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Jack Reacher #16
Ostatnia sprawa
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Mystery & Thriller (2011)Marzec 1997 roku. Jack Reacher, czynny oficer żandarmerii wojskowej w randze majora, po raz ostatni wchodzi do Pentagonu. Za chwilę rozstrzygną się jego losy: zostanie aresztowany, zastrzelony w trakcie stawiania oporu lub dyscyplinarnie zwolniony ze służby. Wszystko przez misję przydzieloną mu pięć dni wcześniej przez dowódcę - miał zbadać tajemnicę śmierci pięknej kobiety w miasteczku Carter Crossing w stanie Missisipi. W tę z pozoru banalną sprawę mogą być zamieszane siły zbrojne USA. Czy właśnie dlatego dochodzenie miejscowej policji utknęło w martwym punkcie?
480 pages, Paperback
First published September 27, 2011
21431 people are currently reading
42145 people want to read
About the author
Lee Child
440 books34.1k followersLee Child was born October 29th, 1954 in Coventry, England, but spent his formative years in the nearby city of Birmingham. By coincidence he won a scholarship to the same high school that JRR Tolkien had attended. He went to law school in Sheffield, England, and after part-time work in the theater he joined Granada Television in Manchester for what turned out to be an eighteen-year career as a presentation director during British TV's "golden age." During his tenure his company made Brideshead Revisited, The Jewel in the Crown, Prime Suspect, and Cracker. But he was fired in 1995 at the age of 40 as a result of corporate restructuring. Always a voracious reader, he decided to see an opportunity where others might have seen a crisis and bought six dollars' worth of paper and pencils and sat down to write a book, Killing Floor, the first in the Jack Reacher series.
Killing Floor was an immediate success and launched the series which has grown in sales and impact with every new installment. The first Jack Reacher movie, based on the novel One Shot and starring Tom Cruise and Rosamund Pike, was released in December 2012.
Lee has three homes—an apartment in Manhattan, a country house in the south of France, and whatever airplane cabin he happens to be in while traveling between the two. In the US he drives a supercharged Jaguar, which was built in Jaguar's Browns Lane plant, thirty yards from the hospital in which he was born.
Lee spends his spare time reading, listening to music, and watching the Yankees, Aston Villa, or Marseilles soccer. He is married with a grown-up daughter. He is tall and slim, despite an appalling diet and a refusal to exercise.
Killing Floor was an immediate success and launched the series which has grown in sales and impact with every new installment. The first Jack Reacher movie, based on the novel One Shot and starring Tom Cruise and Rosamund Pike, was released in December 2012.
Lee has three homes—an apartment in Manhattan, a country house in the south of France, and whatever airplane cabin he happens to be in while traveling between the two. In the US he drives a supercharged Jaguar, which was built in Jaguar's Browns Lane plant, thirty yards from the hospital in which he was born.
Lee spends his spare time reading, listening to music, and watching the Yankees, Aston Villa, or Marseilles soccer. He is married with a grown-up daughter. He is tall and slim, despite an appalling diet and a refusal to exercise.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,099 reviews
December 9, 2011
LEE Child Sells Out
I love Jack Reacher so much and I feel like Lee Child has just sold him out for money. It is so offensive that Child sold the screen rights to Tom Cruise so he could play Reacher. It didn't seem to matter that Reacher is a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier just to name two obvious reasons he's so obviously miscast. And now it seems like Child is writing the book to support Cruise's portrayal. He usually mentions Reacher size frequently but in this book it's just so casually mentioned that it's hardly noticable. Also, I think the sex tied to the trains is written for a movie in mind. It seems like more of a script than the usual Reacher book.
I would have loved this book about Reacher's beginning but it just didn't live up to its potential. I don't think his dismissal from the service was very realistic. The death scene at the Pentagon seemed contrived to me as was the cover-up.
I just feel let down. I have read and enjoyed this series for so long and I feel so betrayed.
I love Jack Reacher so much and I feel like Lee Child has just sold him out for money. It is so offensive that Child sold the screen rights to Tom Cruise so he could play Reacher. It didn't seem to matter that Reacher is a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier just to name two obvious reasons he's so obviously miscast. And now it seems like Child is writing the book to support Cruise's portrayal. He usually mentions Reacher size frequently but in this book it's just so casually mentioned that it's hardly noticable. Also, I think the sex tied to the trains is written for a movie in mind. It seems like more of a script than the usual Reacher book.
I would have loved this book about Reacher's beginning but it just didn't live up to its potential. I don't think his dismissal from the service was very realistic. The death scene at the Pentagon seemed contrived to me as was the cover-up.
I just feel let down. I have read and enjoyed this series for so long and I feel so betrayed.
August 24, 2021
This is the sixteenth Jack Reacher novel and it's among the best of them all. For the second time, Lee Child goes back to tell a story from earlier in Reacher's life and this is the Jack Reacher origin story. It takes place back in 1997, when Reacher was still in the Army. Reacher loves the Army and it's the only home he's ever known, even as a child, when he grew up a military brat. But the Army is now in trouble. The Cold War has ended; the war on terror is yet to begin, and budget cutters are looking to downsize the Army. Lots of positions could be lost, even that of a career military man like Reacher.
More immediately, the Army faces a potential crisis down in the backwoods of Mississippi. A scandal could be brewing there that would hit the Army hard at a time when it is already vulnerable. Reacher is assigned to head south incognito to work as the outside man in a two-man investigating team that will try to define and resolve the crisis. But their most important mission is to protect the Army no matter the cost. The assignment, though, is very vague and it's clear that Reacher's commanding officer expects him to do a lot of reading between the lines.
