"As the ultimate outsider, Reacher brings a fresh, if cynical, perspective to a world that he never made - and can't wait to escape..." The New York Times
US
UK
Reacher is approached by a Secret Service agent who makes a highly unusual request. "I want to hire you to assassinate the Vice President of the United States," she says. She's the newly appointed head of the VP's security detail and wants Reacher to try and penetrate her team's shield, testing its efficacy against a genuine attack. Reacher has the skills and the stealth, and he's totally anonymous - how better to check security? What she doesn't tell Reacher is that a very determined and deadly team of assassins already has the VP in its sights. These men are skilled killers, but they've overlooked one key element - the presence of the equally lethal Reacher.
US
Putnam hardcover May 2002 Buy Now!
Jove mass-market paperback March 2003 0515135283 Buy Now!
Berkley trade paperback December 2005 0425207609 Buy Now!
Putnam Kindle ebook September 2003 B0000DHX8T Buy Now!
Brilliance Audio May 2002 Unabridged 1590860624 Buy Now!/ Abridged 1590860659 Buy Now!
UK
Bantam UK hardcover April 2002 Buy Now!
Bantam UK paperback April 2003 0553813439 Buy Now!
REVIEWS
If Without Fail doesn't hook you on Lee Child, I give up. In what may be the best of Child's austere thrillers, Jack Reacher, a rootless ex-military cop who emerges from the shadows of his carefully guarded anonymity to play the series fix-it man, is given the assignment of his career: to assassinate the newly elected vice president... Because Reacher is a hero-for-hire with little back-story baggage to haul around, each book offers virgin territory for Child to explore. Here it's the covert operations of the federal government's offices of internal security, whose arcane procedures and eerily detached personnel are every bit as baffling as the assassination conspiracy. As the ultimate outsider, Reacher brings a fresh, if cynical, perspective to a world that he never made—and can't wait to escape.
—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times
I love this series featuring Jack Reacher, the eccentric, solitary investigator who takes only work that means something to him personally. Irresistible.
—Margaret Cannon, The Globe & Mail (Toronto)
If you haven't been reading Lee Child then you have my sympathy. You're missing one of the most intriguing characters in suspense fiction. This year's release, Without Fail is his best yet. Jack Reacher is an action hero for the 21st century. Move over Lucas Davenport and Harry Bosch. Reacher has all their smarts with no emotional baggage other than wanderlust. If forced to pick my current favorite thriller author I wouldn't even hesitate ... without fail, it's Lee Child.
—Dede Anderson, TheMysteryReader.com
Child's plot is ingenious, his characters are first-rate, and his writing is fine indeed. I don't often shed tears over fictional folk, but he makes the unexpected death of one character genuinely moving. And his lyrical description of a Wyoming sunrise, too long to quote here, reflects his love of his adopted country. This is a superior series.
—Patrick Anderson, Washington Post Book World
The most frequently asked question I get as a reviewer is "Who is your favorite author?" There is one test that helps me address this FAQ: Would I pay the full price for the book in a bookstore? [I would buy anything by] Lee Child, who may be the best thriller writer in the business. Without Fail is his sixth novel; his series figure, Jack Reacher, is convincingly tough, clear-headed, and street smart [and] everything falls into place like a well-assembled time bomb.
—Robin W. Winks, The Boston Globe 4/28/2002
I just finished Lee Child's latest Jack Reacher novel, Without Fail, and the breadth and audacity of this series continue to amaze me. In one book, the ex-MP drifter with the seldom-talked-about past and way too much military training is digging swimming pools in Florida or helping a Texas rancher's wife out of a domestic jam; the next, he's hired to try and kill the U.S. vice president-elect. He may not want trouble, but it sure seems to find him. Reacher's absolute confidence in his abilities, and his unerring sense of what is and isn't right, stands out in a world of conflicted detectives. I mean, this guy makes Spenser look like he has self-esteem problems. Yet, there's also a lot of wit in Without Fail, and even a certain amount of playfulness. There's a great "Forrest Gump"-like scene, in which Jack is sucked into a press interview with the VP-to-be, and asked his thoughts on the use of military force ("Yes, I still support overwhelming force. That's for sure. I support it big time. Always have, believe me"). And there's a small, tender scene of such powerful but unspoken passion between a man and a woman that the fact it doesn't lead anywhere will crack your heart. I've read three books in this series and I'm heading back to find the others. This is a men's adventure book for men or women who can read with their mouths closed and their minds (and hearts) open — smart, literate and just good old-fashioned thrilling. And always fascinating. Jack Reacher seems capable of being anywhere, and doing anything, and each book finds him somewhere else down the road, traveling through an America where the bad moon is always on the rise. Imagine Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer locked and loaded, and coming to town near you.
—Kevin Burton Smith, January Magazine contributor and editor/creator of The Thrilling Detective Web Site
