How's it going to end?

Someone asked me the other day about the new Lee Child novel 61 Hours. I said I loved the book but hated the ending. I will try not to ruin it for those of you who have yet to read it, but there may be some hints, so read with caution (or come back and read this after you've finished).

In the conversation, I was given a quizzical look and asked, "How can you love a book and hate an ending? If the ending is bad it ruins the whole book for me."

For me it is the journey, or in this case, the race. In Child's books it is all about pacing. He puts you in a place, an event happens and it is a roller coaster ride from there, so hold on tight. It slows down here and there, but that's to catch a breath before it launches itself into action. But for me this roller coaster ride ended too short. Maybe the book should have been 63 hours.

At the end of a book like that I like all my loose ends wrapped up. I don't like lingering questions and cliffhangers. I don't like having to wait months (or in some cases years) to find out what happened. I am impatient. I suppose that is why I only read series' after there are a bunch of books already published. And that is why I don't like TV shows that you must watch in sequence or risk being completely lost. Some people like the anticipation, not me. What about you?

One more thing about 61 hours. If you like to read books during the summer that are set in the winter, this has some vivid descriptions of brutal wind-chills that made me yearn for a scarf.