The crisis--whatever its real nature--has been triggered by the savage murder of a young woman in Carter Crossing, Mississippi, a tiny town that exists to serve an Army base with a somewhat mysterious purpose. The Army's apparent fear is that a military man will be exposed as the killer, triggering a major scandal at a time when the Army can least afford it.
Reacher makes his way to the little town, but his cover is blown immediately by the local sheriff, a very tough, smart, sexy ex-Marine named Elizabeth Deveraux. The two form a wary partnership and it quickly becomes apparent that a huge conspiracy may be at work here. But what is the conspiracy? Who's involved? And, most important, who can Reacher trust?
Reacher being Reacher, he is determined to ferret out the truth. Along the way, he'll have to beat the crap out of some local bad boys and he'll also have to sort out his relationship with Sheriff Deveraux. Reacher being Reacher, he will also attempt to mete out justice, however rough. The real question is whether he can do so in a way that serves his mission and his determination to protect the Army without destroying himself in the process.
This is really an excellent addition to the series, much more nuanced than some of the other entries with a plot that builds to a great climax. Reacher's fans are sure to love it and those who have not yet made his acquaintance would find this an excellent place to start.
More immediately, the Army faces a potential crisis down in the backwoods of Mississippi. A scandal could be brewing there that would hit the Army hard at a time when it is already vulnerable. Reacher is assigned to head south incognito to work as the outside man in a two-man investigating team that will try to define and resolve the crisis. But their most important mission is to protect the Army no matter the cost. The assignment, though, is very vague and it's clear that Reacher's commanding officer expects him to do a lot of reading between the lines.
The crisis--whatever its real nature--has been triggered by the savage murder of a young woman in Carter Crossing, Mississippi, a tiny town that exists to serve an Army base with a somewhat mysterious purpose. The Army's apparent fear is that a military man will be exposed as the killer, triggering a major scandal at a time when the Army can least afford it.
Reacher makes his way to the little town, but his cover is blown immediately by the local sheriff, a very tough, smart, sexy ex-Marine named Elizabeth Deveraux. The two form a wary partnership and it quickly becomes apparent that a huge conspiracy may be at work here. But what is the conspiracy? Who's involved? And, most important, who can Reacher trust?
Reacher being Reacher, he is determined to ferret out the truth. Along the way, he'll have to beat the crap out of some local bad boys and he'll also have to sort out his relationship with Sheriff Deveraux. Reacher being Reacher, he will also attempt to mete out justice, however rough. The real question is whether he can do so in a way that serves his mission and his determination to protect the Army without destroying himself in the process.
This is really an excellent addition to the series, much more nuanced than some of the other entries with a plot that builds to a great climax. Reacher's fans are sure to love it and those who have not yet made his acquaintance would find this an excellent place to start.
December 19, 2021
I should give The Affair zero stars just on principle. Lee Child apparently agrees with the casting of that little dickhead Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. Really? YGBSM!! There is no freaking way that Cruise can remotely approach the kick-ass power of Reacher in a fight with a group of bad guys. Here is one fight in the book that would be epic fail if little Tommy C tries to fill the part:
Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher? There is no way I can go to the upcoming film with him in the lead role and anyone seeing the movie before reading a Reacher book will be totally confused if they go read any book in the series. If Lee Child is going with current casting for turning his books into movies, he needs to rewrite the character. And if he did, no one would be interested.
Now that I ranted enough, I’ll get back to our regular programming and give the book 4.5 to 5 Stars. This book gives needed background on how Jack Reacher came to be. Child goes back and tells the story of the assignment where Reacher uncovered corruption that subsequently led to his leaving the Army early. Some brutal killings have taken place near an army post in Mississippi, home to a special group of soldiers carrying out clandestine missions. Reacher is sent to help determine if the army has any “exposure” to the murders. The local female sheriff is a great counterpart to Reacher and there are some great scenes between the two. The ultimate conspiracy is a bit stretched but the ending ties it up nicely.
Great characters here and excellent pacing right to the end. I did not think I would enjoy the story set back in the mid-90’s but I did…a lot. If you haven’t read a Jack Reacher novel yet, you could start here and go on to the rest of the series. If you are a big fan of this series, this is a great story, not a must-read, but still very good. I have to say that Lee Child, born and raised in the UK, has an amazing talent for American regional nuances and US military culture. He sounds authentic, like someone born and raised in the US and a career military guy. One heck of a talent.
Update...new guy to play Reacher in upcoming series: https://www.military.com/off-duty/tel...
Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher? There is no way I can go to the upcoming film with him in the lead role and anyone seeing the movie before reading a Reacher book will be totally confused if they go read any book in the series. If Lee Child is going with current casting for turning his books into movies, he needs to rewrite the character. And if he did, no one would be interested.
Now that I ranted enough, I’ll get back to our regular programming and give the book 4.5 to 5 Stars. This book gives needed background on how Jack Reacher came to be. Child goes back and tells the story of the assignment where Reacher uncovered corruption that subsequently led to his leaving the Army early. Some brutal killings have taken place near an army post in Mississippi, home to a special group of soldiers carrying out clandestine missions. Reacher is sent to help determine if the army has any “exposure” to the murders. The local female sheriff is a great counterpart to Reacher and there are some great scenes between the two. The ultimate conspiracy is a bit stretched but the ending ties it up nicely.
Great characters here and excellent pacing right to the end. I did not think I would enjoy the story set back in the mid-90’s but I did…a lot. If you haven’t read a Jack Reacher novel yet, you could start here and go on to the rest of the series. If you are a big fan of this series, this is a great story, not a must-read, but still very good. I have to say that Lee Child, born and raised in the UK, has an amazing talent for American regional nuances and US military culture. He sounds authentic, like someone born and raised in the US and a career military guy. One heck of a talent.
