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Summary and Reviews of Without Fail by Lee Child

Without Fail by Lee Child

Without Fail

A Jack Reacher Novel

by Lee Child
  • Critics' Consensus:
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  • 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.

Chapter 1

They found out about him in July and stayed angry all through August. They tried to kill him in September. It was way too soon. They weren't ready. The attempt was a failure. It could have been a disaster, but it was actually a miracle. Because nobody noticed.

They used their usual method to get past security and set up a hundred feet from where he was speaking. They used a silencer and missed him by an inch. The bullet must have passed right over his head. Maybe even through his hair, because he immediately raised his hand and patted it back into place as if a gust of wind had disturbed it. They saw it over and over again, afterward, on television. He raised his hand and patted his hair. He did nothing else. He just kept on with his speech, unaware, because by definition a silenced bullet is too fast to see and too quiet to hear. So it missed him and flew on. It missed everybody standing behind him. It struck no obstacles, hit no buildings. It flew on straight...

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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.

Reader Reviews

Pat Delaney

The premise of the story is a little hard to believe. Child's fans will like the detail, characters and authenticity included, but I felt the first two-thirds kind of bogged down.

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Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked Without Fail, try these:

  • By the Time You Read This jacket

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    Published 2008

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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

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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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