Personal (novel)

Last updated

Personal
Personal (novel) bookcover.jpg
Kindle edition cover
Author Lee Child
LanguageEnglish
Series Jack Reacher
Release number
19
Genre Thriller novel
Publisher Bantam Press (UK)
Delacorte Press (US)
Publication date
28 August 2014 (UK, Ireland, NZ, Aus)
2 September 2014 (US)
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (hardcover, paperback), audio, eBook
Pages416
ISBN 978-0-5930-7382-7
OCLC 883748100
Preceded by Never Go Back  
Followed by Make Me  

Personal is the nineteenth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child, published in 2014. The plot of the book revolves around Reacher's pursuit of a sniper who has attempted to assassinate the President of France. [1] This book is written in the first person.

Contents

Plot

Someone has taken a shot at the president of French President in Paris and has sent ripples of concern through the global community. The weapon used, an American-made bullet, points to a potential link to the United States. Suspicion falls on John Kott, a once-renowned American marksman who has fallen from grace, and who, after a fifteen-year prison stint, has vanished without a trace.

Kott, a criminal mastermind, finds his reign of terror potentially thwarted by the one man who has bested him before: Jack Reacher, a retired Military Police investigator. Reacher, partnered with the composed rookie analyst Casey Nice, who relies on Zoloft to manage her nerves, outrun like a revenge with danger. Their path is riddled with brutal mobsters, Serbian enforcers, near-fatal encounters, close calls, and double-crosses all while operating without any support if caught. However, the haunting memory of Dominique Kohl, a young subordinate he failed to protect, fuels Reacher's determination, pushing him to ensure that no one else falls victim to Kott's brutality.

A powerful general, Tom O'Day, sends Reacher undercover to Paris to discover who is behind the assassination attempt, and to save the upcoming G8 meeting which is going to be held in London. Reacher finds out that a dangerous gang using snipers – among whom there is Kott, arguably – has actually got a base in London, specifically centered in Chigwell, is the bedrock of a burgeoning threat to global security. Charlie White, the seasoned leader of the "Romford Boys," orchestrates criminal enterprises across east London while forging alliances with dangerous Serbian gangs in the west. This web of criminal activity, far from being confined to the city, now extends its reach with a bold ambition to destabilize the G8, highlighting the dangerous capacity of local criminal networks to influence international affairs.

Reacher, accompanied by CIA agent Casey Nice, strategically navigates towards the residence harboring Kott, a property belonging to Charlie's imposing associate, Joseph "Little Joey" Green. Their path is fraught with danger, culminating in Reacher's decisive confrontation and elimination of Joey before breaching the house and swiftly killing both Kott and Charlie. Following this decisive action, Reacher is promptly flown back to the United States, not for gratitude, but for a face-off with General O'Day, the general who proposed the mission to him, his true intentions shrouded in deception.

Kott, Charlie and Joey were criminals, but they were not threatening the G8 summit. O'Day's interest in Kott was purely opportunistic, a calculated maneuver to bolster his political standing. Having preemptively sold Reacher to Kott, O'Day schemed to emerge as the savior, regardless of who ultimately prevailed. Recognizing this manipulative ploy, Reacher spares O'Day's life but issues a stern warning: absolute silence or face a career-shattering scandal. As a final touch, Reacher leaves Charlie's pistol on O'Day's desk. Shortly after Reacher departs, news arrives of O'Day's accidental death while inspecting the gun, a conclusion that Reacher deems far from coincidental.

Characters

Reception

Personal topped The New York Times Best Seller list of combined print and e-book fiction books for the week of 21 September 2014. [2]

It won the 2014 RBA Prize for Crime Writing, [3] a Spanish literary award said to be the world's most lucrative crime fiction prize at €125,000. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Cardinal of the Kremlin</i> 1988 thriller novel by Tom Clancy

The Cardinal of the Kremlin is an espionage thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and released on May 20, 1988. A direct sequel to The Hunt for Red October (1984), it features CIA analyst Jack Ryan as he extracts CARDINAL, the agency's highest placed agent in the Soviet government who is being pursued by the KGB, as well as the Soviet intelligence agency's director. The novel also features the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), a real-life missile-defense system developed by the United States during that time, and its Russian counterpart. The book debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Connelly</span> American author (born 1956)

Michael Joseph Connelly is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. Connelly is the bestselling author of 38 novels and one work of non-fiction, with over 74 million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into 40 languages. His first novel, The Black Echo, won the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly's 1997 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of Connelly's novel The Lincoln Lawyer starred Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. Connelly was the President of the Mystery Writers of America from 2003 to 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Marks</span> Welsh author and drug smuggler (1945–2016)

Dennis Howard Marks was a Welsh drug smuggler and author who achieved notoriety as an international cannabis smuggler through high-profile court cases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Child</span> British thriller writer (born 1954)

James Dover Grant, primarily known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British author who writes thriller novels, and is best known for his Jack Reacher novel series. The books follow the adventures of a former American military policeman, Jack Reacher, who wanders the United States. His first novel, Killing Floor (1997), won both the Anthony Award and the 1998 Barry Award for Best First Novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alvin Karpis</span> American criminal (1907–1979)

Alvin Francis Karpis was a Canadian–American criminal of Lithuanian descent known for being a leader of the Barker–Karpis gang in the 1930s. Nicknamed "Creepy" for his sinister smile and called "Ray" by his gang members, Karpis led the gang along with Fred Barker and Arthur "Doc" Barker. There were only four "public enemies" ever given the title of "Public Enemy #1" by the FBI and he was the only one to be taken alive. The other three, John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Baby Face Nelson, were all killed before they could be captured. He also spent the longest time as a federal prisoner at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, serving twenty-six years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sally Blane</span> American actress (1910–1997)

Sally Blane was an American actress who appeared in more than 100 movies.

<i>Double Team</i> (film) 1997 American film

Double Team is a 1997 action comedy film directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Tsui Hark in his American directorial debut, and written by Don Jakoby and Paul Mones. It stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as counter-terrorist agent Jack Quinn, who is assigned to bring an elusive terrorist known as Stavros to justice. Things become personal when Stavros kidnaps Quinn's pregnant wife after his own lover and child were killed in an assassination attempt gone awry. Aiding Quinn in his rescue is his flamboyant weapons dealer Yaz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Risen</span> American journalist

James Risen is an American journalist for The Intercept. He previously worked for The New York Times and before that for Los Angeles Times. He has written or co-written many articles concerning U.S. government activities and is the author or co-author of two books about the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and a book about the American public debate about abortion. Risen is a Pulitzer Prize winner.

<i>Killing Floor</i> (novel) 1997 debut novel by Lee Child

Killing Floor is the debut novel by Lee Child, first published in 1997 by Putnam. The book won the Anthony Award and Barry Award for best first novel. Set in 1997 in the fictional town of Margrave, Georgia it follows Jack Reacher in his first thriller book. It is written in the first person.

<i>The Visitor</i> (Child novel) 2000 novel by Lee Child

The Visitor is the fourth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in 2000 by Bantam Press in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the book was released under the title Running Blind. It is written in the second and third person. In the novel, retired Army military police officer Jack Reacher must race against time to catch a sophisticated serial killer who is murdering a group of female soldiers, but leaving no forensic evidence.

<i>Without Fail</i> The sixth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child

Without Fail is the sixth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published by Putnam in 2002. It is written in the third person. In the novel, retired military police officer Jack Reacher is asked by the Secret Service to help track down assassins who are threatening the Vice President-Elect.

<i>Persuader</i> (novel) 2003 novel by Lee Child

Persuader is the seventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It is written in the first person.

<i>One Shot</i> (novel) 2005 book by Lee Child

One Shot is the ninth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. The book title is based on "One shot, one kill," the military sniper's creed. The novel was adapted into the 2012 film Jack Reacher, starring Tom Cruise as the title character. This book is written in the third person.

<i>Burn Notice</i> American espionage television series

Burn Notice is an American espionage television series created by Matt Nix, which originally aired on the USA Network for a total of seven seasons from June 28, 2007, to September 12, 2013. The show stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, Sharon Gless, and Coby Bell.

<i>Live Wire</i> (novel) 2011 mystery/thriller novel by Harlan Coben

Live Wire is a 2011 mystery/thriller novel by American writer, Harlan Coben. It is the tenth novel in his series of a crime solver and sports agent named Myron Bolitar. It is preceded in the series by Long Lost (2009) and succeeded by Home (2016).

<i>Jack Reacher</i> (film) 2012 action thriller film by Christopher McQuarrie

Jack Reacher is a 2012 American action thriller film written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, starring Tom Cruise and based on Lee Child's 2005 novel One Shot. Cruise portrays the title character and the supporting cast features Rosamund Pike, Werner Herzog, Robert Duvall, David Oyelowo, Richard Jenkins, and Jai Courtney. The film focuses on a normally non-contactable former US Army Major MP investigator Jack Reacher, who is called upon to aid in a homicide investigation involving a trained military sniper believed to be responsible for a mass shooting.

<i>A Wanted Man</i> 2012 book by Lee Child

A Wanted Man is the seventeenth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published on 30 August 2012 in the United Kingdom, Australia, & New Zealand and on 11 September 2012 in the USA & Canada. A Wanted Man won the "Thriller & Crime Novel of the Year" award by the National Book Awards.

<i>Night School</i> (novel) 2016 novel by Lee Child

Night School is a 2016 novel by Lee Child. This is the twenty-first book in the Jack Reacher series. It is written in the third person.

Jack Reacher is a series of novels, novellas and short stories by British author Jim Grant under the pen name Lee Child. As of January 2022, the series includes 28 books and a short story collection. The book series chronicles the adventures of Jack Reacher, a former major in the United States Army Military Police Corps now a drifter, roaming the United States taking odd jobs and investigating suspicious and frequently dangerous situations, some of which are of a personal nature. The Reacher series has maintained a schedule of one book per year, except for 2010, when two installments were published.

<i>The Sentinel</i> (Child novel) 2020 novel by Lee and Andrew Child

The Sentinel is the twenty-fifth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It is the first Jack Reacher book to be co-authored by James Grant and his younger brother Andrew Grant but published using their pen names of Lee Child and Andrew Child respectively. The book was released on 27 October 2020 in the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland by Delacorte Press and Bantam Press.

References

  1. Stephen Poole (6 September 2014). "Personal by Lee Child review – suspense thrills with Jack Reacher". The Guardian .
  2. Somosot, Janice. "'Personal' By Lee Child Tops The New York Times Best Sellers List Of Combined Print And E-Book Fiction For The Week Of Sept. 21, 2014". ibtimes.com . Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  3. "British author Lee Child receives the "prestigious" RBA Prize for Crime Writing". Catalan News Agency. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  4. Giles Tremlett (3 September 2009). "Philip Kerr wins €125,000 RBA Prize for Crime Writing". The Guardian . Retrieved 13 September 2013.