Update...new guy to play Reacher in upcoming series: https://www.military.com/off-duty/tel...
October 7, 2011
Let me say first that I will always choose to listen to a Jack Reacher novel instead of reading it simply because I am so impressed with the talent of Dick Hill in bringing the series to life.
The Reacher series is a favorite of mine, and I'm not sure exactly why, since I am not a fan of vigilante justice. I suppose, though, that the lone, mysterious stranger who rights wrongs and stands up for those who cannot stand up for themselves is something of an archetype. Unlike many characters of this type, Child offers us the opportunity to see inside Reacher, to see his insecurities and his code of right and wrong.
We are also offered the chance to learn about Reacher's background, and that is especially relevant to this book, set at a time much earlier in his life than the other novels. One of the very good points about this series is that it is not necessary to read the books in order to figure things out, but neither do you become bored rehashing past history. Child is a master at moving things along.
In spite of the title of this novel, and it is indeed a sexual affair that is referenced, Child does not write romance novels. In contrast to bedroom scenes that go on and on, Child leaves much to the experience of the reader and is quite capable of summing up the action in a sentence or two. However, what he does describe shows a definite sense of humor. (I'm sorry, but I can't quote from an audio book--that's one of their drawbacks.) Indeed, wry wit permeates the book, from an ongoing joke with a fellow MP about the downsizing the Army will be doing to his comments about how to choose a diner.
Of course, I like some books better than other, but I think this new book is one of his best.
The Reacher series is a favorite of mine, and I'm not sure exactly why, since I am not a fan of vigilante justice. I suppose, though, that the lone, mysterious stranger who rights wrongs and stands up for those who cannot stand up for themselves is something of an archetype. Unlike many characters of this type, Child offers us the opportunity to see inside Reacher, to see his insecurities and his code of right and wrong.
We are also offered the chance to learn about Reacher's background, and that is especially relevant to this book, set at a time much earlier in his life than the other novels. One of the very good points about this series is that it is not necessary to read the books in order to figure things out, but neither do you become bored rehashing past history. Child is a master at moving things along.
In spite of the title of this novel, and it is indeed a sexual affair that is referenced, Child does not write romance novels. In contrast to bedroom scenes that go on and on, Child leaves much to the experience of the reader and is quite capable of summing up the action in a sentence or two. However, what he does describe shows a definite sense of humor. (I'm sorry, but I can't quote from an audio book--that's one of their drawbacks.) Indeed, wry wit permeates the book, from an ongoing joke with a fellow MP about the downsizing the Army will be doing to his comments about how to choose a diner.
Of course, I like some books better than other, but I think this new book is one of his best.
August 13, 2022
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." -- the thoughts of Jack Reacher, page 481
Perhaps to shake things up a bit - as this was the sixteenth book in just under sixteen years for the long-running series - author Child deviates from the usual 'heroic bystander on the scene' formula with The Affair. The story harkens back to 1997, shadowing Jack Reacher's final investigatory assignment as a military policeman in the U.S. Army and it finally explains why he stepped away from that career to freely roam the continent. While the mystery plot - concerning three murdered young women in a rural Mississippi town that borders a military outpost - was pretty good if somewhat standard for the series (it seemed like a few pertinent details felt like they were glossed over and/or forgotten about as the conclusion loomed near) there were two elements which made this volume unique. The first is that Reacher cold-bloodedly inflicts some arguably applaud-worthy vigilante justice on some truly reprehensible characters in two distinct scenes. The second is the actual 'affair' referred to in the title, where Reacher has a sultry fling with the very attractive yet shrewd country sheriff tasked with those homicide inquiries. Child has composed some maturely written yet still appropriately amorous love scenes which enhanced the storyline, and did not it slow down at all.
Perhaps to shake things up a bit - as this was the sixteenth book in just under sixteen years for the long-running series - author Child deviates from the usual 'heroic bystander on the scene' formula with The Affair. The story harkens back to 1997, shadowing Jack Reacher's final investigatory assignment as a military policeman in the U.S. Army and it finally explains why he stepped away from that career to freely roam the continent. While the mystery plot - concerning three murdered young women in a rural Mississippi town that borders a military outpost - was pretty good if somewhat standard for the series (it seemed like a few pertinent details felt like they were glossed over and/or forgotten about as the conclusion loomed near) there were two elements which made this volume unique. The first is that Reacher cold-bloodedly inflicts some arguably applaud-worthy vigilante justice on some truly reprehensible characters in two distinct scenes. The second is the actual 'affair' referred to in the title, where Reacher has a sultry fling with the very attractive yet shrewd country sheriff tasked with those homicide inquiries. Child has composed some maturely written yet still appropriately amorous love scenes which enhanced the storyline, and did not it slow down at all.
December 31, 2014
I'm a big fan of the Jack Reacher series. This is a reread for me and I loved every minute of it!
October 12, 2012
As my second book in the Jack Reacher series (although #16 in publication and a prequel in sequence), The Affair wasn't a shabby audio read at all. The narrator Dick Hill has a terse, noirish delivery that adds to the story. He sounds a bit older than I would associate with Reacher, but he definitely has Reacher's 'you ain't the boss of me' attitude and conveys his ruthless, efficient approach to solving injustices. I think he is a good choice to narrate for the Jack Reacher books. I do have to admit that I was giggling like a schoolgirl on the love scenes. I can't help it. Audiobook love scenes always strike me that way, and especially with an older male narrator who sort of gave them a 'dirty old man' vibe!
