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Summary and Reviews of Without Fail by Lee Child

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Without Fail by Lee Child

Without Fail

A Jack Reacher Novel

by Lee Child
  • Critics' Consensus (4):
  • Readers' Rating (1):
  • First Published:
  • May 1, 2002, 384 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Mar 2003, 416 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

The suspense becomes nearly unbearable as Reacher closes in on his prey, leading to a brutal conclusion. Mix in a touching romance and one has a thriller of unequaled emotional depth.

With each new book, more and more join the chorus of praise for "one of the most original and daring heroes in suspense fiction" (The Providence Journal-Bulletin), Lee Child's ex-military cop Jack Reacher.

In Without Fail, Reacher is approached by a Secret Service agent who needs a favor. "I want to hire you to assassinate the Vice President of the United States," she asks. She is the newly appointed head of the VP's security detail and wants Reacher to try to penetrate her team's shield. He has the skills and the stealth, and no one knows him. How else can she be sure her protection is truly effective?

What she doesn't tell Reacher--but what he soon discovers--is that a very determined and deadly team of assassins has just put the VP in its sights. These men have planned well, but they haven't planned on Reacher. For only Reacher has the head and the heart to corner his prey and bring them to justice--without fail.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

Booklist - Wes Lukowsky
The suspense becomes nearly unbearable as Reacher closes in on his prey, leading to a brutal conclusion. Mix in a touching romance .... and one has a thriller of unequaled emotional depth.

Library Journal - Michele Leber
The political scene adds interest to Child's trademark intricate plotting, and, in his sixth adventure, Reacher becomes an even more rounded character, revealing some of his background as his intelligence, intuition, and physical prowess all shine. Child's Jack Reacher thrillers get better every time, and this is a knockout.

Kirkus Reviews
Relentlessly suspenseful and unexpectedly timely just the thing for Dick Cheney's bedside reading wherever he's keeping himself these days.

Publishers Weekly
... his most accomplished and most compelling to date....This Child's play will be a tough act to follow.

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Read-Alikes

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If you liked Without Fail, try these:

  • By the Time You Read This jacket

    By the Time You Read This

    by Giles Blunt

    Published 2008

    About this book

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    Detective John Cardinal is on the hunt for an ingenious killer even as he mourns his own wife’s tragic death in this thriller of heart-stopping suspense. Published in the UK as The Fields of Grief.

  • The Blade Itself jacket

    The Blade Itself

    by Marcus Sakey

    Published 2007

    About this book

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    Danny Carter started his life as a petty criminal, living from score to score with his friend Evan. Years later, Danny has built a new world for himself: a legitimate career, a girlfriend, and a clean conscience. He’s normal, successful. Happy. Until he spots his old partner staring him down in a smoky barroom mirror. Prison-hardened Evan, ...

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