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Past Tense

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Past Tense

By: Lee Child
Narrated by: Jeff Harding
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Read by award-winning narrator Jeff Harding.

**NOW A MAJOR PRIME TV SERIES STARRING ALAN RITCHSON**

JACK REACHER NEVER LOOKS BACK . . . UNTIL NOW.

The present can be tense . . .

A young couple trying to get to New York City are stranded at a lonely motel in the middle of nowhere. Before long they're trapped in an ominous game of life and death.

But the past can be worse . . .

Meanwhile, Jack Reacher sets out on an epic road trip across America. He doesn't get far. Deep in the New England woods, he sees a sign to a place he has never been - the town where his father was born. But when he arrives he is told no one named Reacher ever lived there. Now he wonders: who's lying?

As the tension ratchets up and these two stories begin to entwine, the stakes have never been higher for Reacher.

That's for damn sure.

Although the Jack Reacher novels can be listened to in any order, Past Tense is the 23rd in the series.


'There's only one Jack Reacher. Accept no substitutes.' - Mick Herron.

‘Jeff Harding’s [...] narration captures Reacher’s character perfectly [...] you have to savour every minute.’ The Sunday Times

©2018 Lee Child (P)2018 Random House Audiobooks
Crime Thrillers Mystery Suspense Thriller Fiction Exciting

Critic Reviews

Absolutely loved Past Tense – Lee Child just gets better and better, which is a very rare quality in a writer of a long-run series. Whip smart, always compelling, always fun, he is dangerously addictive. (Peter James)
Jack Reacher is today's James Bond, a thriller hero we can't get enough of (Ken Follett)
I loved it. One of the best. (Jonathan Ross)

What listeners say about Past Tense

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lee Child at his excellent best

Reacher is exactly as we know and expect him to be. What a treat. Loved it

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Classic Jack Reacher

finish was a little flat but the narration was perfect and overall story was engaging

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great listen!

best Reacher book for a while! check it out when you can. well done Lee Child.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Addictive Reacher

Smooth narration
This novel is the perfect antidote to the bland hospital setting in which I am sitting and composing,. I am being transported to Reacher world with graphic detailed descriptions of the forest near Maine.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Lee Child at his best

awesome add usual, struggled a little with Reachers motivation and the conferences but hey, that's fiction writing. still lived it

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Another great listen.

Another great story line, with twists & turns. Much like the characters travels. Well read & produced. Well enjoyed. Thanks.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Far from the best Reacher novel

Being a big Reacher fan, I experienced something new in this book - I was tempted to give up half way through - slow and characters were not particularly interesting. The last 2.5 hours are better but overall not great.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Marshall. Australia

Mr Child is getting better and better at
making Reacher a legend!!
A pleasure to listen to.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Reacher, the Good Ol Boy? Bring back Tom.

Although a long time fan of the Reacher series, I was disappointed with this. The thing is, I'm not sure if the form is tiring (or me of it) or it was ruined (for me) by the characterisation of the reader.
There has been plenty of comment about using Tom Cruise in the movie franchise, even so, while he is a short arse without the famed bulk and power of the author's creation, at least his accent is neutral and his portrayal of the character reflects the wit and intelligence that we have come to know and, dare I say, love. And by wit of course, I'm referring to his mental ability to reason, deduct, and strategise even while demolishing a medium sized crowd of semi-zombie hulks.

I'm afraid Mr Harding's imagining was way off beam for me. The lethargic drawl, the ponderous roll out, it was more Arnie with a computer manual than an intelligent, experienced, top of the class investigator processing, planning, operating. Come on, a guy born in Europe, French speaking, who has lived all over and never put roots down would not arrive in middle age with an accent like a Good Ol Boy or an Arkansas share cropper.

Look, maybe I am being disrespectful to Mr Harding, to Good Ol Boys and to Arkansas share croppers. If so I apologise. I'm Australian, what do I know about it. But for me, it was completely wrong.

The other comment is that the book appears to be performed completely as published. This is my first Audible book - but a performed work is different to a work to be read. When we're reading text there has to be information that's necessary but that we largely, subconsciously ignore: information that is not required in a performed work. You read a play, you read the stage direction. You perform a play, those elements are obviously not required or included. In this reading of Past Tense, there seemed to be no editing of the minor elements that were no longer required, principally, numerous 'he said' 'she saids' that were superfluous with the voice characterisations, and annoying. Surely the authors would permit some careful editing of these elements.

I'm not looking to troll Mr Harding, I'm just saying surely the budget could run to a Director that could oversee the production and give some informed direction. I believe this would produce a better product and obtain a more committed audience.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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gripping

very interesting look into Teachers family past and a thrilling side story as well

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.