Killing Floor, Week 4

Welcome to Week 4 of the Online Book Club discussion of Killing Floor.

Did you enjoy the end of the book? Did it finish like you thought it would? The book definitely kept me reading until the very last pages! I couldn't believe how much action there was right until the very end. 

I think I was surprised by how much violence there was in this last section. It was almost too much for me to read. The scene where Jack sneaks up on the five men and kills them one by one was chilling. I think it was even more chilling because he was using that sap weapon thing. I had never heard of such a weapon, and I honestly could not believe that a weapon like that could inflict so much damage. I also couldn't believe how cold and detached Jack was able to be. I know the men he attacked were really bad people, but he took them out like they weren't human beings. It was really hard for me to read that chapter. Did you struggle, too? If you're curious about what a sap is, check out this article. I really can't believe that this kind of weapon could do so many horrible things. 

What was the most shocking betrayal in this section? The fact that Baker, the police officer had been working with Teale all along and had been passing along information from Jack and his gang or the fact that Picard was in on the whole deal and was not, in fact, holding Charlie at a safe house? I really couldn't believe that Picard was in on all of this. It seemed so incredibly random that he was involved. I didn't see that coming at all. Did you? I also couldn't believe how hard it was for Jack to kill Picard. He seemed invicible. I about fell over when he showed up at the warehouse at the end, all bloody and gross. That was crazy to me. It reminded me of Aaron in the The Knife of Never Letting Go. He kept showing up, even after it seemed like he had been mortally wounded. 

Jack is eventually able to figure out the whole counterfeiting scheme by looking at Hubble's bookshelves. I actually had a hunch that they were using 1 dollar bills as the paper for their fake money. It just seemed to fit with Hubbles old job at the bank. And, it makes sense to use money as paper when they were unable to buy any new paper. I was glad when we finally figured out what "Pluribus" was all about. It made sense once we realized "Pluribus" went with "E Unum Pluribus" or "Out of One Comes Many." I thought that was actually pretty clever. Out of the one dollar bills came a lot of money. 

Were you shocked that Hubble was alive? I didn't think he had the wits or bravery to be on the run, but it looks like I was wrong. I was glad for him and his wife that he was ok. And, he kind of redeemed himself at the end when he used his car as a battering ram. That ended up being pretty helpful. What do you think Hubble will do after the book is finished? What is life like after a person experiences such trauma? I can't even imagine going back to regular life. 

Are you surprised that everyone in the main protagonist group made it to the end of the book? The warehouse scene at the end was pretty touch and go. I thought Roscoe or Jack or Finlay could have been killed at any moment. I was glad that the kids were taken to safety right at the beginning of that scene because I don't think I could have handled them being a part of the violence. That would have been really hard to read. 

I still can't believe that Jack walked away from all of his misdeeds without any consequences. I just can't imagine that there isn't even one person who would be curious about all that he did. But, he's a professional, so I guess I have to trust that he knew what he was doing when he covered up all of the evidence. Do you think it's realistic that he could just leave the town without having anyone question him? 

Do you think you'll read any more Jack Reacher books? Did you enjoy the story? Do you like Jack Reacher as a character? If you liked this book and are interested in reading and watching similar titles, check out this list I created. Make sure to let me know if you check out anything on the list! 

Before you go, check out this interview with author, Lee Child. I really enjoyed what he had to say about Jack Reacher as a character. 

Thanks for joining us this month! I hope you'll leave a comment to let me know how the end of the book treated you! Make sure to join us again next month as we read The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart.