You know from what I’ve written previously that I am a big fan of Harlan Coben and I have enjoyed all his books, especially those featuring Myron Bolitar. I have also read all Lee Child’s Jack Reacher and enjoyed them all, to a greater or lesser extent, although I did say in an earlier piece that I felt they were getting just a little stale. Anyway, although I have nonetheless enjoyed them both, I have found myself just a little disappointed with the most recent publications from Harlan and Lee.
Starting with the most recent Jack Reacher books, you might recall that I said earlier that, as I was beginning to think the books were getting just a little stale (although still very enjoyable), it was interesting that Lee Child was handing over responsibility for them to his brother, Andrew. I wondered if this might be the injection which they needed and I was waiting the publication of ‘The Sentinel’ with interest. Well, it came out in October 2020 and it duly arrived on my Kindle on publication date and I have to say that, in my view, it is certainly different! Obviously, you will make up your own minds about it but, while it is a good enough read, I do feel the influence of Andrew Child has changed things quite substantially and this is echoed in some of the reviews I have read. For me, quite a lot about Jack Reacher has changed. He still behaves in much the same way, says the same things and wins all of his fights but he seems to speak a little differently – I found myself saying ‘Jack Reacher wouldn’t have said that’ on a number of occasions and I wasn’t warming to him as much as usual. Having said this, I accept that this might just be the shot in the arm the books and the character of Reacher were looking for. The next book ‘Better Off Dead’ came out in October 2021 and, honestly, I and read it with an open mind!
I liked the second one better than the first, although I really must emphasise that they were both decent reads, but there is no doubt in my mind that they are different and I am afraid that I don’t think they are as good as the books that preceded them. I feel we are dealing with a slightly different character and that is fine. After all, I was saying myself that I felt something new or different was needed. I just don’t feel entirely happy with what I’ve got and I would like to hear other readers’ views. Having said that, I won’t stop reading them. They’re still absolutely fine and a good member of the detective fiction portfolio but, for me, not the key player that they have been up to now. Let’s see what the next one looks like – I think it’s out later in the year.
So, that’s Lee Child and on to Harlan Coben whose new book ‘Win’ was published in March 2021 and which I finished just before writing this. Win is Windsor Horne Lockwood 111 and he has featured in many, if not all, of the Myron Bolitar series. However, in these books, he usually has fairly minor parts whereas, as the title suggests, he is the principal character in this one. Win is a rather quirky character, a multi-millionaire and very much part of the traditional, great and the good of the USA. As well as seemingly unlimited wealth and a very high opinion of himself, he is trained in all manner of fighting methods and can be very violent, verging on the psychopathic. Of course, he only uses these skills for good purposes, in a fairly vigilante style on his own account or else to help out Myron. I have found him entertaining in the past and also quite amusing and I was looking forward to the new book appearing.
Now, what I would say first if all is that I did enjoy the book. I got a little bit lost with the plot and the multifarious characters but, overall, it was a good read and well-written as is always the case with Harlan Coben. My only problem with it was that I think there was just a bit too much of Win himself and, at times, I was finding that I didn’t really like him much. That’s okay, of course, and I even think that it is quite a clever trick if an author to have you dislike the central character who is effectively the ‘hero’. I just felt that his smug, self-admiring manner was a bit too much at times. Nothing wrong with the writing and I would certainly read another one, mainly because I rate Harlan Coben so highly, but it just ‘didn’t quite do it’ for me and I will be interested to read the reviews. All in all, I have found this quite a strange experience as I am so used to praising the authors I like! Feedback on all three very welcome!