In a direct response to this, I decided to try reading a Jack Reacher novel (having seen, in the movie with Tom Cruise, that Reacher is not a wimpy character).
I started (as you do) with the first novel in the series. I really enjoyed it. Reacher is indeed a great antidote to Sheldon.
As I write I am nearly finished the tenth novel (isn't Kindle great!)
I read novel nine ("One Shot") on which the movie was based. I enjoyed the movie and then I enjoyed the book. Surprisingly the movie ends with a more "Jack Reacher" climax than the book does! Kudos to Christopher McQuarrie who wrote the screenplay).
It is an absolute pleasure to read about a character who is so capable and in control (almost) all of the time. And I love the way he constantly analyses everything going on around him. And he is so critical of himself when he doesn't figure everything out right away (even though he's much smarter than all of the people around him).
I see that Tome Cruise will be working on a second Reacher novel, apparently based on book 18, "Never Go Back". I know that fans of the series were upset when it was announced that Cruise was to play Reacher in the first movie (because of his stature if nothing else). Probably because I saw the movie first, I had no such reservations and I am looking forward to seeing the second movie. I hope I will have read the novel first but, at the rate I am going through them, I can't imagine that will be a problem.
To show just how little problem I have with Cruise's portrayal, I'll finish this post with a still from the movie:
