Killing Floor is the first Lee Child thriller to introduce his roaming Jack Reacher.
I had previously read One Shot and thought it would be good to see where the character originated.
Jack Reacher has no car, house or TV - He's a former military policeman who now lives life off the grid.
On the night he arrives in a sleepy Georgia town, two men are killed and he is seen walking along the deserted road nearby. Once he is taken in for questioning, he sees a pattern of police corruption and odd behaviour in the town itself. It's soon discovered that one of the men killed was Reacher's brother, working undercover with the FBI. Reacher's skills at observance and deduction quickly begins to win over the head detective, and a talented lady cop. Although he offers them new leads and insight into the killings, there is an exciting segment where he is thrown in prison overnight and wrongly placed right on the floor. Once out, he continues his quest to expose the corruption and free the town from the clutch of an evil enterprise, solve his brothers murder, fall in love, expose a counterfeit ring, kill four or five assassins at once, free some hostages, rescue some old black barbers, and clean out whatever else is in the kitchen sink.
This is a packed novel, and a solid thriller for a first novel. Lee Child used to write for television and for me, it was on the same level as a Willis/Stallone movie. Lots of action, unbelievable characters, explosive violence, the stranger who comes to clean up the sleepy main street - everything you'd like from an action movie. Not a lot of warmth, humour, or emotion.
Tom Cruise plays Jack Reacher in the current film, and although Jack is taller, better built, and blond, I still pictured Tom as I read the book. Once I got into mood of an action movie I felt free to enjoy it complete with eye rolling.
Jack Reacher is a unique character in thrillers, which is a hard thing to do. Although I thought it was completely unbelievable and many times over the top, Killing Floor is an exciting introduction to Lee Child. He has many fans, and I will continue to read Reacher novels as they seem to get better over time.
2006 / Paperback / 544 pages
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