Reviewing Reacher - The Book and the Amazon Series

Lee Child created an intriguing character when he wrote the story of Jack Reacher in the military thriller titled Killing Floor. This first book in his Reacher series includes a cast of memorable characters and a mysterious murder (string of murders) case that is very difficult to solve. The twists and turns keep everyone guessing and suspicious of each other.  

Amazon has brought that book to life in a streaming series that is binge-worthy. When my friends ask for recommendations for a weekend of binging, I always recommend the Reacher season 1 series. Thank you Amazon for bringing a breathing, walking, talking Jack Reacher into homes everywhere. I love it when the movie/television version stays true to the book. 

Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, book 1) by Lee Child

The book. Many years ago I read Killing Floor by Lee Child. The story was about a Veteran (ex-military police) named Jack Reacher. Reacher is a drifter who goes to a small Georgia town because at some point in time his brother mentioned a Blues Singer named Blind Blake. And in this fictional story Blind Blake had history in Margrave, Georgia. 

Reacher is in Margrave for less than an hour when he is arrested for a murder that occurred along the highway just before he walked into town. 

I devoured Killing Floor and then the 2nd book in the series. I remember enjoying Lee Child's descriptive writing and his characters. Somehow, probably busy with life, I did not continue the book series. And I am surprised (but not surprised) to find that Lee Child's series has continued to almost 30 books in the Reacher series!  I have resumed reading about this drifting, giant Veteran who always tries to do the right thing - which often eventually means being left with the only option of fighting and killing the bad guys.

The author. Lee Child (James Dover Grant's pen name) is a profilic writer. He has a huge fan base. He is reportedly one of the world's leading thriller authors. Lee Child refers to his stories as revenge stories - someone does something horrific and Reacher gets revenge. Child has said that he writes novels because they are the "purest form of entertainment". Others report that his style is commercial and focused on profitability. I'm okay with that. Gripping and entertaining is going to result in profitability. 

Lee Child fans might be interested to know that he makes a brief, cameo appearance in the season 1 finale.  

Reacher (Season 1) on Amazon

The Series. My excitement about Jack Reacher resumed in 2021 when my oldest son told me that the book had been made into an Amazon original series. I had not been at all interested in seeing the 2012 Jack Reacher version starring Tom Cruise. There is no way that I'd be able to forget Cruise and believe that he was Jack Reacher. But my son assured me that this Amazon series starred someone else and that the series was good. Skeptically, I watched. And then impatiently looked forward to each weekly installment. 

Alan Ritchson plays Jack Reacher. I think he's perfect for the role! I'm not familiar with Alan Ritchson so it is easy to allow him to become the Reacher that Lee Child described. Ritchson is big man and delivers a believable portrayal of a tough, skilled investigator. 

As happens in the book, Jack Reacher gets off the bus in a small town in Georgia and is not able to taste his peach pie when the local police roll up, sirens and lights, and arrest him for murder. "Reacher, why does trouble always find you?" his mother tells him during a flashback in time as they settle into their newest home. Reacher and his brother are military brats. His own military career includes being the head of a special investigators unit.

Reacher is attention-grabbing on his own. How much better to be surrounded by other unique characters.

Chief Detective Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin) -  Finlay has transplanted from Boston to Margrave, Georgia. Why does a Harvard graduate, tweed-suit-wearing, talented detective move to an extremely small police force in Georgia where no one looks like him, sounds like him, and he is clearly the outsider where everyone else has lived all their lives. It takes us awhile to find out why this very talented urban detective has moved to a "quiet", small, southern town.

Roscoe Conklin  (Willa Fitzgerald) - Roscoe is a pretty, young officer whose family has lived in Margrave since it was founded. However, she doesn't have any family left. When her parents died when she was very young, Roscoe was raised by her grandmother. And Chief Detective Gray helped looked after her but he has also since passed away. "I feel bad about the Margrave welcome wagon running you over" she says to Reacher as she's getting to know him.

Roscoe, Finlay, and Reacher form an alliance to try to catch the murderers.

Frances Neagley  (Maria Sten) - Neagley is a beautiful, tough, no-nonsense member of Reacher's disbanded Special Investigators team. She realizes he's in trouble and comes to help her former boss with her very special military talents. I LOVE watching Neagley in action. She is probably Reacher's best friend (not that he admits to having friends).

You can find Reacher, Season 1 - an Amazon original series here. 

I have binged seasons 1 and 2 (repeatedly) and look forward to season 3's release. If you like shoot-em-up, murder mystery, action thrillers and haven't yet seen Reacher, I highly recommend that you do. 

Parental Warnings. As with many action thrillers, this series includes violence, language, and nudity. Please look up parental guides to find more specific information.

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The Widow Series Reviewed

Interesting Drama Series

The Widow searches in the Jungle
(image courtesy of pixabay.com)

My husband and I just finished watching The Widow, a drama series that we streamed from Amazon. I thought you might be interested in a review of the series.

We thought that this eight episode series was fascinating to watch. The episodes are each around 45 minutes so it didn't take too awfully long to watch. 

The story begins with Georgia Mason (played by Kate Beckinsale) suspecting that her husband Will might actually be alive after a plane crash three years before in the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo). The reports of the crash stated that there were no survivors of that crash and Georgia has spent three years in mourning her loss. A broadcast of a riot in the DRC shows a man that looks very much like her husband that begins her search to find him. She can't see the man's face but he is wearing an orange baseball cap just like the one her Will wore. 

As you can imagine, Georgia decides to go to the DRC hoping to find her husband. She had been there before just after the crash and had befriended a man who had lost his wife in the same crash. Georgia meets Emmanuel again on this second trip; asking for his help to find out if her husband somehow survived that crash. 

The series is filled with suspense and action as Georgia encounters people who knew Will. As viewers we see corrupt people taking advantage of the poverty stricken people of the region. We find out about smugglers and the recruitment of children for rebel militias. While watching each episode we are given a hint of what it might be like to live in the Congo as a person with some means and as a person who is barely surviving. 

My husband and I liked the several twists in the plot as the story unfolds. There were some flashbacks offered to explain some of what drove the different characters in their choices and those were interesting, also. Overall, each episode kept us interested and wanting to see more. We have found that we very much enjoy the original series that Amazon has produced.

If you like suspense and action that occurs in a place you might never be ever to see, I think you will enjoy this series, too.

The Widow (Video Series)

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The Collection (A Series) Reviewed

An Intriguing Drama Series To Stream 

Sewing Machine image courtesy of Pixabay.com

The Collection is a series of episodes that can be streamed through an Amazon Prime membership. My husband and I started viewing it this weekend and we are really caught up in the drama of the show. 

The story takes place in the late 1940s after WWII in Paris. It revolves around the fashion industry focusing on a small house of couture called Paul Sabine. 

In case you are not much of a history buff, during the war France was occupied by the Germans. As one can imagine the fashion industry of Paris suffered during this occupation. In fact, Hitler wanted to move the fashion houses and designers to Germany. 

The series hints at some collaboration with the Germans during the occupation and also shows how the industry is trying to make a comeback and restore its recognition of being the best place in the world for couture and new styles.

The Collection

I am not one who really gets too caught up in fashion but I do love the premise of this series. The set designs are remarkable! I love seeing how the staff worked at making a design on paper come to life in the sewing room. The attention to detail in how that room would have looked is amazing. In one scene a girl is working on a dress on a mannequin and my husband said, "What does she have on her wrist?" It was a wonderful old fashioned pin cushion that a seamstress would have worn on her wrist for convenience.

One might think that most men would not enjoy this series much since it deals with Paris fashion houses. My husband is really enjoying it because there is more than just creating unique dresses involved. I mentioned the hints of collaboration with the Nazis. There is an American reporter who is trying to dig up some dirt on that front. There is also a conflict between the two Sabine brothers that is quite interesting. Paul, who is known as the owner and top designer of the House of Sabine doesn't really design the dresses. His brother Claude is the real talent behind their designs but the public doesn't know that. I don't think most of the staff realizes who the real genius is. The mother of the brothers is pretty interesting too! There is something from her past that makes her mysterious. Paul is holding something over her and she does not want Claude to find out. She is a real piece of work!

We are finding that there is enough going on that both genders, male and female, can enjoy this series found on Amazon. The story holds your attention and keeps you wondering what will happen next. It is currently rated 4.6 stars out of 5 so it would appear that most viewers are rating it highly.

 Currently the only way to view it is through your Prime membership. That might change in the future but for now only Prime members can watch it for free. 

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Goliath Season 1 Reviewed

An Excellent Crime Drama To Stream

Judge's Gavel from Pixabay.com

If you are looking for a good crime drama to stream, I can highly recommend Goliath (Season 1) currently available with an Amazon Prime membership. My guess is that later on, you may be able to purchase episodes without the membership but I don't know that for certain. 

My husband and I love to stream both movies and series on a regular basis. I have to say that every original series or movie from Amazon has been most excellent including the series released in October of 2016...Goliath. 

Billy Bob Thornton plays the character of Billy McBride who was once a very powerful attorney. He is now pretty washed-up and burned out and at first glance is nothing like the man he once was. He lives in a motel room and spends a lot of time in a bar that happens to be next door to the motel. In the beginning episode it is difficult to imagine that this guy helped start one of the most influential law firms in the city. Well, looks can be deceiving!

McBride is approached to help with a wrongful death suit with the idea that it will never go to court and that a settlement can be reached quickly. McBride was never one to go for an easy case and at first says that he is not even remotely interested. When he starts to hear the facts of the case, he quickly sees that there is something way more sinister at play and agrees to take it on. Oh, he doesn't plan on a settlement, he wants to expose just how wrongful the death was and make the bad guys pay for their crime. His approach is unorthodox in many ways but his results are intriguing and remarkable. 

This series is so well written and the actors and actresses chosen for the roles are superb.

I should warn you that if foul language offends you, you may not like this show. Personally, I think it makes the story more believable because unfortunately people do talk that way. There are also a few scenes that would never make it on prime time television but they aren't too horribly revealing with the nudity. Just want to give you fair warning if you find those sorts of things offensive.

My husband and I have really enjoyed watching these episodes and applaud Amazon for taking risks and finding series and movies that no one else will produce and providing them for their members. Goliath has turned out to be yet another "I'm so glad we watched it!" kind of streaming experience for the two of us. 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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