Better Off Dead: A Jack Reacher Novel

Lee Child · Andrew Child

Oct 2021 · Jack Reacher Book 26 · Sold by Bantam

About this ebook

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Don’t miss the hit streaming series Reacher! 

Digging graves had not been part of my plans when I woke up that morning. 

Reacher goes where he wants, when he wants. That morning he was heading west, walking under the merciless desert sun—until he comes upon a curious scene. A Jeep has crashed into the only tree for miles around. A woman is slumped over the wheel.
 
Dead? No, nothing is what it seems. 

The woman is Michaela Fenton, an army veteran turned FBI agent trying to find her twin brother, who might be mixed up with some dangerous people. Most of them would rather die than betray their terrifying leader, who has burrowed his influence deep into the nearby border town, a backwater that has seen better days. The mysterious Dendoncker rules from the shadows, out of sight and under the radar, keeping his dealings in the dark.
 
He would know the fate of Fenton’s brother. 

Reacher is good at finding people who don’t want to be found, so he offers to help, despite feeling that Fenton is keeping secrets of her own. But a life hangs in the balance. Maybe more than one. But to bring Dendoncker down will be the riskiest job of Reacher's life. Failure is not an option, because in this kind of game, the loser is always better off dead.

Ratings and reviews

I've read the entire "Reacher" series to date. There has been a noticeable decline in the quality of the writing since Andrew has been involved. I've really struggled to even finish the last two books. I keep hoping that he will develop the skill of his brother. At this point it just seems like they're trying to squeeze the last few dollars out of the franchise. Not sure I'm going to put in the effort with future stories.

Another winner! This novel is fast paced Reacher at its' best. The story started with action and picked up in pace to a crazy conclusion that I didn't see coming. I found myself totally engrossed in the story and flipping pages just as quickly as possible. Don't start this one too late in the evening, as you won't be able to put it down. This is a must read for fans of the genre. The authors are on my must read authors' list.

the title is accurate. i haven't been able to enjoy a reacher book since the pipsqueek tom cruise totally ruined the character!

About the author

Lee Child is the author of twenty-five New York Times bestselling Jack Reacher thrillers, with sixteen having reached the #1 position, and the #1 bestselling complete Jack Reacher story collection, No Middle Name. Foreign rights in the Reacher series have sold in one hundred territories. A native of England and a former television director, Lee Child lives in New York City and Wyoming.

Andrew Child, who also writes as Andrew Grant, is the author of RUN, False Positive, False Friend, False Witness, Invisible, and Too Close to Home. Child and his wife, the novelist Tasha Alexander, live on a wildlife preserve in Wyoming. He is the co-author of the #1 bestselling Jack Reacher novel The Sentinel.