It's interesting. This seems like a simplistic storyline, but when everything came together, it wasn't. The Affair is the story of small town secrets tied in with the bigger and murkier waters of powerful people who feel the impunity to do whatever they want. Child kept me guessing. I went back and forth about what was going on and who was behind it. He really had me going and thinking that the killer was someone I really didn't want it to be. In the end, I was like, "So that's not the killer?" That was well done.
Child has an interesting way of being very brisk about describing some aspects of his narrative, but descriptive in a vivid, emotive way about others. I felt immersed in this small town with its racial divisions, brutal poverty and a seething sense of injustice that comes from the eternal 'haves versus the have nots'. As it does to Reacher, injustice sits heavy on my stomach, so even though Reacher can be highly ruthless, in a way it's a rewarding thing to know that there is an avenging angel out there at least in the fictional world to fight for those who have been disenfranchised and denied of their rights and their voices. I suppose that's why Reacher is around. When you have these kinds of situations with so much brutality and casual discarding of lives, it makes you want a meaty fist of vengeance like Reacher who is there to clean up the mess. His descriptions of Army/military life also grabbed my interest. I don't know if he got all that right, but it sounded plausible to me. At least some of the governmental parts struck a familiar note.
Reacher is an interesting character. He's really kind of a basic sort. His view of life is so simple and without the extra qualifiers that most characters seem to have. He understands authority, but he also has a habit of doing what he thinks is right even if that's against the dictates of authority.
Sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux was an intriguing character. Ex-marine and sheriff of Carter's Crossing, the daughter of the long-term sheriff. She's a bit of a study in contrasts. The romance between Reacher and Deveraux was fairly basic, although Child effectively conveys the attraction and mutual respect between them. Neither is a good bet for a long-term relationship, but I still wished that things might work out in that direction .
The Affair was a good book, but I felt an emptiness when it ended. I don't know if it was just the stripped down nature of the overall plot or that I felt unsatisfied with the overall nature of things that went down. It bothered me to see those people die like that and how it was handled. And while Reacher did what he could to make things right, it doesn't bring those people back, or prevent it from happening again. And Reacher pays a heavy price in the end to do what he did, or maybe for being the kind of man he is. Was that a deliberate thing on Child's part? Maybe. Overall, a pretty good book that I'd recommend to fans of thriller/suspense and kickbutt heroes.
It's interesting. This seems like a simplistic storyline, but when everything came together, it wasn't. The Affair is the story of small town secrets tied in with the bigger and murkier waters of powerful people who feel the impunity to do whatever they want. Child kept me guessing. I went back and forth about what was going on and who was behind it. He really had me going and thinking that the killer was someone I really didn't want it to be. In the end, I was like, "So that's not the killer?" That was well done.
Child has an interesting way of being very brisk about describing some aspects of his narrative, but descriptive in a vivid, emotive way about others. I felt immersed in this small town with its racial divisions, brutal poverty and a seething sense of injustice that comes from the eternal 'haves versus the have nots'. As it does to Reacher, injustice sits heavy on my stomach, so even though Reacher can be highly ruthless, in a way it's a rewarding thing to know that there is an avenging angel out there at least in the fictional world to fight for those who have been disenfranchised and denied of their rights and their voices. I suppose that's why Reacher is around. When you have these kinds of situations with so much brutality and casual discarding of lives, it makes you want a meaty fist of vengeance like Reacher who is there to clean up the mess. His descriptions of Army/military life also grabbed my interest. I don't know if he got all that right, but it sounded plausible to me. At least some of the governmental parts struck a familiar note.
Reacher is an interesting character. He's really kind of a basic sort. His view of life is so simple and without the extra qualifiers that most characters seem to have. He understands authority, but he also has a habit of doing what he thinks is right even if that's against the dictates of authority.
Sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux was an intriguing character. Ex-marine and sheriff of Carter's Crossing, the daughter of the long-term sheriff. She's a bit of a study in contrasts. The romance between Reacher and Deveraux was fairly basic, although Child effectively conveys the attraction and mutual respect between them. Neither is a good bet for a long-term relationship, but I still wished that things might work out in that direction .
The Affair was a good book, but I felt an emptiness when it ended. I don't know if it was just the stripped down nature of the overall plot or that I felt unsatisfied with the overall nature of things that went down. It bothered me to see those people die like that and how it was handled. And while Reacher did what he could to make things right, it doesn't bring those people back, or prevent it from happening again. And Reacher pays a heavy price in the end to do what he did, or maybe for being the kind of man he is. Was that a deliberate thing on Child's part? Maybe. Overall, a pretty good book that I'd recommend to fans of thriller/suspense and kickbutt heroes.
September 4, 2021
3.5 stars
In this 16th book in the 'Jack Reacher' series, we get a flashback to the time Jack was an army MP. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
This addition to the series goes back to 1997, when Jack Reacher was an army MP (military police).
A young woman named Janice Chapman has been raped and viciously murdered in the town of Carter Crossing, Mississippi - just outside Fort Kelham Army Base.
The army brass, fearing a soldier may be blamed, sends two military cops to look into the case. One is sent to Fort Kelham, presumably to discover if a soldier committed the crime. At the same time Jack Reacher is sent to Carter Crossing, posing as a civilian. His job is to see what local law enforcement is doing about the crime and hopefully to deflect attention from the army.
Carter Crossing's sheriff, the beautiful Elizabeth Deveraux, rumbles Jack immediately. She's a former Marine, and she knows a military cop when she sees one.
Eventually Jack and the sheriff team up to investigate the rape/murder and Jack learns that Janice is not the first victim. Two other women have been killed in a similar fashon, but - because they were black - their deaths didn't attract much attention. It seems clear that a serial killer is at work in Carter Crossing.
The army is desperate to keep Fort Kelham out of the news for a number of reasons: some army units stationed there are regularly deployed to Kosovo, a fact unknown to the public; and one of Fort Kelham's high-ranking officers is the son of a powerful U.S. Senator.
Thus the army would much prefer the serial killer to be a civilian, and certain officers are willing to go to great lengths to prove this is the case. Jack Reacher is honest to the core, however, and won't stand for any misrepresentation of the truth.
There's plenty of action going on in the story: two more people are shot to death; Jack has violent altercations with some Carter Crossing rednecks; there's some romance; Jack eats many cheeseburgers and a lot of pie; Jack has altercations with soldiers sent to detain him; Jack has altercations with self-styled militias; and much more.
The book's plot is engaging, the characters are interesting, and Jack does a masterful job of detection. Though some officers try to pull the wool over Jack's eyes he is a very smart guy who figures out exactly what's going on.
My major criticism of the book is that it could have been 75 to 100 pages shorter. Some scenes are much too drawn out. At the beginning of the book for example, Jack walks into the Pentagon, and it takes (what seems like) forever for Jack to get from the building's entrance to a General's office. Each of Jack's footsteps is described in excruciating detail, as is every single person he passes, what they're wearing, their demeanor, their shoes, etc. Several other scenes in the book follow this same pattern, which is irritating and boring.
Overall, however, this is a good story that I would recommend for fans of action/thrillers and for fans of Jack Reacher.
You can follow my reviews at http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/
January 19, 2012
Mostly solving a mystery. It’s fun because it’s Reacher.
STORY BRIEF:
Books 1 to 15 in the Jack Reacher series flow in chronological order. All of them are set after Reacher left the army in March 1997 except for Book 8 (The Enemy) and this one. This book 16 goes back in time and is set in March 1997. It describes Reacher’s last investigation as an MP before he left the army.
A woman is murdered in a small town in Mississippi. The Kellum army base is nearby. They army is hoping that the murderer is not a soldier. One MP is sent to investigate within the army base. Reacher is assigned to go undercover as a civilian and work with the local cops to investigate. Reacher and the local sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux become an item. Reacher learns other women have been murdered in the same manner and some civilians have been shot near the army base.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
My favorite Reacher stories are the thrillers where the reader is in the bad guy’s head. I like seeing the bad guy’s motivations, plans and action to get Reacher. This book is not a thriller. We’re not in the head of any bad guy, but that’s ok. This is mystery, suspense, and some action. It’s enjoyable and entertaining because it’s Reacher. I like being in his world. Again, as with all the Reacher stories you need to suspend disbelief. Don’t try to hold him to technicalities. I will admit there were a few things about the plot that were not developed or explained well, but they were minor. This is my comic book hero escape.
One of the fun things I like about Reacher is how he confronts people and does not avoid conflict, which is so opposite of me. I like to avoid confrontation whenever possible. In this story, three army rangers are assigned to “sort of” arrest Reacher for a few hours. My reaction would be to sneak around and hope they don’t find me. What does Reacher do? He calls them on the phone and says I’m in the diner, here’s how I suggest you approach the diner to get me, but I’m not going with you.
Early in the story, Reacher’s boss orders him to investigate the case from the civilian side. I was chuckling at Reacher’s comment “You want ME to impersonate a CIVILIAN?” Apparently he had never done this before. Then I was chuckling on the subject of Reacher’s toothbrush. (We hear about this toothbrush in every book.) He needs to purchase traveling supplies, so he goes shopping for a toothbrush. He really likes this folding covered toothbrush and buys it. Later in the story, his boss tells Reacher not to go back to Mississippi. Reacher says I need to go back for my personal property. His boss asks what did you leave there? Reacher said my toothbrush. His boss said forget it. Reacher asked will the army reimburse me for it? His boss said no. Reacher said then I need to go back and get it... I then thought of another scene from one of the other books. Some bad guys trashed Reacher’s motel room and stepped on his toothbrush. Reacher walks in and isn’t bothered by the destruction until he sees his broken toothbrush, “b****rds he yells.
SEX SCENES:
I was laughing out loud at the sex scenes (in a good way - I’m not being critical). This book has more sex than any of the other Reacher books. It had six sex scenes. I’ve read a lot of romance with sex scenes written by female authors. They are sensual and passionate and designed to turn on a female reader. The Reacher sex scenes are not. They are written by a man and told from Reacher’s perspective. And they fit Reacher. There is nothing wrong with them. I just find it funny the way they are geared to a guy - not written to appeal to a female. I liked it for the humor. It fits.
SECOND STORY 4 stars:
To my surprise a second story by Lee Child was at the end of this audiobook. It was a short story, 1 ½ hours long. It was titled “Second Son.” It’s about Reacher when he was 13 years old in 1974. His brother Joe was 15. They had just moved with their parents to a marine base in Okinawa. There is a local bully and a couple of thefts. Reacher fights the bullies and solves the mysteries. It was good.
NARRATOR:
The narrator Dick Hill was very good.
DATA:
Unabridged audiobook reading time: 15 hrs and 33 mins (includes both stories). Swearing language: none. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 6. Setting: March, 1997 mostly Mississippi with some in Washington DC and Virginia. Book copyright: 2011. Genre: mystery suspense. Ending: good.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Lee Child books, see my review of Worth Dying For
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
STORY BRIEF:
Books 1 to 15 in the Jack Reacher series flow in chronological order. All of them are set after Reacher left the army in March 1997 except for Book 8 (The Enemy) and this one. This book 16 goes back in time and is set in March 1997. It describes Reacher’s last investigation as an MP before he left the army.
