Killing Floor
Ratings273
Average rating3.7
I really wanted to love this as I'd heard how good the series was and was looking forward to going through them...but! Perhaps the later ones are more nuanced but in this one all the characters seem to have been taken out of the big book of clichés and they felt like they had been written by a 15 year old who'd watched too many action films. I don't mean to be overly harsh but it really disappointed me, especially as the plot was easily predicted with not one surprising turn in the whole thing.
Lots of ‘let me educate you a bit' sidetracks from the main plot slowed down the momentum.
The mystery was nicely complex so you didn't figure it out too soon.
Lots of descriptions that can be pretty gruesome at times.
A primera vista, Margrave parece uno de esos pueblos apacibles donde nunca pasa nada. Jack Reacher, un exmilitar convertido en trotamundos, acaba de llegar allí y tarda menos de una hora en comprobar que las apariencias engañan. Detenido mientras desayunaba en una cafetería, Reacher, el único fo...
Read this book because of the series “Reacher.”
I didn't like the style of writing very much. There were lots of very short sentences, which disturbed my reading flow a bit.
Imagine a 90s B-action-movie.
OK, you got the story.
My main issue with this book is the writing style which is nothing else then very short sentences next to very short sentences that are followed by even shorter sentences. If you can get into the flow you will stop noticing it, but then from time to time you just can't and will start tripping like you would walk in pitch black night deep in a even darker forrest.
That and the fact that is just strange someone can go around murder a shit load of people and just walk away. That is just a level too much ‘Murica' for me.
Nice as a brain clearing reading, but not something I could do all the time.
Still, I will try to read one or two more from this series, just to see if it goes on like this.
Firstly, I'm more of a fantasy or sci-fi man myself, so this wasn't a book that I would usually read (or listen to in this case). Crime thrillers don't particularly capture my attention but with Jack Reacher by Lee Child I thought I'd try something different. Jack is an ex-military cop who drifts from town to town, gets involved in mischief, kills bad guys, gets the girl, acts first then thinks later, etc. He's what Americans would call a “bad- ass”. I'm not going to provide a summary of the story, the blurb on the jacket does a great job at that, suffice to say that it reads like something out of a 1980s action movie.
As I listened to the audiobook I noticed that the narrator frequently paused. When checking out the text in the book itself I realised that this was due lots of remarkably short, sharp and punchy sentences (possibly to try to build up the suspense and tension?) and its all written in the first person. I can image that it would be a somewhat irritating novel to read because of this.
The characters themselves were very stereotypical: the lead was a tough male and not a particularly complex character: ex-military with black and white attitudes when it came to situations. Perhaps Reacher is developed more in further books in the series? At no point did you worry that he would be killed off despite the various threats to his life.
I felt somewhat sorry for the “strong” female character in the book: Roscoe. Although she is Reacher's girlfriend she seems to be constantly the victim, requiring his protection and when she does come up with some theories on why the events are happening in the way they are, she turn out to be wrong. I guess my point is why try to promote her as this “strong” person when she's clearly just another character?
Anyway, Reacher's logical analysis of situations, interspersed with extreme violence, is what draws you into this book. The plotting is well placed leaving the reader wondering how Reacher will survive in the circumstances he finds himself in, but you know he always will ... somehow.
Of course the plot is unbelievable and improbable but the book certainly was clever, entertaining and very well controlled when it came to letting the story slowly unfold. This is entertaining fiction and while there are lots of convenient coincidences they all add to the enjoyment. Child also clearly put some effort into researching impressive facts concerning how money flows in a country to what sort of damage a specific weapon or bullet will do.
Overall I enjoyed this book much more than I was expecting to, and I think others will enjoy it too. This isn't a book for younger readers as some of the violence is graphic making it probably one of the best examples of man-lit (is that a real word?) around. I'm happy enough to give some more of the books in the series a read based on what's on offer here.
“Evaluate. Long experience had taught me to evaluate and assess. When the unexpected gets dumped on you, don't waste time. Don't figure out how or why it happened. Don't recriminate. Don't figure out whose fault it is. Don't work out how to avoid the same mistake next time. All of that you do later. If you survive.”
― Lee Child, Killing Floor
Lee Child is the Mariah Carey of hack writers; in the course of his story he hits every cliche in the Bad Writing Inflictionary. I suspect the manner in which some of the characters meet their grisly end faithfully depicts the way he creates his characters and plot with equally gruesome results. If you like your bodies stacked like cordwood, stick with James Ellroy.
Good story, competent (sometimes overly so) main character, but a little long-winded.
