"In Jack Reacher we get a superhero, indomitable and ruthless yet also compassionate and occasionally gentle..." The Poisoned Pen
US
UK
In Jack Reacher, Lee Child has created an epic hero: tough, taciturn, yet vulnerable. His first three Reacher novels, Killing Floor, Die Trying and Tripwire, were published to great acclaim; Killing Floor was recently awarded the Anthony Award in America for the Best First Novel, and Die Trying was selected as a Thumping Good Read by W.H. Smith in the U.K. Lee was also cited as one of the current hot talents in crime writing by Mark Timlin at the crime writers' festival, Dead On Deansgate.
It's tough being a high-flying woman in the Army. Very tough. When Sergeant Amy Callan and Lieutenant Caroline Cook are found dead in their own homes—in baths filled with Army-issue camouflage paint, their bodies completely unmarked—Jack Reacher is under suspicion. He knew them both—and he knows that they both left the Army under dubious circumstances, both victims of sexual harassment. A former U.S. military policeman, a loner and a drifter, he matches the psychological profile prepared by the FBI, and is arrested by ambitious Special Agent, Julia Lamarr.
But when the body of another woman, Sergeant Lorraine Stanley, is discovered, killed with similar precision, Reacher is released. Everyone fears there is a serial killer on the loose. But the FBI have strong persuasive powers, and before long Reacher finds himself heavily involved in the murder investigation. What have these women got in common and why is someone out to do them harm?
In this magnificent and utterly ingenious thriller, Reacher once again saves the day, proving that he is a unique hero, capable of holding his own in any situation. Running Blind confirms that Lee Child is more than capable of challenging the established names currently writing in this genre.
Putnam hardcover July 2000
Jove mass-market paperback July 2001 0515130974
Berkley trade paperback September 2005 0425206238
Bantam hardcover April 2000
Bantam paperback April 2001 0553811886
Brilliance Audio July 2000 Unabridged 156740362X / CD 1596004916
Nova Audio Books June 2001 Abridged 1587883074
HarperCollins UK Audio April 2001 0007113579
REVIEWS
Jack Reacher, the wandering folk hero of Child's superb line of thrillers (Tripwire, etc.), faces a baffling puzzle in his latest adventure: who is the exceptionally crafty villain murdering women across the country, leaving the naked bodies in their bathtubs (which are filled with army camouflage green paint), escaping the scene and leaving no trace of evidence?
[There's] a showdown with a truly surprising killer in a tiny village outside Portland, Ore. [and] the book harbors two elements that separate it from the pack: a brain-teasing puzzle that gets put together piece by fascinating piece, and a central character with Robin Hood-like integrity and an engagingly eccentric approach to life.
—Publishers Weekly, June 2000
...deeply satisfying ... plan to stay up long past bedtime and do some serious hyperventilating toward the end.
—Kirkus
This fourth Reacher thriller is easily the best. The plot is a masterpiece ...
—Booklist
With numerous plot twists and turns, Child puts Reacher through his paces brilliantly, arriving at an unusual solution. Highly recommended ...
—Library Journal
I think (Running Blind/The Visitor) establishes the series for the long term. With this new book, Lee shows what a good writer he is—if anything, his writing has improved with each book He is a major, big time writer now. Reacher is great!
—Richard Katz, Mystery One Bookshop, Milwaukee
Lee Child has many gifts as a writer, not least of which is his ability to craft the iconic figure. In Jack Reacher we get a superhero, indomitable and ruthless yet also compassionate and occasionally gentle. His internal compass is firm and he sticks to his code. He's also gifted with curiosity and the tools needed to cut through whatever screens the opposition erects, to effect his own form of justice. I've seen him linked to the American paladin—curious in that Child is British, even if he's now settled in the States. His books make wonderful reads for both sexes and most ages.
—Barbara Peters, The Poisoned Pen, Arizona
Lee Child's Reacher is one of those superheroes we need more of in fiction and real life. It's as much fun to read of him getting into trouble as out of it. As tough as it is to improve on the terrific, Child and Reacher never fail—and never slow down.
—J B Dickey, Seattle Mystery Bookshop, Seattle
Lee Child is one of suspense writing's best kept secrets. What a pity! He should be read by everybody who admires tough heroes, tight plots and page turning thrills. Every book in the Jack Reacher series is a winner!
—Sally Owen, The Mysterious Bookshop, New York
In Running Blind/The Visitor, Lee Child delivers his trademark fast-paced, exciting, challenging puzzle. Jack Reacher and the reader must find a serial killer's identity and figure out not only why the victims are dying, but how. The twists and turns of the case are sure to captivate readers.
—Andi Romick-Allen, Piece of Mind Books, Illinois
Lee Child knows how to make the pages turn and the pulse race. With each Jack Reacher thriller he causes more and more sleepless nights, as readers devour one more chapter until the dawn's light.
—Joe Guglielmelli, Black Orchid, New York City
Lee Child is an instant best-seller at Murder Ink. Jack Reacher is the true modern American anti-hero.
—Tom Cushman, Murder Ink, New York City
In our modern re-cycling world where fictional characters are 'in the style of' or 'the next,' Lee Child's Jack Reacher stands alone as a new breed Like his ex-military police hero, Child's writing is taut, brawny and moves faster than a rifle shot. Reacher is no old school hero, blindly blasting away and then sifting through the remaining pieces. He brings his analytical mind to bear in each of his adventures, demonstrating depth and versatility. When there is a new Jack Reacher novel, my week is made. Anyone who hasn't tried Lee Child is cheating himself and missing out on the first new hero of the millennium.
—Marshall A Mintz, Partners & Crime, New York City
One of the most exciting thriller writers out there.
—Joe Draybyak, Chester County Book and Music Company, Pennsylvania
Jack Reacher is a crack marksman and top-notch investigator, and could outmuscle any Bruce Willis hero any days of the week. Lee Child's books get my highest recommendation.
—David Thompson, Murder by the Book, Houston
If you have not met Jack Reacher, you must! Lee Child has created a character who is extraordinary yet believable. Pick up one of his thrillers and you will be instantly hooked.
—Melissa Little, Chapter Eleven, Sandy Springs, Georgia
Jack Reacher is the perfect antihero—a tough man with a heart and soul He is a man looking for something...Go along with him on his quest.
—Tim Hayes, Chapter Eleven, Sandy Springs, Georgia
Lee Child has not yet made quite the impact he deserves. It is an illustration of Lee Child's potential that my proof had already been read by four people by the time I managed to lay my hands on it.
—Peter Donaldson, Red Lion Books, Colchester
When a first novel is as good a thriller as Killing Floor, the second, Die Trying, matches it and the third, Tripwire, is equally as good, it becomes apparent that the author might have got the knack. In Lee Child's Running Blind/The Visitor any lingering doubt is dispelled. This man has definitely mastered the art of suspense writing, equalling the very best that Gerald Seymour, Jack Higgins and Thomas Harris can offer. Jack Reacher has the air of a spaghetti-western-style Clint Eastwood. Fast moving, hard hitting, action packed—Child has quickly established himself as a name to trust and the thriller writer to watch for the new millennium.
—David Wilkerson, Heffers, Cambridge
