Die Trying is the second book in author Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series. At this point, you can pick up this book without having read the first book in the series. There’s not much that you learn about Jack in the first book that you’ll need to follow the story here. What you do have to know is filled in over the course of the story.

Jack Reacher is in Chicago when he comes across a woman struggling to juggle dry cleaning with the cane she needs to help her walk after a leg injury. As he’s trying to help, they are set upon by three men with guns and shoved into a vehicle. The two are taken to a panel truck where they are locked in the back and set off in an unknown direction.

Holly, the woman Jack was trying to help, is an FBI Agent stationed in Chicago. Her father is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and her godfather happens to be the current President of the United States. She knows she was the target of the abduction, but she either doesn’t know exactly what they want or won’t reveal it to Jack. The abduction seems to be a near-perfect crime, as it takes a few hours for Holly’s colleagues to notice she is gone, and by that time, they are far outside the city.

Destination unknown, when they stop for the night, Jack and Holly are taken out of the truck and imprisoned in a barn. Jack can escape, but with Holly’s leg injury, she would not be able to keep up with him, and they’d likely just get caught again. When one of the abductors comes out to rape Holly, he doesn’t know that Jack has managed to free himself. Jack kills the man and saves her from the rape, then disposes of the body. This makes it appear that the man just took off on the other two.

Late the next day, they arrive at a militia compound in Montana. These are a group of anti-government people who want to declare themselves a separate country and think having Holly there will stop the government from taking action against them. They know exactly who she is. Holly’s job means she also has some information they want.

Meanwhile, the FBI finds clues that have them following the kidnappers. Initially, they believe Jack is part of the plot. It’s not until one of his former Seargents is brought into the investigation and insists they have it all wrong when it comes to Reacher that they rethink their suppositions.

I absolutely loved Die Trying. It’s a book like this that makes me glad I gave this series a shot. The character of Holly is a strong one. She likely could have dealt with the situation pretty well even without Reacher there, except for the leg injury. She’s a strong, independent woman who doesn’t like to be coddled. At first, she feels a sense of responsibility that an apparent civilian has been taken along with her. She soon realizes that Jack is someone she can rely on. She doesn’t immediately open up to him and tell him what’s going on, either. She’s completely on her guard in the beginning, not knowing who he is.

Jack is merely in the wrong place at the wrong time, or in the right place depending on your perspective. He’s still living the life of a drifter and just happens to be walking down the street when he sees someone who needs help and offers it, only to end up in the middle of this plot. Unlike the first book in the series, this one is from the third-person perspective. I think that works better as it’s more fun to observe Reacher than to see it from his perspective. This also allows for more insight into the other characters. Jack is also the hardest on himself. He worries about innocent lives instead of going with a shoot and hope it all works out mentality.

If there was one downside to the book, it was the depiction of the bad guys. They have extensively planned this out, taking into account almost every possibility. Yet when Reacher is plopped down in their midst, they do the usual, wanting to show off to him instead of just killing him outright because he isn’t needed. Beau Borken is the militia leader. He seems to enjoy posturing for Jack. Maybe he thinks he can turn him to join up with his militia, but it doesn’t make sense that he doesn’t kill him when he has the chance. Even Voldemort knew to kill Cedric Diggory before he could align with Harry against him.

There is some need to suspend disbelief, particularly with this point, as well as Jack being able to get out of some situations that seem nearly impossible. At least Child doesn’t fall into the trap of making the FBI agents and other government officials look like idiots. They may misinterpret what they are seeing, but they all do their jobs bravely and well. There’s a mole among their agents who is feeding information to Borken. Who it turned out to be didn’t exactly surprise me, but did at the same time. Want to know more? Read the book.

The audiobook was narrated by Johnathan McCain, who does a good job. I don’t particularly care for the vocal tones he gives the various female characters, but it’s not a deal-breaker. Overall, he conveys the story clearly and without steering the listener to interpret the story his way. I like that.

I’ve been told there are a number of books in the series that are even better, but I really enjoyed Die Trying. It’s a great thriller with a fast pace that rarely lets up. There’s definite suspension of disbelief needed, but I didn’t find it as bad as some other military/government thrillers I’ve read. Jack is a great character who doesn’t feel too much like an unrealistic superhero. Holly was formidable as well. The villains may have been a bit unrealistic in how they acted, but with so many white supremacist groups in this country, they are completely believable in their motivation. I really enjoyed listening to this.

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