Without Fail
by Lee Child
★ Top 25 book of 2002 · #15 on Best Books of 2002
A Secret Service agent hires the cautious, anonymous Jack Reacher to hunt for weaknesses in her security by plotting the vice president's assassination, at least on paper. A covert group is already planning the real attack, but has not accounted for Reacher.
Best for: Thriller readers who like a sharp, resourceful hero racing against a plot
Without Fail is #15 on BookWard's Best Books of 2002, out of 32 2002 books that cleared our data bar.
What Without Fail is about
Jack Reacher is staying in Atlantic City when Secret Service agent M.E. Froelich finds him. She once dated his late brother Joe, and she has an odd job to offer. Written death threats are arriving about Vice President-elect Brook Armstrong, who knows nothing of them, and she wants Reacher to audit the security around him. His task is to think like an assassin and find the weak spots. He calls in an old military police colleague, Frances Neagley, now a security consultant in Chicago. Then the threats begin to turn real. This sixth Reacher novel, told in the third person, suits readers who like a tough, methodical hero and a plot built on loyalty and protection.
Without Fail on the Best Books of 2002
Without Fail came out in 2002. Of the 32 books first published in 2002 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #15 on our Best Books of 2002 list.
Why it made the list: 212 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.7 out of 5 (12 ratings). The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2002 list
- Night Watch Terry Pratchett, #13
- Understanding Power Noam Chomsky, #14
- Prey Michael Crichton, #16
- Hoot Carl Hiaasen, #17
See all Best Books of 2002 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2001 Best Books of 2003.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 168 want to read it, 9 are reading it now and 35 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 3.7 out of 5 from 12 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 53 | 55% |
| Reader love | 28 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 50 | 20% |
Questions about Without Fail
When was Without Fail published?
Without Fail by Lee Child was first published in 2002.
Was Without Fail one of the best books of 2002?
Without Fail is #15 on BookWard's Best Books of 2002, out of 32 2002 books that cleared our data bar. 212 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.7 out of 5 (12 ratings).
Why is Without Fail on the Best Books of 2002 list?
212 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.7 out of 5 (12 ratings).
More of the best books of 2002
- Romancing Mister Bridgerton Julia Quinn, #1
- Coraline Neil Gaiman, #2
- Room on the Broom Julia Donaldson, #3
- Why Does He Do That? Lundy Bancroft, #4
- Everything's Eventual. 14 Dark Tales Stephen King, #5
- Stories of Your Life and Others Ted Chiang, #6
See the full Best Books of 2002, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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