You might be tempted to think I picked up this book because I’ve started watching the show based on it starring Jeff Bridges. You might be right – that’s actually something I do, watching a movie or series, realizing it’s based on a novel and take a look at the source material. That’s how I discovered the Reacher series a way back, amongst other stuff.
There’s also the fact I turned 40 at the start of this year, so now I’m starting to feel old myself. I can totally relate to the old man. Except for all the killing and stuff, obviously. And the dogs.
I don’t have dogs. Then again, I haven’t been living for more than 35 years under a false name. (Now that I come to think about it, maybe I’m not that old altogether.)
But the Old Man has, and while he thought his old life to be dead and buried in the ground, life has a way to come back and haunt you. Could the ghosts of his past really come back to haunt him after all this time?
It can, and watching him being smart and clever and showing the younger talents sent after him that even as an old fart he’s still a league above them (at least) is quite fun.
It’s a page turner (and yes, the series took many liberties deriving from the script, I can tell that much after the first 4 episodes), an exciting thriller that’s perfect for this time of the year.
I’ll rate it 4 stars, because there are a few things that where left too open ended for my taste. I’m missing the final conclusion to Zoe’s fate, for an instant. And I think the first event that set everything into motion is a little hollow. (The series hasn’t revealed everything yet, but it’s clear they are constructing it in a different way, maybe even a better and more relatable one.) The daughter’s role in the novel is a very meager sideshow that could have been so much more – wait until you see the series, where she’s so much more than just 4 pages.
Crossing the Pond Reviews 