Make Me by Lee Child

Jack Reacher has returned and is now accompanied by Michelle Chang. Together they try to untangle a mystery surrounding the disappearance of a missing private investigator.
 
The search leads them to discover the properties of the "deep web", a place that is hidden from the basic Internet.  This is the dark cavern of the web where all sorts of decadent dealings and communication occur.

Jack and Michelle are led down many twisting paths that take them to LA, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco in an attempt to uncover just what happened to a man named Keever.  What they eventually discover is alarming.

Jack Reacher novels tend to be fast-paced.  So much so that in some of the earlier books in the series I felt as if I were watching an episode of  24.  That was not the case with this entry.  It was entertaining but did not hold my interest.

Ladybookbug!

The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

This is the long awaited sequel to the Lisbeth Salander novels penned by Stieg Larsson. You may remember reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

I think it is always difficult for an author to keep the same momentum as the original author in continuing his or her work.  Some other author's works that come to mind are Robert Ludlum and Robert Parker.  I am not sure whether it is the original author's style of writing, plot line or character development or perhaps all three.  In any case, Mr. Lagercrantz has written an interesting book.

In addition to Lisbeth, readers will be pleased to note that Blomkvist has also returned in this new entry.  The premise for this story is that someone has hacked into the files held by the NSA.  Blomkvist has been informed of the incident and has learned that the hacker sounds a lot like Lisbeth.

A new character is introduced in the form of a young boy with autism who witnesses a murder.  He is basically uncommunicative until someone realizes that his drawings depict what actually happened.  There are other minor characters in this story as well.

Blomkvist and Lisbeth work together to try to ascertain what the secret files contain.  They follow all types of leads that cross all boundaries of law enforcement.

While this novel offers some interesting twists and helps the reader to discover a new side to Lisbeth, it cannot take the place of the intense momentum featured in the first three books of this series.

Ladybookbug!