A really quite brilliant book. The last 200-250 pages are absolutely incredible as more plot twists unfold and the action ramps up. Imagine Jack Reacher as James Bond but with less tech and not working for anybody but himself. Fantastic read. Arguably the best action story I've read so far. On to the remaining 20-odd Reacher books 👌🏼
A good thriller from Lee Child introducing Jack Reacher but somewhere it lacks the punch. The storyline is little predictive. I feel that successive Jack Reacher novels are more polished than this. Anyways it is still a goodread and you will enjoy it.
I figured I'd give the Jack Reacher series a try with Killing Floor and I'm glad I got to see Lee Child's work. The book isn't anything amazing by far but it's a well-built story that works.
There are times where the story seemed sluggish and areas where improbable things happened too much but Child ran to the other end of the spectrum with page-turning scenes that made the book very enjoyable.
Most of the ‘gotcha' parts of the plot are easily seen ahead of time but Child doesn't pull any funny-business and keeps it simple. There's no twist out of nowhere that caused me to put the book down.
My main issue with Child's writing is his lack of full sentences. At least 30% of the book has fragmented sentences that are too casual and distracting from the flow. I also felt there was very little given into the history of Jack Reacher.
Overall, the book is a good read if you're looking for something slightly serious and if you're willing to slosh through the slower portions. Overall, not too bad.
The literary equivalent of a coca cola and bag of m&m's - enjoyable but not very nutritious.
I first read Killing Floor back in ‘97 when it was first published. I thought it was a powerfully good story then. Still a damn good read 22 years later.
I reckon Lee Child read a lot of John D. MacDonald and Robert B. Parker before he created Jack Reacher. Not a copy of their work at all as Child's style is different; but still, I can feel the ghosts of Travis McGee and Spencer when I read a Jack Reacher story.
4.5 stars on re-read.
4.5⭐️
Really really enjoyed this, fast paced, funny and exactly what i needed to read!
A bit ridiculous and American. Reads like a Matt Damon movie, or Tom Cruise it turns out. I don't plan on continuing with this particular franchise.
My dad has been in hospital the past few weeks and had been listening to some audio books as a way to pass the long hours, and whilst preparing this first Jack Reacher book on his MP3 player it reminded me that I still had to give Lee Child's hero a try.
So initially I started off the book a little more slowly than I'd hoped, I kind of limped through the first few chapters. I picked it up and put it down, picked it up again and read a little then stalled again. Then suddenly around Chapter 5 something happened and suddenly Mr Reacher & I just clicked.
From that point on I was hooked, the book just pulled me in and the storyline moved up into a higher gear. The story of a man shot in a small town and a drifter passing through conveniently having the blame pinned on him began to shift and change, links began to fall into place and a real conspiracy began to take shape.
This was a whole different book to that of James Patterson who is the king of short snappy chapters to keep you guessing. Child instead weaves a more sophisticated story, long leisurely chapters designed to pull you in deeper. His writing and hero seemed more intelligent, more gritty than those of Mr Patterson.
I'm definitely feeling book withdrawal symptoms now this book has finished and as my dad spends even more time in hospital I know he'll love having the next few Reacher adventures to pass the time. I'm absolutely certain it won't be long till I dive into another story with Mr Jack Reacher.
The idea for the book was good but at one point it became a little bit boring. It was enjoyable. Will still read his other books.
This bookgot 2 starts as Twilight got 1. It was better than Twilight but this is the only good thing I can say about it.
I was so disappointed with this book. Main character was quite boring and the plot... Coincidence after coincidence. The main idea for a plot was interesting, saying this the whole talk about american money being so superior to other currency made me laugh really hard. So much of american patriotism forced through readers throat wasn't pleasant.
Funnily enough this book and its main plot have lots in common for me. I never saw american dollars until half a year ago. I was really curious how this famous currency look in real life - not only on tv. I still remember how disappointed I was with the awful quality of the print, material and texture. It looked like it was printed using old needle printer popular in 80s. The same way I was feeling about this book. So much hype for really disappointing outcome.
This book started as a random 3 star read. Then a twist early on raised it to 4 stars, all the way to chapter 32, when a single conversation between two characters made it 5 stars immediately.
This is your standard well written crime thriller, with your standard tough guy, who's determined, well trained and likes solitude. A few good twists. Very easy to digest writing style from an author, who seems to have done his research on the topic he writes about.
And then there's chapter 32, where we meet a whole new character - for like 3 pages. They talk and it barely has anything to do with the plot. But it was just so beautiful. It made me like this author, and the way he looks at the world so much.
A great first instalment. Made me excited for the rest of the series.