A woman is murdered in a small town in Mississippi. The Kellum army base is nearby. They army is hoping that the murderer is not a soldier. One MP is sent to investigate within the army base. Reacher is assigned to go undercover as a civilian and work with the local cops to investigate. Reacher and the local sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux become an item. Reacher learns other women have been murdered in the same manner and some civilians have been shot near the army base.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
My favorite Reacher stories are the thrillers where the reader is in the bad guy’s head. I like seeing the bad guy’s motivations, plans and action to get Reacher. This book is not a thriller. We’re not in the head of any bad guy, but that’s ok. This is mystery, suspense, and some action. It’s enjoyable and entertaining because it’s Reacher. I like being in his world. Again, as with all the Reacher stories you need to suspend disbelief. Don’t try to hold him to technicalities. I will admit there were a few things about the plot that were not developed or explained well, but they were minor. This is my comic book hero escape.
One of the fun things I like about Reacher is how he confronts people and does not avoid conflict, which is so opposite of me. I like to avoid confrontation whenever possible. In this story, three army rangers are assigned to “sort of” arrest Reacher for a few hours. My reaction would be to sneak around and hope they don’t find me. What does Reacher do? He calls them on the phone and says I’m in the diner, here’s how I suggest you approach the diner to get me, but I’m not going with you.
Early in the story, Reacher’s boss orders him to investigate the case from the civilian side. I was chuckling at Reacher’s comment “You want ME to impersonate a CIVILIAN?” Apparently he had never done this before. Then I was chuckling on the subject of Reacher’s toothbrush. (We hear about this toothbrush in every book.) He needs to purchase traveling supplies, so he goes shopping for a toothbrush. He really likes this folding covered toothbrush and buys it. Later in the story, his boss tells Reacher not to go back to Mississippi. Reacher says I need to go back for my personal property. His boss asks what did you leave there? Reacher said my toothbrush. His boss said forget it. Reacher asked will the army reimburse me for it? His boss said no. Reacher said then I need to go back and get it... I then thought of another scene from one of the other books. Some bad guys trashed Reacher’s motel room and stepped on his toothbrush. Reacher walks in and isn’t bothered by the destruction until he sees his broken toothbrush, “b****rds he yells.
SEX SCENES:
I was laughing out loud at the sex scenes (in a good way - I’m not being critical). This book has more sex than any of the other Reacher books. It had six sex scenes. I’ve read a lot of romance with sex scenes written by female authors. They are sensual and passionate and designed to turn on a female reader. The Reacher sex scenes are not. They are written by a man and told from Reacher’s perspective. And they fit Reacher. There is nothing wrong with them. I just find it funny the way they are geared to a guy - not written to appeal to a female. I liked it for the humor. It fits.
SECOND STORY 4 stars:
To my surprise a second story by Lee Child was at the end of this audiobook. It was a short story, 1 ½ hours long. It was titled “Second Son.” It’s about Reacher when he was 13 years old in 1974. His brother Joe was 15. They had just moved with their parents to a marine base in Okinawa. There is a local bully and a couple of thefts. Reacher fights the bullies and solves the mysteries. It was good.
NARRATOR:
The narrator Dick Hill was very good.
DATA:
Unabridged audiobook reading time: 15 hrs and 33 mins (includes both stories). Swearing language: none. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 6. Setting: March, 1997 mostly Mississippi with some in Washington DC and Virginia. Book copyright: 2011. Genre: mystery suspense. Ending: good.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Lee Child books, see my review of Worth Dying For
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
February 1, 2024
One of the best in the series. The story of how Reacher began his nomadic avenger lifestyle with his final days in the army and a classic Reacher case. Child manages to keep the story feeling like classic Reacher by including the elements we have come to expect from him, and at the same time give us a glimpse into the origin of his singular hero. Plus its entertaining, violent and the bad guys get what's coming to them. What more do we need?
February 7, 2020
Now the plot has been so interesting in this book and how things unfold expect the unexpected is what i actually expect from a Lee Child book 😁 Jack Reacher is my hero ❤️
December 17, 2024
Reacher’s last case as an Army MP. One of the best so far. Many twists and turns to increase the tension and keep the reader constantly guessing.
May 6, 2019
Could have been 5-stars, certainly the best Reacher in a while, but a very padded last 1/4 of the book, and a laughably unlikely ending crippled this. Long info-dump conclusion. Too bad.
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
I very much loved the deep-south setting.
Some nice quotes. Most sex in books is pretty flat to me, but The Affair has the best erotic and sex scenes Child has ever written. Woooot woooooo:
.... .... “Wait,” she said.
“What?”
“Wait, wait,” she said. “Not now. Not yet. Slow down.”
Long and slow, long and slow. Breathing hard. Panting. Long and slow.
“OK,” she said. “OK. Now. Now. Now!”
Faster and harder. Faster, harder, faster, harder. The room began to shake. Just very faintly at first, like a mild constant tremor, like the edge of a far distant earthquake. The French door ticked in its frame. A glass rattled on the bathroom shelf. The floor quivered. The hall door creaked and stuttered. My shoes hopped and moved. The bed head hammered against the wall. The floor shook hard. The walls boomed. Coins in my abandoned pocket tinkled. The bed shook and bounced and walked tiny fractions across the moving floor. Then the midnight train was gone, and so were we.
Full size image here
Notes and quotes:
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
-
You ever notice how the folks who talk loudest about small government always seem to live in the states with the biggest subsidies? Small government would kill them dead.”
-
A head butt changes the game. It adds a kind of unhinged savagery to the mix. An unprovoked head butt is like bringing a sawed-off shotgun to a knife fight. The guy went down like an empty suit. His brain told his knees it was out of business and he folded up and fell over backward.
