My Top Reads

Lee Child has for years been one of my must read authors. A guaranteed good read, his main character Jack Reacher appealed to me on many levels. A rough, tough, no-nonsense bloke and all around good guy, travelling around and learning about his country after a life time in the military. Finding himself in unusual situations (fantastical really) Reacher just does what he feels needs to be done with little fuss and generally saves the day. Sadly the Jack Reacher movie starring Tom Cruise in the role of Reacher pretty much ruined this for me. We all know the Reacher character is 6”5 and 250lbs – big and strong, but not overly fast due to his size. I understand it would have been practically impossible to find the right actor of this physical stature to play the part, but really, Tom Cruise?!

Its taken me a while to get over this, but I’m getting there. Night School, the new Jack Reacher thriller is sitting in on my to-read list and hopefully delivers the kind of reading enjoyment the early Reacher novels did. Meanwhile I’ve explored other authors who could be considered a similar style to Lee Child and found some amazing reads.

My top pick is New York Times bestselling author Robert Crais. His Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels began with The Monkeys Raincoat in 1987 and are followed by fifteen other titles in which the two very different men, friends and business partners, have evolved into complex enjoyable characters of which I can’t get enough. In the earlier novels Elvis, a Private Detective is the front man, the character we mainly connect with, while Joe Pike is the strong silent partner who steps up when needed. As the series develops so does Pike’s character, and we come to understand the events that made him into the man he is – a decorated war veteran, mercenary, a hunter of men, someone who never gives up. A man whose motto is to always move forward, as depicted in his forward pointing, red arrow tattoos on his arms. 

Author Robert Crais describes Joe Pike as “a conscious representative of our righteous rage at injustice. He is what happens when society fails."

Crais has also delivered great stand alone novels. Demolition Angel, Hostage and The Two Minute Rule are all titles I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good, well written thriller.

Reviewed by Cookie Fan 

Catalogue link: Night School

Catalogue link: Robert Crais