This is my second Jack Reacher read. I think the author does a great job creating page turning excitement. Even though many of Reacher's exploits may seem over the top. They are achieved in a plausible way. Reacher's brother was a top level treasury department boss who was the top expert in money counterfitting. He came to a small town in Georgia to meet with a former bank executive who was having second thoughts about participating in the conspiracy. He was assassinated and brutally mutilated beyond recognition. Reacher, a former military officer and investigator, at the time, was basically a drifter. Coincidently, he decided to stop off in the town to find information about a long time favorite blues player of his who had been murdered years ago. The excitement begins and flows non stop until Reacher solves the case of his brothers murder as well as brings down the whole criminal operation which had corrupted much of the town. Top Notch.

I'm not sure how to explain this other than to say that the loner guy with a toothbrush in his pocket is an unbelievably sexy character. Maybe it's because you know that you'll never have to do his laundry or wash his dishes. Maybe it's because you know he doesn't snore (the guy hardly sleeps!). Who knows. But this is a thrilling, fast, fantasy book. It's not something you read for a college lit. course. It's not something you'd even read for a book club. It's a secret, private, sexy thrill. You just read it. And ENJOY.

A body is found in the antiseptic Georgia town so police do the only thing logical -- arrest the man just off the bus in a rainstorm, there to find out about the blind black blues singer from 60 years ago.

There's the state prison, the rich young ruler, the Harvard-educated policeman, a couple of elderly barbers, and the new guy, who, incidentally, is a West-Point graduate recently of the MP's. And a woman cop.

Things unpeel onion-wise with questions about how the tiny town on the way to nowhere looks like a movie set, how the first and second men were killed, why an apparent suicide-by-hanging was let go at that, why the young guy had been going to work as usual, eighteen months after he'd been fired from his day job.

Break-neck action, slam-bang conclusion, and the only ending reasonably possible.

Right there with your Sam Spades and Lew Archer.

Problem: One ex-military policeman decides to deal with a gang of vicious murdering criminals.

Answer: Kill them all.

Funny with too many bodies left around without apparent consequences. This story stretches credulity.

Lee Child`s creation is brilliant for a series of books, the transient Jack Reacher finds himself in tiny Margrave, Georgia, and is almost immediately arrested, if briefly, as a murder suspect. Imagine his surprise when he discovers that one of the victims is his brother, a brilliant U.S. Treasury agent. Reacher himself is no slouch; a former military policeman, he can dispatch villains with an astonishing array of weapons, including various parts of his body. In the company of a straight-arrow detective and a beautiful lady cop, Reacher soon unearths a conspiracy stretching through the little town and beyond. Blood flows freely, terrible threats are made and carried out, and body parts accumulate. First novelist Child, a former television writer, stretches coincidence outrageously in this would-be noir outing, whose hero is creepily amoral, violent, and generally unpleasant. As a published author myself I`m in awe of Child`s talent.

I just read this book last year and I really liked it.
The first Jack Reacher book I read was The Hard Way, which was O.K.,
but I decided to start at the beginning and work my way forward.
This was a great introduction of this character and I have read
the whole series now, up to and including the new one called
"Nothing to Lose".
The best ones are "Killing Floor", "Tripwire", "Die Trying",
and "Nothing to Lose". The only one I didn't like that much was
"One Shot".

This is the first in an established series that has a lot of first-timer mistakes. Many of the decisions/actions that the female characters choose seem very much out of a typical female reaction. Like, sure, I'm going to invite a homeless, recently released prisoner into my home/bed and leave him alone while I go to work. Duh! But the central figure--Jack Reacher--comes right out of that superb American tradition probably established by Dashiel Hamlett going through the Raymond Chandler-John D. MacDonald and now bringing us back around. Many of the newer "adventure" style novels either tend toward silliness (Clive Cussler), a dementia to detail (Tom Clancy Inc.) or have blood thirsty female leads. This novel leans more towards the old school notion of the Lone Wolf good guy making a difference on shady moral ground. Horrific violence, but still a welcome addition to an outstanding group of American anti-hereos.

I admit that I am completely hooked--at two books including this one in--but this is pretty cartoonish stuff. Still I like Rambo, Die Hard, and, especially, 24, so no reason I should not like this. The hero is a superman and he seems to get the girls, and he lives by his own code as a loner. Cliches gone wild, but still pretty compelling reading. Ultraviolent. Our hero does not spend much time worrying about killing bad guys and he is good at it. The bad guys are all evil and two dimensional. Does anyone that is not American read this kind of thing I wonder? Probably. 24 is popular everywhere. I prefer Michael Connelly, but have blazed through nearly everthing he has written. This will do in the meantime and is very addictive, if not as well written as MC. I'll give it a very solid 4, for those that like this kind of stuff.

Jack Reacher is an excellent character and this book was definitely a fun read. Can't wait to get to more in the series.

I finally got to read a Lee Child book, with the hero, Jack Reacher. Good plot, good writing, but too many coincidences. O.K. so, you have a smart, tough guy, bitter at the army and world in general. He walks into a small town, on a whim and gets accused of killing someone. O.K. maybe. He has a cool head and powers of observation that would make Sherlock Holmes proud. Then, while in jail, he kills and cripples some convicts who attack him. O.K. hard nut to deal with. Then he moves in with an attractive female cop. O.K. a bit of Matt Bolen, here. Then he gets threatened and followed by some Hispanic hit men. O.K. so no one in a small, mostly white, obviously corrupt town don't bat an eye. Without giving away the whole story, I will not mention some coincidences that made no sense to me. I guess I miss the hard characters who have a bit of depth and some philosophy about life in general. I like coming away from a fiction piece with a bit of insight or "wow, who would have guessed?"

Great read from the master of action thrillers. Best book so far this year is Soft Target by Conrad Jones that is a real cracker of a story.

We love the Jack Reacher books but this one was not, in our opinion, as good as the others. It is very long, so if you have a long road trip it will keep you interested along the way, but not riviting. We give it a 3 1/2 stars.

Driving along Interstate 15 and enjoying another adventure with Jack Reacher made the miles just fly by. Didn't realize that "The Killing Floor" was the inception of the Jack Reacher character and series since I had either read or listened to other books by this author that featured this tough ex-military cop character and the stories are such that they do not have to be read in any particular order to be enjoyed. I did notice that a lot of the Reacher adventures seem to begin with our heroic drifter sitting in a restaurant enjoying a cup of coffee or eating breakfast when a chance occurrence pulls him into yet another crime situation awaiting his particular brand of expertise. This one is no exception.

Jack takes us down south for this thrill ride, to a sleepy little town called Margrave, Georgia. A murder has been committed and of course our hero is arrested for the foul deed since he is the only "stranger" in the area............and of course none of the upright town folk could have possibly committed the dirty deed. It appears that everyone has a part to play in this escapade from the local police chief and his assistant (a black cop who has relocated from the Boston area) to a couple of ancient town barbers, to a bank executive and even the FBI.

The story is liberally peppered with vicious bad guys committing brutal acts, damsels in distress, slimy town fathers, an ingenious scam, and enough action and surprises to keep you interested and on your toes (like the identity of the victim for whose murder Jack has been arrested).

Our fast thinking hero's abilities are put to the test, and of course he passes with flying colors. Give Jack and his creator, Lee Child, a B- on this one. 3 ½ stars.

This is one of the best mysteries I've ever read. The plot, pacing, and characterization are all well done, and the setting was interesting. The surprise ending was completely unexpected. A very good read -- can't wait to pick up some of Child's other books!

Pretty good for the first of the series. I am already starting to read the second of the series and it seems to be real good.

My favorite Lee Child book! Reacher is a friend of mine now. My daughter and I swop books and Lee Child's books are her favorites also. Now that we have read them all, what will we do?

Reacher's way of pressing his clothes (only one outfit he owns at a time) is most creative. His plots are so interesting and involved that you cannot wait intil the solution. He is kinda too gory for me but I skip some of that part.

What's great about Lee Child is that he delivers suspense and action without cliche. His Jack Reacher is fully realized and his thriller writing is complex with layers of mystery and intrigue along with the violence and action. Killing Floor is the first book in the Jack Reacher series. The opening of this book alone is worth the price of admission. If you have any doubt, don't. Read Lee Child, you will not be disappointed!

If I could give this book 3 1/2 stars I would. I felt like the first 1/2 of the book moved too slow for me. However, I do like how Jack Reacher gets the bad guys in the end. Lots of action and killing throughout the book, of course -- If that is your cup of tea, you'll love the book.

