Eight stars
Excited whenever Lee Chid has a new book to offer, I reached for the latest in the Jack Reacher series. Now a collaborative effort with brother, Andrew, the series has taken on a new flavour, which differs in both positive and negative ways. Working through the ever-elusive life of Jack Reacher, the authors develop a backstory of sorts for the nomad. This piece is from when Reacher was still in the military, serving as an MP. When respected scientists begin turning up dead, the military is highly concerned. They form a group, of which the recently demoted Reacher is one, seeking answers. While Reacher is gruff and uses fists before formulating theories, he gets results. Will he be ablele to crack this case open before someone works to defy the US military with news about one of its own projects? Another great piece in which the Child brothers keep the series moving.
It's 1992 and the Cold War is still thawing. Eight respected scientists have been found dead across the United States, involved in unique accidents that the police have deemed non-issues. While many would find it hard to connect the dots, those deep within the Pentagon know these scientists and what they did for the Americans at the height of the Cold War.
Panic ensues and the Secretary of Defence calls for a joint task-force to investigate,. Recently demoted, Captain Jack Reacher is sent as the Army's representative. Some would surmise that this is punitive and that he will soon die of boredom, forced to serve on the investigative team. Reacher is ready for whatever is thrown his way, eager to find a crumb of action and excitement to keep his brain active
While Reacher has had issues as a soldier, his passion for uncovering the truth will serve as a significant asset in this investigation. Ready to get out into the world and push for answers as he did within the Military Police, Reacher heads out to get the truth. In the background, the killers look to increase their bounty and strike again, but they do not know how Reacher works or his patience before making a move. With the US Military ready to dole out justice and hold people accountable, Reacher will have to act before too many more are killed. Problem is, Reacher's own rules might mean he acts before he drags the killers before his superiors or team mates. Lee and Andrew Child work well at crafting a strong backstory with this piece.
There is always something about a Jack Reacher novel that gets me excited. While the reader is never sure what will happen or who he will encounter, Reacher is always one to find new and exciting things to keep him occupied. The narrative base here works well to entertain the reader, while building a back story on the nomads everyone seems to enjoy having around. His intuition keeps the momentum of the book and provides some great direction as the pieces fall into place.
Character development has always been huge in this series, perhaps because Jack Reacher chooses the nomadic life and prefers to share little. Flashback stories help weave a tapestry of the actions Reacher took in years past. This one offers strong characters who help shape the story and could, should the reader be highly attentive, have appeared in more modern books of the series, The authors work well within the parameters of the story to keep things moving and highly entertaining, no matter who Reacher encounters.
Twist and turns pepper the story, which has the added benefit of being set in the past, thereby keeping technology on a smaller scale. References in the book will make younger readers wonder who things worked in the early 1990s, while more seasoned folk such as myself are left to remember when things were simpler. I enjoyed these flashback stories, as they keep the reader engaged and in touch with all sides of Reacher,m even showing that he was just as gruff when working for the US Army. I cannot wait to see what's to come!
Kudos, Messrs. Child, for crafting another strong Reacher novel.
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