A review by lfro2013
Echo Burning by Lee Child

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.0

Not my favorite, it felt a bit heavy handed to me but maybe that's because I'm from Texas so the characterization of it as a place where any given person at a diner will say "we don't serve your kind" to a Latino minding their own business is a bit cartoonish and one dimensional. Obviously I accept that the author is British, and I have noticed he has an understanding of the US as a sort of wild west, where every small town is populated almost entirely with corrupt and racist individuals, but it's easier to ignore when he's talking about a place you're also unfamiliar with, as opposed to the place you grew up.
Also, the Carmen character isn't very reasonable. She's cruising the streets for some random guy to agree to kill her husband, but refuses to give her estranged parents a call? Like, she doesn't want to kidnap her kid and be a fugitive, but the fact that conspiracy to commit murder would also make her a fugitive doesn't seem to enter her mind? That whole aspect of the storyline is very weak.
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