While on a cruise recently I started talking books and authors (especially mysteries) with an Englishwoman who I met one day at the breakfast table. When I mentioned I am a Michael Connelly fan, she suggested Lee Childs. Having heard his name before, I gave him a try. Always on the lookout for a new series, I picked The Killing Floor, the first installment of the Jack Reacher books.

Having finished this book, I am impressed with Lee Childs' writing ability potential. It begins with a great scenario as Jack Reacher, a military police officer, who recently left the service to wander about the country in a hobo-like existence. When a brutal murder is committed in a small Southern town, Reacher finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, hauled into the police station, and then thrown into jail despite what (as the reader knows) his obvious innocence. Things are harrowing there for a while, but he does get out and then puts his experience into action as he joins in on the investigation, finds a romantic interest too and continues his adventures. Jack Reacher is a very unique, interesting, and promising character with a macho, loner, wise-guy, and cerebral persona that always does well in the mystery genre. Terrible things are happening in this town and who is on the good or bad side keeps the reader guessing.

At this point, Childs was off to a great start and I was excited to have found a winner. Unfortunately, this five-star setup does not live up to its promise. As many others reviews have stated, The Killing Floor is full of plot holes, situations, relationships that are not credible, and incomplete character development. These flaws multiply and accelerate as the plot moves on to its conclusion and I felt as if I was being led by the nose and manipulated. However, my time with The Killing Floor was not wasted. Despite all my criticism, I did enjoy it and intend to read the next installment of the Jack Reacher series. Although full of annoyances, The Killing Floor has a spark that may turn into a great series for me. This review has gone on far longer than I originally intended and I find it difficult to find concluding words. I will simply leave it by stating that The Killing Floor was a book that I could not stop enjoying despite its many flaws.

Jack Reacher roams from place to place and this time he's come to a small town in Georgia on a whim. He's eating breakfast when the town's finest blow in and arrest him for murder. It's a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's a shocker for Jack when he discovers the identity of the guy he's supposed to have killed. People keep dying and it's becoming a blood bath. Jack sticks around to see justice done, but it's a scary ride all the way.

We walk with Reacher down a new road. No baggage. No hassles. Striding out happily with the big man, who yearns only to be invisible, craves solitude, anonymity, a loner who can fit his possessions into a zip loc bag.

This is the first Lee Child novel, and having read virtually all the Jack Reacher thrillers, I revisited this road again, thinking I would reread the book that turned me on, that excited me to start with, The Killing Floor.

Lee Child weaves action, suspense, mystery, raw power and a killer plot into his debut novel. Still on the Amazon best seller list, which begins as Reacher, a drifter, six months out of an elite military police unit, gets off the bus in Margrave, Georgia with only a vague plan, a whimsical pilgrimage to discover the roots of a long dead guitar player named Blind Blake. He finds an old lady who sang with him. And a whole lot more he didn't bargain for.

An almost dozen books later, I'm more than acquainted with the man who simply calls himself, Reacher. This book is the beginning. Maybe the best in the series, and a good place to start. Maybe years from now, after reading Reacher a couple dozen times, you will reread this first novel too, forgetting how good it was that first time.

Killing Floor was Lee Child's first book featuring ex-military cop and all-around hero Jack Reacher. Published in 1997, Child's debut novel (and especially his rugged-individualist protagonist) struck a nerve with audiences in the U.S. and in his native England and established him as a new force to be reckoned with in the emerging thriller genre. Even a decade later, anyone reading this book will immediately see why.

Jack Reacher is the consummate thriller hero. He's the ultimate man's man--unflinchingly brave, an unapologetic warrior for justice, street-smart, handsome, and huge (six-five)--and with just enough of a soft, sensitive side to capture any woman's heart. He's John Wayne meets Jack Bauer meets Dirty Harry, a literary hero whose exploits and adventures (and misadventures) are just plain fun to read about.

And the hero is far from the only thing to enjoy about Lee Child's writing. From its opening line ("I was arrested in Eno's diner"), Killing Floor is engaging and intriguing. The first-person narrative with short sentences and a strictly linear plot make for fast, enjoyable reading, and the setting (small-town Georgia) seems familiar enough to put the reader right into the action. In some ways the novel is a formula book (the lone gunman rides into town, identifies injustice, defeats it, gets the girl, and rides off into the sunset), but the writing is good enough that it doesn't matter. Child allows the suspense to build throughout the story and provides a real sense of small-town community, politics, and corruption.

