🎄 Book Review: The Christmas Scorpion: A Jack Reacher Story by Lee Child (Kindle Edition)
A brisk, snow-drenched thriller featuring Jack Reacher at his most resourceful—Lee Child delivers a compact holiday tale with espionage, danger, and his signature brand of lone-wolf justice.
🧠 Overview
Published in October 2018, The Christmas Scorpion is a 43-page Kindle short story that fits between books #22 and #23 in the Jack Reacher series. Set on Christmas Eve, the story finds Reacher stranded in a remote California desert roadhouse during a freak snowstorm. What begins as a quiet night quickly turns into a covert operation when two members of Britain’s Royal Military Police reveal they’ve lost track of a VIP—and a deadly assassin known only as The Christmas Scorpion is closing in.
Reacher, naturally, steps in to save the day.
❄️ Key Highlights
- 🕵️ Classic Reacher setup: A no-name bar, a blizzard, and a cast of strangers—perfect conditions for Reacher’s instincts to kick in
- 🎖️ Military intrigue: The presence of British MPs and a top-secret mission adds an espionage twist to the usual Reacher formula
- 🔫 Tense standoff: The story builds toward a confrontation with the mysterious assassin, showcasing Reacher’s tactical mind
- 💬 Lean prose: Child’s writing is tight and efficient, ideal for a short-form thriller
“On Christmas Eve, Jack Reacher stumbles into a no-name bar in the California desert, desperate to take refuge from an unexpected snowstorm… Now they need a miracle to save the day. Or maybe all they need is Jack Reacher.” — Goodreads summary
💬 Reader Reception
- ⭐ Goodreads rating: 3.67/5 from over 13,000 ratings
- 📖 Readers enjoy the story’s fast pace, holiday setting, and classic Reacher action
- 🧾 Some felt the plot was thin or predictable, but appreciated it as a fun seasonal bonus
- 💬 “A quick Reacher fix with a snowy twist. Not groundbreaking, but satisfying.” — Goodreads reviewer
⚠️ Considerations
- 📄 Short format: At 43 pages, it’s a brief encounter—not a full-length Reacher novel
- 📚 Best for fans: Newcomers may miss the nuances of Reacher’s character, but longtime readers will enjoy the familiar rhythm
- 🎁 Includes preview: The Kindle edition features a teaser for Past Tense, the next full-length Reacher novel
🏁 Final Verdict
The Christmas Scorpion is a tight, atmospheric short story that delivers exactly what Jack Reacher fans expect: a lone hero, a tense situation, and a satisfying resolution. It’s a perfect holiday read for those who like their Christmas tales with a side of danger and grit.
