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Author (Platform): Lee Child (Kindle)
Publisher (Release): Transworld Digital (2008)
Length: 436 pages
Genres: Adult; Thriller; Action; Crime
❗️Disclaimers❗️:
graphic depictions of violence, some exploration of political themes, and a few scenes that require a trigger warning for unrealised sexual assault
this review contains low-level spoilers
recommendation: must read
👍 Pros 👍
Frenetic action thriller
One of the best protagonists in Jack Reacher
Not too heavy on its political themes
👎 Cons 👎
Some padding
Supporting characters are a bit bland
👀 Synopsis 👀
Jack Reacher, alone, strolling nowhere.
A Chicago street in bright sunshine. A young woman, struggling on crutches. Reacher offers her a steadying arm.
And turns to see a handgun aimed at his stomach.
Chained in a dark van racing across America, Reacher doesn’t know why they’ve been kidnapped. The woman claims to be FBI. She’s certainly tough enough. But at their remote destination, will raw courage be enough to overcome the hopeless odds?
🧩 Plots 🧩
Riveting
Engaging
Enjoyable
Uneven
Boring
🎭 Characters 🎭
Alive
Developed
Okay
Inconsistent
Soulless
🚨 Thriller 🚨
Mind-blowing
Intense
Tense
Meh
Yawn
🧠 Final Thoughts 🧠
Die Trying bucked my expectations of a classic criminal mystery and sent me straight to an adrenaline-fueled action thriller. We start hard, move into some foundation building, and Child treats us to an explosive and twisty finale that pulls all the seemingly disparate threads into a taut, satisfying bow.
Jack Reacher returns (obviously), and Child has this enviable way of keeping the reader invested in his character with a clear visual of who he is while slowly revealing what made him. He’s stoic, capable, and, while undeniably slightly overpowered, well-supported in all his talents.
The supporting cast can be a bit of a blur. Reacher is joined by FBI Agent Holly – who is realised well – and the two face off against a conspiracy with a dangerously idealistic leader. The split narrative between Reacher and Holly with the outside world leaves the rest of the characters in the shadow of a much better story. That’s not to say the tense dash to find Holly by those around her doesn’t have its moments, and Child utilises it well as the novel comes to a close, but some outside scenes feel a bit like fluff material.
Die Trying laces political intrigue throughout its frenetic and tense adventure, paying almost loving and scathing commentary on American sensibilities. As a nation, they’re incredibly proud and rooted in their sense of independence and freedom, but Die Trying shows how easily those qualities can be poisoned from virtues to radicalism.
Reacher himself is, arguably, an idealised image of an American. I don’t mean his jaw-dropping physique and combat skills (although those don’t hurt for the reader), but his mindfulness and perseverance. He weighs his options and does what he thinks is right with as minimal a collateral footprint as possible. Question everything, but make sure the answers you get have merit.
The Phoenix Project 
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