-
...and a shy smile. She had magnificent cheekbones. I just stared. If some white-coated lab guy had fed an IBM supercomputer with all we had ever known about beauty, from Cleopatra to the present day, the circuits would have hummed for an hour and then printed this exact image.
-
"An investigation can’t sustain itself all on its own. It needs an external source of energy. It needs outrage.”
This is possibly the most erotic thing Child has written 😊-
I spent most of my time looking at the third button on [her] shirt. I had noticed it before. It was the first one that was done up. Therefore it was the first one that would need to be undone. It was a tiny mother-of-pearl thing, silvery gray. Behind it was skin, neither pale nor dark, and very three dimensional. Left to right it curved toward me, then away from me, then toward me again. It was rising and falling as she breathed.
I'm not big on the sex scenes in Reacher books, but the sex scene that follows from above is also Child's best. And what a completely fabulous climax! Hahahaaaahahaa! Brilliant!
Almost as good as the incredible early scene in "Black Wings Has My Angel" by Elliot Chaze - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Later:
We went at it like a junkie heats a spoon, half-fast, half-slow, full of intense anticipation, willing to make the investment, barely able to wait for the payoff.
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
I very much loved the deep-south setting.
Some nice quotes. Most sex in books is pretty flat to me, but The Affair has the best erotic and sex scenes Child has ever written. Woooot woooooo:
.... .... “Wait,” she said.
“What?”
“Wait, wait,” she said. “Not now. Not yet. Slow down.”
Long and slow, long and slow. Breathing hard. Panting. Long and slow.
“OK,” she said. “OK. Now. Now. Now!”
Faster and harder. Faster, harder, faster, harder. The room began to shake. Just very faintly at first, like a mild constant tremor, like the edge of a far distant earthquake. The French door ticked in its frame. A glass rattled on the bathroom shelf. The floor quivered. The hall door creaked and stuttered. My shoes hopped and moved. The bed head hammered against the wall. The floor shook hard. The walls boomed. Coins in my abandoned pocket tinkled. The bed shook and bounced and walked tiny fractions across the moving floor. Then the midnight train was gone, and so were we.
Full size image here
Notes and quotes:
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
-
You ever notice how the folks who talk loudest about small government always seem to live in the states with the biggest subsidies? Small government would kill them dead.”
-
A head butt changes the game. It adds a kind of unhinged savagery to the mix. An unprovoked head butt is like bringing a sawed-off shotgun to a knife fight. The guy went down like an empty suit. His brain told his knees it was out of business and he folded up and fell over backward.
-
...and a shy smile. She had magnificent cheekbones. I just stared. If some white-coated lab guy had fed an IBM supercomputer with all we had ever known about beauty, from Cleopatra to the present day, the circuits would have hummed for an hour and then printed this exact image.
-
"An investigation can’t sustain itself all on its own. It needs an external source of energy. It needs outrage.”
This is possibly the most erotic thing Child has written 😊-
I spent most of my time looking at the third button on [her] shirt. I had noticed it before. It was the first one that was done up. Therefore it was the first one that would need to be undone. It was a tiny mother-of-pearl thing, silvery gray. Behind it was skin, neither pale nor dark, and very three dimensional. Left to right it curved toward me, then away from me, then toward me again. It was rising and falling as she breathed.
I'm not big on the sex scenes in Reacher books, but the sex scene that follows from above is also Child's best. And what a completely fabulous climax! Hahahaaaahahaa! Brilliant!
Almost as good as the incredible early scene in "Black Wings Has My Angel" by Elliot Chaze - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Later:
We went at it like a junkie heats a spoon, half-fast, half-slow, full of intense anticipation, willing to make the investment, barely able to wait for the payoff.
May 1, 2023
Book sixteen in the Jack Reacher series and I loved this book.
Was great to find out why Jack left the army, this answered a lot of questions relating to his back story for me.
Five stars.
Was great to find out why Jack left the army, this answered a lot of questions relating to his back story for me.
Five stars.
August 7, 2015
PROTAGONIST: Jack Reacher
SERIES: #16
SETTING: Mississippi
RATING: 4.5
THE AFFAIR is the sixteenth book in the extremely successful Jack Reacher series. Most of those books deal with Reacher’s life after leaving the military. He is basically a drifter who travels around the US, encounters trouble and deals with it. Back in 2004, Lee Child wrote a prequel (THE ENEMY) which was set during the time that Reacher was still in the military. THE AFFAIR is also a prequel book, which follows him during the time immediately prior to his leaving the Army.
It’s 1997. There is a secret Ranger training school in Carter Crossing, Mississippi. When a local woman is savagely murdered, Major Duncan Munro is the military policeman who is assigned to go to the base and conduct an investigation to determine if the killer is in the service. Jack Reacher is sent undercover to make sure Munro and the local authorities are doing the right thing. Of course, the military is hoping that one of the locals is to blame. Shortly after his arrival, Reacher is made by the local sheriff, a former Marine named Elizabeth Deveraux. Wary at first, she begins to trust Reacher and they work together on the investigation.
They soon find that there is a pattern of killing involving at least four women. The evidence points at the fort’s commander, Reed Riley, who also happens to be a Senator’s son. Of course, Reacher isn’t afraid to rattle things around in the military establishment, which causes him career damage. Child keeps things quite suspenseful, and the question of who-dun-it is a moving target. Even Deveraux falls under suspicion.
One thing that I thought that Child did extremely well was to set up the framework of the post-military Jack Reacher persona. We see where the beginnings of some of his trademark activities, such as traveling with just a folding toothbrush and no clothing, or the phrase “he said nothing” originated. Child has also sketched out the beginnings of the situation which is the main plot point for the first Reacher book, THE KILLING FLOOR.