The story opens with Jack Reacher's arrest in Margrave, Georgia, for a crime he knows he didn't commit. Right away the reader is treated to Child's evident research as Reacher silently critiques the arresting officers' mistakes in apprehending a man they believe to be a murderer. As the local authorities rush to put together the pieces of what happened outside of town, Reacher must clear his name and then track down the real criminals. Along the way, he teams up with a veteran detective and a beautiful female police officer to apprehend a villain who turns out to be much closer than anyone could have predicted.

Killing Floor is exceptionally entertaining, and though it does contain some fairly graphic descriptions of brutal violence (the cover art is a bloody handprint) and a few rather modest sex scenes, there is hardly any foul language, and the overall worldview is one of good over evil and justice for all. It is without question an "R-rated" book, but it's more like Die Hard than Quentin Tarantino. There's no spiritual content to speak of, but the underlying morality of the central characters could present opportunities for discussion. Highly recommended for readers who can enjoy a thriller with a conscience, set in a purely secular world.

This might be the 2nd or 3rd best Reacher novel (but they're all fantastic!). If you've never read any of Child's books, I'd strongly recommend them, this novel in particular.

Lee Child's Killing Floor has gotten rave reviews as has Child for most of his work within his genre. To be candid, I just don't get it. What the book does have going for it is that it is a "page turner". That hardly makes up for its deficiencies in many other areas.

Cliché. This book is loaded with cliché in both plot and dialogue. With a simple red liner, an editor could have taken this from a fair book to a good book by taking out trite dialogue that is eye rolling and mind numbing. Flaws in plot can be overlooked but the numerous times where characters state the utter obvious and "go macho" is a killer to this book. In fact, the only reason I finished it was some general need to find out what the author was going to do with the Stuart Woods type of plot and the fact that it was so highly recommended to me by readers who typically have my taste. Not with old Jack Reacher.

Character development. Only in its very nascent stages. We don't really know why any of the main characters are who they are, or where they are, save a few explanatory sentences. That hardly creates a sense of intimacy with a cast of characters we are expected to care about for a few hundred pages. The romance that occurs in this book is without real reason, other than time and place (good enough for some I suppose).

I am glad I finally read Lee Child. It will take a lot of convincing to get me to read him again. Mysteries are supposed to be fun - not make the reader into a critic, which is exactly what Killing Floor did to me.

Having read the newest of Lee Child's i.e. Bad Luck and Trouble, I decided to begin all over again and get reacquainted with Reacher from the first. Killing Floor is in the first person. You get to hear Jack's every thought and emotion. He is certainly not the most literate of men, but his intentions are honorable.

After finding out the initial corpse was his brother, Joe (and it hits you between the eyes)Jack gets down to business to solve the Town of Margrave's enigma.

It is a fun ride. The money laundering scheme is plausible but at the same time preposterous. Hey, it could happen. Lee Childs sometimes goes over the top and you just have to trust in a great ride of an adventure. One of the reasons I read Lee Childs is to find out how Reacher uses his brain and brawn to get out of tense situations. I dont care how he does it; I am on his side!!!!

As Jack fades into the sunset at the end of the book, your heart goes with him and you want to search out the next installment.

Jack Reacher is a drifter. Not a vagrant or a fugitive, but a transient by choice. After spending his entire life in the army (his father was military, and Reacher was an elite military policeman) he's decided he wants to live free, literally with just the clothes on his back, some money in his pocket, and a folding toothbrush clipped to his pants. He throws away his clothes when they're dirty, buying new, economical ones to replace them.

Six months after his discharge, he asks the Greyhound driver to let him out in Margrave, Georgia. It is a spontaneous decision driven by the recollection of a story told to him by his younger brother about Blind Blake, a famous blues guitarist who was supposed to have died in the small town. Margrave is the perfect small southern American town - literally. Its lawns are all manicured, the streets are spotless, and its inhabitants live a life of leisure.

