Review: Insightful? Not Like You Hoped. Entertaining? Of Course.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 20, 2011
Second Son is not the backstory that provides the AHA! moment explaining how Reacher became Reacher. If that's what you're looking for, expect disappointment. What this novella does provide, is yet another piece to the ever-expanding, always-captivating world that Child has created. I didn't love everything about this short story. I wasn't quite sold on Reacher's maturity, and I thought the mental leaps that had him resolving two separate mysteries were thin. Yet, I was entertained and happy to be back in Reacher land, and there are insights to be gained. Being the new kid over 40 times by your mid-teens would definitely foster a hard outer shell. Being protective of an older brother with oodles of smarts, but no killer instinct might lead to a propensity to look out for the taken advantage of or mistreated. As always, Child's prose is terse and sharp. The action is fast and brutal. The haloed vigilante deals out his personal execution of judgement on those most deserving of it. Second Son is a supporting player in the Reacher canon. Accept it for what it is, and you'll have fun with it like I did.