... the writing style is ever-so-slightly different (Child’s writing is terser than Child and his brother) but the story is just as powerful ... Capitalizing on his size and intensity (a controlled rage bottled up in the form of a sledgehammer) we are reminded once again why Reacher is one of the coolest characters to ever wander around a topnotch thriller like this one ... fresh, lands a lot of unexpected punches and keeps you on edge to the very end. It’s a compulsively readable thriller that proves the series is primed to continue on at the highest level for many years to come.
Though recent books might have become a tad formulaic, Child’s latest thriller is the freshest, most original Jack Reacher novel in years, which could have something to do with Andrew Child, coming on to co-author for the first time. Either way, this entry—the 25th in Child’s series—packs a six-foot-five punch and takes readers on a wild, thoroughly entertaining ride ... Whereas Reacher might have felt more like John Wick in the last book than the lovable nomad fans have come to know and appreciate over the last two decades, Child has found a terrific balance here. While still a stone-cold badass, the Reacher this time around better resembles the Reacher from earlier books—a hero with a controlled rage bottled up in the form of a sledgehammer. It works for all the right reasons, capitalizing on his size and intensity, reminding readers once again why Reacher is one of the best characters to ever wander around the thriller genre ... Fresh, perfectly plotted, and packed with action, The Sentinal is one of the year’s beat, must-read thrillers . . . and proves that this series is primed to continue on at the highest level for many years to come.
Implausible, sure ... We tell ourselves stories in order to tune the fuck out, sometimes ... It doesn’t matter that we’re not exactly dealing with John le Carré and George Smiley here. Child has a very particular set of skills. Skills he has acquired over a very long career. Skills that make him a nightmare for readers who have to get up in the morning ... Reacher may lack the self-questioning complexity of Smiley or the queasy nuance of Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley, but Child makes his simplicity a virtue ... Apparently two Childs are as good as one, as I wouldn’t have known The Sentinel was coauthored if it didn’t say so on the cover. As ever, the prose is utilitarian, no cream or sugar, like Reacher’s coffee. Words impart information. Sentences tell you what is happening ... Nothing fancy: that’s the way to write a good thriller ... Of course there are nits to pick ... Reacher is supposed to be a math whiz, but he believes that 'forty-eight hours' is three words. The bad guys are awfully gullible this time around ... but I’ll be reading the twenty-sixth Jack Reacher novel.