Within hours of his arrival in Margrave Reacher is arrested for a multiple murder. Once his alibi and bona fides are confirmed Reacher is released, at which time he makes the shocking, coincidental discovery that one of the murder victims is his little brother. As Reacher joins forces with the local cops to investigate, he learns that the bucolic façade of Margrave is just that - a façade. Reacher uncovers a conspiracy that involves most of the authority figures in Margrave, as well as some well-placed officials outside the town as well. Reacher is forced to use his considerable bag of tricks to counter the ruthless conspirators and help end the threat to the innocent townspeople.

I'm not really sure of Reacher as a character yet - he seems to be a borderline immoral, yet just man who is not afraid to use his considerable military skills to accomplish his goals. I'll have to wait to read a few more of Childs' books to see how the character develops.

I read a review of Mr. Child's last book in the New York Times by accident.
I immediately order the first 5 books from Amazon.
I have read 3 so far.
I liked "Killing Floor" enough to read the second one as fast as possible, I am now stuck with the third book.
I find the use of lurid passages of violence a bit too much.
the plot is simple, the main caracter is true blue and very two dimentional.
There are a number of great american and English writers in the genre that i prefer.

There are no surprises, every action can be expected in advance.

I really enjoy Lee Child's style of writing. This book takes you on a few twists and turns and ties everything back together again in the end. I believe this book is out print now, so if you have a chance to buy a copy, get it.

Lee Child was an author I was waiting to read. When I read the collection of short stories by James Patterson called, "Thriller," Lee Child was an author I wanted to read. His short story, "James Penney's New Identity," merely gave a snap shot of Jack Reacher. "Killing Floor" gives you a nice introduction. Lee Child decides to let Reacher tell his own story.

You will meet Jack at breakfast, and you will encounter the most unpleasant interruption that he gets from a couple of cops, one named Baker. Immediately he is hauled into the Margrave police station, located in beautiful Margrave, Georgia. He's been arrested for murder, but he didn't murder anybody. Reacher finds out that he has a few friends, as well as a few enemies in this neck of the woods. Jack Reacher is a drifter. He likes the ladies, and one Officer Roscoe likes him as well. An ex-military policeman, Reacher isn't one to be messed around with. So don't mess with him! Or will people really be that stupid?

This is a good read, with an even better mystery revolving around it. The money is good, but the story is better. It might even have the obvious ending. You might be surprised, who knows. This is a story that shows a lot of promise, and it delivers. It even includes a little bit of sleaze every now and then.

Well, I've had my introduction. Maybe some other time I'll sit down and get to know Jack Reacher a little bit better. Good work, Lee Child!

I confess that this book had me interested from page 1, the gimicky short sentances worked for the narration of Jack Reacher, drifter and superhero.

The story moved action movie fast, (the final battle certainly has John Woo slo-mo gunfight written all over it) and partly that helps distract from the terrible plot holes and contrived meetings and coincidences that drive nearly all the main events. If this had happened in any other town but Margrave, Georgia, Jack Reacher would still be in prison, not starring in further novels.

As an former military policeman, given training no other MP on earth has ever recieved he wanders into a web of murders and conspiracy just as it starts to unravel, and by sheer blind luck manages to win through.

Coincidence as primary plot device is seldome satisfactory, but its here in abundance. The good guys make all the right guesses (including the absurd guess of the alias and hotel one character was staying at, just by knowing the characters music tastes...) and the bad guys, despite being ruthless killers make all the wrong ones. Things just "fall into place" a little to readily here.

Somehow, Reacher, a drifter and primary suspect in the first murder of the book wins over the cheif of Detectives and can get away with killing and stashing bodies all over the place, vigilante style, and the two good cops (one he is sleeping with a scant few hours after they meet) could care less, he's only killing bad guys. He's not deputised or anything, and just because he doesn't have a criminal record they give him a tacit "007 licence to kill" and be involved in every step of the investigation, civil liberties be damned. Of course the number of people who survive to go to trial is...well that would spoil it.

I am a former Military Policeman with a spotless criminal record, and I am reasonably certain that a double digit body count even in the smallest town in the south, howerver well deserved and motivated, would get me in trouble.

None of the townspeople on the take EVER call their family and tell them to move to Margrave to get free money? Big crime coverups on this scale never work, and one this blatant certainly would have come apart sooner.

One or two elements, fine, but when you add it all up and then toss in Jack Reacher as the ONLY person who manages to figure anything out (MP work rarely reaches the level of investigation that the Boston PD Detective would have seen, so his sheer efficiency is a little out of place) the whole thing turns out to be reposterous, but still a lot of fun.

This was my introduction to Lee Child and I was hooked. I have read all his Jack Reacher books except for the latest and can't wait to read that. Lee Child is a terrific story teller who, from all accounts of my friends and relatives, appeals to both men and women alike.

One of the very best one in the Jack reacher saga...

action packed, suspens, Reacher at his best...

Like many others I heard about Lee Child but never read any of his works. I decided to start at the beginning of the series. In retrospect this is an unbelievable story with too many coincidences to be believed. It just goes to prove that if someone can tell a great story you stay riveted and turn the page. At the end you realize that this could not have happened and that Jack Reacher is a super hero. He can beat up anyone and never needs to sleep. I could not feel myself thinking of another superhero, Jack Bauer.

All I can advise is to enjoy the story and escape from reality. I will read the whole series but take a break in between each one.

The book's scam was really good. The problem was that you'll have to trawl it away from more than 400 pages.

The way Jack found Hubble was overly far-fetched. I mean the way he explained to him why he thought he was in that specific city, in that specific hotel with that specific name.

The love story was pathetic. A female officer just smitten with the supposedly killer.

The 20 years' veteran cop that does not know what to do with a phone number just because is a cell.

And I can keep writing on and on.

This is the first novel in the Jack Reacher series, but chronologically there is a short story that precedes it in time (see the Thriller collection). Jack Reacher left the Army six months before and has been traveling the country, eking out money he received with his discharge. Events lead him to the small town of Musgrave, Georgia, where he just wants to find some information about a blues musician, Blind Blake, who was said to have died in the town. He walks into a murder investigation, immediately arrested and accused. Strangers in town, expecially a small town, are easy to blame for any misfortune.

Reacher might have left town again, but when it turns out the victim was his brother, he is drawn into the case. He used to be in the Military Police, specializing in homicides. Reacher is a dangerous man when provoked, having previously dealt with highly trained killers in the military, and guilty parties make the mistake of trying to take him out.

Bodies accumulate as the bad guys kill people, and Reacher adds to the body count. There are some gruesome murders. The nature of crimes in the town, and guilty parties, gradually becomes evident. But there are some twists and some surprises. To say there is a blazing finish is an understatement. As in later novels in the series, Reacher finds it is best to be an old soldier and fade away.

I would rate the novel, at best, PG13 leaning towards adult only. You will learn a little along the way about economics and money supply, and why other countries are a step ahead of the US with their paper currency.

And perhaps it shouldn't be, because it's the first. But unlike other Reacher books, which certainly stretch plausibility, this one just doesn't make sense. On occasion, it even reminded me of The Da Vinvi Code when Reacher figures it out and leads a Harvard Grad through the obvious answer like a kindergarten teacher.

You catch glimpses of Child's later strengths, especially in the first few chapters, but the feeling that he knows what he's talking about (the feeling I got in The Enemy, Without Fail and One Shot) is just not there. Same thing with Reacher himself. Child hasn't quite hit on his winning formula of intellectual tough guy.

Overall, it's still a pretty fun read and worth the time.

I cam e into the Jack Reacher game late, having started with 'One Shot' and Die Trying' both of which I thought were excellent thrillers. So, I decided to go back to the beginning and see how the series all started. It's a totally engrossing and enjoying read, although it definitely feels like a first novel. Some of the situations are more than a tad convenient,one of which Jack Reacher even cops to. Still Child is at his best when he's tying the action up in the final fifty pages or so with heart pounding suspense that never lets up. If this is the first thing you're reading by Child, you should find it a better than average book for the genre, if you're a fan it's nice to see the genesis.

Maybe my expectations were too high; The Killing Floor did win the Edgar for best first novel, but I guess it must have been a weak year. Lee Child's first offering is typical of a first book, and that's the problem the story is typical. Nothing surprising or new here. It is both predictable and implausible. The book's hero, Jack Reacher, is boring. I think he is supposed to be mysterious and troubled, but I found him grating and arrogant. The book reads like a B action movie. The whole plot not only stretches the imagination, but also one's grasp of reality. It seems that Child has never left New York City and understands neither the American justice system nor small town life. Maybe I missed something, but I found The Killing Floor to be a sub-par thriller with flat characters and rather large plot holes.

