The turf war between the Ukrainians and Albanians along with the looming threat of the Russians stepping up to fill in a power vacuum weave a bit of complexity into an otherwise straightforward plot and seed some twists and turns that most readers won’t see coming. The bad guys-mostly Ukrainian and Albanian mobsters-are really, really bad, and they go about being bad in some creative and at times frightening ways. And the chance encounter-Reacher preventing Aaron Shevick from getting mugged outside a bus station-gets the plot motor firing quickly. Their age, fragility, and impoverished circumstances make the Shevick family sympathetic enough to give readers someone to root for, especially as the reason for their predicament becomes known: a sick daughter in need of obscenely expensive medical treatments. Here, the victim role falls to an older couple, up to their eyeballs in debt to Ukrainian loan sharks. Reacher novels almost always feature some kind of victim-in-distress scenario and a chance encounter at the beginning of the book, putting Reacher in a position to help someone deserving. With its intriguing plot elements and pacing that’s fast without ever feeling rushed, I think most readers would agree that Blue Moon is hard to put down. There’s a clever escalation of story starting with Reacher’s small act of kindness outside a bus station in an unnamed city, leading, step by surprising step, to a classic underdog conflict between Reacher (with a few ragtag allies) and two dangerous, well-funded, and highly motivated crime organizations. There’s a classic “stranger cleans up a bad town” plot here that is plenty familiar but smartly imagined, with welcome brushstrokes of originality. There’s a ton the author gets right here, and I wasn’t bored for a minute. In short, Blue Moon is a solid, well-told thriller that delivers on what readers want from the series. With crisp, muscular prose Child’s action choreography is first-rate, and the suspenseful, exciting story continuously surprises. But none of this keeps Blue Moon from being savagely entertaining from the first page to the last.
Plot dominates characterization here, and the body count is high enough to surprise even some of Child’s most loyal readers. Jack Reacher is back in one of his most action-packed stories of the series.
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His fall 2019 release Blue Moon has given me plenty to think about-especially in light of Child’s decision to hand the series over to his brother Andrew Grant and the possibility that this transition may already be underway. I write about Lee Child often because I love his work and think there’s a lot to be learned from him.
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As a professional editor, I’m a longtime admirer of what Lee Child does well and, at times, a constructive critic of what I believe he could do better. Author’s note: As a reader, I’m a loyal fan of the Jack Reacher series, awaiting each release with rabid anticipation.
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