing Floor, the first Reacher novel. Be guided by the reviews. For me, this had a good premise and moved along nicely but the ending was a little lame. Jeff Harding's narration is good, with a wide range of voices and accents.

2 people found this helpful

Another great listen

Yet again another great from Jack Reacher, Lee Child never fails and great narration from Jeff Harding

better than the film

story is a little humourous and characters are different from the film, so is the story. For the better