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《一觸即發》（Tripwire）是Lee Child「浪人神探」Jack Reacher系列的新作。

但嚴格來說，Jack Reacher的形象和「神探」實在不太吻合；硬要說的話，那Jack Reacher可能比較像是厲害的退役情報人員。而且事實上，他比情報人員還可怕一點，Jack Reacher是退役的憲兵，體格則應該可以上格鬥擂臺。

而且還跟007一樣，每次的危險任務（也就是每本書）都會有美女送上門來。從逮捕他的女警到將軍的女兒，完全大小通吃。

我一直記得，閱讀Lee Child的《地獄藍調》是很愉快的經驗，因為整本書高潮疊起、刺激不斷。《一觸即發》雖然沒那麼精彩，但也算是上乘的娛樂小說。

只是，對於Jack Reacher卻很難有認同的情感。

我想了許久，覺得原因可能真的很單純：我就是很難認同軍人。尤其是軍人這個符號背後所承載的文化意涵。

這也讓我覺得很疑惑，當Lee Child創作Reacher這個角色時，他在想什麼？

我在網路上，The Interview Writing Journal找到一篇專訪，是Claire E. White訪問Lee Child，篇名是：A Conversation with Lee Child。

其中Claire E. White倒是問了Lee Child一個類似的問題：Jack Reacher is an interesting, and enigmatic character. How did you create Jack? Were there any characteristics that you were specifically trying to avoid with him?

Lee Child的答案是：Specifically, I was determined to avoid the hero-as-self-aware-damaged-person paradigm. I'm afraid as a reader I got sick of all the depressed and miserable alcoholics that increasingly peopled the genre. I wanted a happy-go-lucky guy. He has quirks and problems, but the thing is, he doesn't know he's got them. Hence, no tedious self-pity. He's smart and strong, an introvert, but any anguish he suffers is caused by others.

看來，對於傳統的「冷硬派」或「硬漢小說」所塑造出來的典型角色的模型 --憂鬱的、悲慘的酒鬼，Lee Child是有點不耐的。這倒不難理解，幾乎在相關的類型小說中出現的主角，都是很悽慘的、幾近自憐自艾的角色，婚姻失敗、事業瓶頸、酗酒......；只是，在我看來，Jack Reacher本身是個wanderer，半自願的，加上幾乎所有厄運都is caused by others，這個角色好像有點「命定」的感覺？

The Time的專訪深入了些，特別還問了以下這兩個問題：What's the impact of him having been a former military officer?

Lee Child的回答很簡短：I just felt from personal observation that there is nothing more dislocated or alienated than a lifelong military person trying to cope in civilian life. It's like two completely separate planets.

確實，如果很素樸的觀察，長期軍旅的軍人要回過來適應社會生活，多多少少有點困難。

Does the adjective "macho" fit?

Lee Child用「後現代」的「後設」觀點來回應，其實頂有趣的：It's a word I don't really care for, because it involves some negative things as well as positive. What I like about Reacher is that he's kind of post-everything; he's post-modern, post-feminist. He takes it absolutely for granted that all people are equally deserving of respect, and also the flip side, that all people are equally deserving of condemnation if necessary. He'll help a woman, he'll kill a woman, whatever. It's all the same to him.

另一個大家可能也會感興趣的問題是：Does he always get the girl?
Pretty much. He always gets them, but one thing that most people misunderstand is they think that he always then leaves them. But at least half of the time, it is the woman who is intelligent enough to realize that it can't possibly work, so she sends him on his way.

這個回答實在是有點像是，007的導演以此說明「龐德女郎」不是「花瓶」，而是「獨立自主」的女性。

（專訪全文請見：http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1631477,00.html）