Maybe my expectations were too high. The Killing Floor did win the Edgar for best first novel. I guess it must have been a weak year. Lee Child's first offering is typical of a first book, and that's the problem the story is typical; no shocks, no snappy dialogue no must-love characters. It is both predictable and implausible. The books hero, Jack Reacher, is boring. I think he is supposed to be mysterious and troubled, but I found him grating and arrogant. The book reads like a B action movie. The whole plot not only stretch the imagination, but also one's grasp of reality. It seems that Child has never left New York City and understands neither the American justice system or small town life. Maybe I missed something, but I found The Killing Floor to be a sub-par thriller.

This isn't a great work of literature which will stand the test of time, but it's a good vacation novel, i.e., traveling or at the beach.

This is the first novel that I've read by this author. It's a typical mass market action pulp novel with a few twist and turns so that it isn't too predictable. It kept me entertained. I had read somewhere else about the conterfeiting technique used by the villans in this novel so that wasn't a surprise to me.

Amazingly tedious for a thriller. Reacher is a good character, believable in his expertise, but a bit cold blooded in his use of violence. The book takes too long to tell everything (and I mean everything) - it seems every minute of the week long plot is chronicled as is every thought Reacher has (many repeated over and over). I hope Child fixed these flaws in later books.

Having seen Lee Child out promoting his current book, The Hard Way, I felt sufficiently intrigued to search out this, the first of his Jack Reacher novels. Mr. Child seemed the very personification of his main character: a man's man, Hemingway-esque; more comfortable shooting rhinoceros and chugging back scotch than sitting and discussing his books. Hmmm. Must investigate.

Indeed, the Jack Reacher character is all that and more. A former military policeman and spec ops Jack Palance type, Reacher, clearly in the grips of PTSD and social alienation, is, in this first novel, on a vagabond walkabout when he stumbles into the town of Margrave, Georgia and promptly is arrested for murder. Turns out the dead guy is Reacher's estranged brother, who was a covert op for the US Treasury. This is the first of many coincidences and plot devices which stretch credibility to the breaking point, but hey, with such impressive writing, suspension of disbelief comes easily. Even when I guessed the next step (as is readily done) there was no break in the delicious tension.

Well crafted action scenes are in abundance as Reacher aligns himself with the only good guys in town to uncover an international counterfeiting scheme. James Bond, played by The Rock, meets Deliverance. Aficionados of Guns `n Ammo will delight in descriptions of weaponry, fighting tactics, and spook stealth. There are also scenes of gruesome gore, so the squeamish should be warned and set the book down now.

An improbable love interest adds a little spice, but be advised the romance scenes are written entirely from an almost comical stereotypical male perspective, and as such are likely to be unimpressive to woman readers.

All in all, a tightly crafted suspenseful read, worthy of the awards Mr. Child received on its publication ( Anthony Award, Barry Award).

Having seen Lee Child out promoting his current book, The Hard Way, I felt sufficiently intrigued to search out this, the first of his Jack Reacher novels. Mr. Child seemed the very personification of his main character: a man's man, Hemingway-esque; more comfortable shooting rhinoceros and chugging back scotch than sitting and discussing his books. Hmmm. Must investigate.

Indeed, the Jack Reacher character is all that and more. A former military policeman and spec ops guy, Reacher, clearly in the grips of PTSD and social alienation, is, in this first novel, on a vagabond walkabout when he stumbles into the town of Margrave, Georgia and promptly is arrested for murder. Turns out the dead guy is Reacher's estranged brother, who was a covert op for the US Treasury. This is the first of many coincidences and plot devices which stretch credibility to the breaking point, but hey, with such impressive writing, suspension of disbelief comes easily. Even when I guessed the next step (as is readily done) there was no break in the delicious tension.

Well crafted action scenes are in abundance as Reacher aligns himself with the only good guys in town to uncover an international counterfeiting scheme. James Bond, played by The Rock, meets Deliverance. Aficionados of Guns `n Ammo will delight in descriptions of weaponry, fighting tactics, and spook stealth. There are also scenes of gruesome gore, so the squeamish should be warned and set the book down now.

An improbable love interest adds a little spice, but be advised the romance scenes are written entirely from an almost comical stereotypical male perspective, and as such are likely to be unimpressive to woman readers.

All in all, a tightly crafted suspenseful read, worthy of the awards Mr. Child received on its publication ( Anthony Award, Barry Award).

"Who is this Lee Child?" Because of the enormous recent publicity for this author, I asked this of a friend I saw at a party. He drew back in obvious surprise. Within an hour I had his whole library of Lee Child.
I had already started Killing Floor when I learned Lee Child would be appearing at a local bookstore. So I took a teenaged budding writer with me to hear Child. I was concerned that perhaps no one would show. NOT TO WORRY! More chairs! More chairs!
Child is a tall Englishman with a great sense of humor, is quick on the uptake and totally entertains his admirers with a very funny presentation. After a query about Reacher from a tight-jean female, he seemed baffled of why women were so "crazy" about this character. He wonders? Jack Reacher is the alpha male. Say what you want about the metro man, the sensitive man, the poetic guy, women love a man of decision and principles, especially an attractive one who is 6'5" (despite occasional heavy-duty grime). Subsequently, I've sold Child to numerous friends who are enjoying his series immensely, as do I.
Now, who is this Jack Sheldon?

I picked up "Killing Floor" in hardback on the clearance rack at Half Price Books for $1.00 about 7 years ago (good luck finding it now!) I knew nothing of the author and really just needed something to pass the time between Dark Tower installments. Little did I know...

I literally couldn't put this book down from the time I opened it until it was complete. "Killing Floor" has an original plot, contains an interesting "hero", and kept me guessing to the finish.

Since "Killing Floor" I have bought and reads ALL of Lee Child's books, all in hard back and all as soon as they were available, and have never felt cheated.

I was concerned that the books would get boring after several installments (as with James Patterson's books, when you have the same indestructible character over and over, sooner or later you get tired of reading about them). Fortunately, each "Jack Reacher" novel has had a completely original premise, and I haven't gotten bored yet.

I recommend this book wholeheartedly.

Holy 'shrugged' batman. He must have said 'shrugged' 300 times in this one. He shrugged, she shrugged, it shugged....the gas station shrugged...the freaking birds in the trees shrugged. He should have named this one 'shrugging on the killing floor'. By the end of the book I could not get past it. It really was edited very poorly...too bad too, the book was very good, especially for a first time author.

cool use of violence though. 3 stars.

Someone said that they had to suspend belief in the part where a lady dies in an airport terminal. Actually in this day and age people tend to turn a blind eye to things that don't directly involve them. Tends to keep them alive. So I can see that as a feasable outcome to that part of the story.

The wonderful world of fiction reading offers numerous genres. There is Mystery, Adventure, Action, Horror, and even Romance. This book has elements of each. The combined elements in this book make for a rip roaring read.

Lee Child writes in a straight forward style that is sure NOT to remind anyone of P.D. James or even John Dunning. Lyrical it is not. This is not a knock. Just a simple observation. The voice in the book is that of the main character Jack Reacher. Reacher is a former military policeman, who has a Rambo like skill when it comes to combat.

I read the Killing Floor by by Lee Child in a short period of time. Because I could not wait to get to the next chapter. I could not wait to find out how the book ended. And what sinister force was behind the Utopic little town of Margrave that Reacher finds himself in.

Barely before you have had time to turn a few pages, there has been an arrest, murders, and lessons on counterfeit money.

Clear some time, because once you enter the world of Reacher, the thrills and chills come a mile a minute.

I picked this book up at a discount bookstore, on the recommendation of the man that worked there. I need to go back and thank him. This is a book, not perfect, but well written.

I don't want to give any of the plot away and ruin it for you, but the basic story revolves around a vetern who is drifting through the U.S. after spending a good many years in the governments service. He gets off a bus and enters a small town only to be arrested for murder. If he has any hope of getting out of this unscathed, he is going to have to do his own investigating to ferret out why he was set up and who is behind it all. To make matters worse, he knows one of the murder victims. A coincidence? Maybe. A set up? Possibly. Are heads gonna roll? You bet! The story takes off from there and I can't tell you anything else without giving the plot away.

The characters were well thought out and for the most part, they work well together. There are plot twists for everyone and the story, generally, is believable. There are a couple of awkward moments when the story gets carried away and silly. Overall, this is a fun read.