Killing Floor by Lee Child, Book Review

I just finished my very first Lee Child book and I am happy to say I have found a new favorite author. Killing Floor is the first book in the Jack Reacher series and I am excited to jump into another installment of Mr. Child’s smart crime series.

I am a big Michael Connelly fan, so while I wait for his next release I was searching for something close to his style of writing. I can’t say that all fans of Michael Connelly would equally enjoy Lee Child because while Mr. Connelly writes with a poetic flowing rhythm, Lee Child writes with a breathless raw energy that is at times almost too gritty.

Jack Reacher is a mid thirties guy that is just coming out off a lifetime of military service. He is hard boiled and he might even give Dirty Hairy the creeps. But the truth is that everyone loves characters that shock and surprise us. Even though there were times in the novel when I had a hard time distinguishing between the good guys and the bad guys, that raw gritty texture is what kept this novel interesting and exciting.

Trying to decide if you should read the Killing Floor? Well I’ll lay it out this way, it has the shocking power of a bloody Tarantino movie and the smart crime mysteries of a Michael Connelly novel. I know I just mixed movies and books in that example, but since books don’t come with a rating system I have to give you some kind reference point.

In summary, it’s an exciting and powerful book and I look forward to the next installment. If blood and violence don’t bother you then I would highly suggest this book, but if CSI leaves you queasy, you might want to pass.

Rating: 8 out of 10