Lee Child turned to fiction writing
at the age of 40 after he lost his job at Granada Television
following a restructuring in 1995. His first Jack Reacher novel was
Killing Floor. His novels are best-sellers in both the US and
UK, and he has sold 60 million copies worldwide.
Child writes in the “hard-boiled” tradition rather than in the style of
genteel "whodunits" that have spawned many popular cozy mystery
series. His protagonist Jack Reacher is larger-than-life, constantly
battling with his fists in a series of tightly woven stories
featuring Child's laconic prose. One could argue that Child's recent novels
have become formulaic with Jack Reacher fighting for the underdog
with a stubbornness that belies common sense, taking on all comers
and triumphing in spite of the odds stacked against him, and getting
the girl before moving on to his next exploit. Sometimes there is
more of caricature than character in Jack Reacher. Nevertheless the
Reacher novels remain immensely entertaining, and Lee Child's mastery
of prose is impressive.
For the full text of the article,
please see
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/feb/12/lee-child-award-diamond-dagger.
The award is to be presented to Child this summer.
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