I thoroughly enjoyed THE AFFAIR. Elizabeth Deveraux was a great character. It was fun to see Child incorporate elements and people that appear in the other books, such as Francis Neagley and Leon Garber. I found the book to be one of the best in the series.
SERIES: #16
SETTING: Mississippi
RATING: 4.5
THE AFFAIR is the sixteenth book in the extremely successful Jack Reacher series. Most of those books deal with Reacher’s life after leaving the military. He is basically a drifter who travels around the US, encounters trouble and deals with it. Back in 2004, Lee Child wrote a prequel (THE ENEMY) which was set during the time that Reacher was still in the military. THE AFFAIR is also a prequel book, which follows him during the time immediately prior to his leaving the Army.
It’s 1997. There is a secret Ranger training school in Carter Crossing, Mississippi. When a local woman is savagely murdered, Major Duncan Munro is the military policeman who is assigned to go to the base and conduct an investigation to determine if the killer is in the service. Jack Reacher is sent undercover to make sure Munro and the local authorities are doing the right thing. Of course, the military is hoping that one of the locals is to blame. Shortly after his arrival, Reacher is made by the local sheriff, a former Marine named Elizabeth Deveraux. Wary at first, she begins to trust Reacher and they work together on the investigation.
They soon find that there is a pattern of killing involving at least four women. The evidence points at the fort’s commander, Reed Riley, who also happens to be a Senator’s son. Of course, Reacher isn’t afraid to rattle things around in the military establishment, which causes him career damage. Child keeps things quite suspenseful, and the question of who-dun-it is a moving target. Even Deveraux falls under suspicion.
One thing that I thought that Child did extremely well was to set up the framework of the post-military Jack Reacher persona. We see where the beginnings of some of his trademark activities, such as traveling with just a folding toothbrush and no clothing, or the phrase “he said nothing” originated. Child has also sketched out the beginnings of the situation which is the main plot point for the first Reacher book, THE KILLING FLOOR.
I thoroughly enjoyed THE AFFAIR. Elizabeth Deveraux was a great character. It was fun to see Child incorporate elements and people that appear in the other books, such as Francis Neagley and Leon Garber. I found the book to be one of the best in the series.
July 24, 2025
****The following review may contain some spoilers. Be forewarned.****
Lee Child’s sixteenth novel in the Jack Reacher series, “The Affair”, is, as expected, a phenomenal suspense thriller and a riveting murder mystery. One can, of course, enjoy the book on those merits alone, strictly as entertainment, but, like most of Child’s previous Reacher novels, “The Affair” can also be looked at as an examination of relevant societal issues. In this case, the issues seem exceedingly apropos given some of the recent headlines: racism, government corruption, and the military mentality. (See Ferguson.)
Through entertainment, Child proffers his own social criticism and commentary, filtered through the voice of his character, Jack Reacher, who has a unique and singular view of the world.
Reacher is, to put it kindly, an unusual character. A former MP who no longer has an affiliation with the Army or the military, Reacher seems to work outside the system, beholden to no governing body or person other than himself and his own personal brand of justice.
This may make him seem like a vigilante, and, for all intents and purposes, he is one, but he is a reluctant one. He doesn’t seek trouble. He would probably be much happier sitting on a beach with a cold beer and a beautiful bikini-clad blonde at his side. Unfortunately, trouble tends to find him, mainly due to his heightened sense of justice, one based on a very simple precept: don’t fuck with good people.
Reacher has disdain for powerful people who use their power to oppress or take advantage of those who are weaker and less-powerful. He absolutely hates it when people use their power to get away with murder.
In previous books, Reacher has put a stop to corrupt CEOs, white supremacists, sociopathic FBI agents, Russian assassins, pedophiles, and back-water county sheriffs. People who have used their power for exploitative and inhumane purposes.
In “The Affair”, Reacher turns his sights on an institution that creates a conflict of interest for him and one that will change him forever: the military.
It should be noted that “The Affair” takes place in 1997. It is set just prior to the events of Child’s first Reacher novel “Killing Floor” and five years before the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, both of which are significant and help create context for the novel. This novel, more than any Reacher novel previously, helps to explain what set Reacher off and what made him the wandering outlaw hero that he has become.
Reacher is assigned to investigate the murder of a local girl in a small Mississippi town that is home to Fort Kelham, an Army base where Army Rangers are trained and housed. He realizes that it is not going to be a routine investigation because one of the commanding officers at the base is one Reed Riley, son of U.S. Senator Carlton Riley, who also happens to be the chairman of the Armed Services Committee.
When he arrives in town, he immediately finds himself on the radar of Sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux, a whip-smart and extraordinarily beautiful former Marine. They hit it off instantly. (Reacher possesses an almost divine luck when it comes to women, of course.) In the course of his investigation, Reacher discovers that there is more than one victim. The most recent victim is white. Two previous victims were young black girls, but these murders received very little attention. There are only a few things that the girls seemed to have in common: all of them were extraordinarily beautiful, and they coincidentally all dated Reed Riley.
As the investigation progresses, Reacher begins to suspect that corruption at the highest level has been perpetrated, an illegal cover-up designed to deflect attention from a heinous crime and one that has resulted in loss of innocent lives. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Reacher feels that the Army---in an attempt to save face and prevent a PR debacle---is handling the situation poorly, thus making the situation worse.
To give more away would be providing spoilers, more than I’ve probably doled out already.
Tangential Thoughts and Philosophical Ramblings
Frequently unasked are the questions: Does the military create killers? Or, does the military take people who have violent tendencies and provide them with a safe context in which to express their violence and kill for a “cause”? Does the military breed violence? Or, does the military simply channel violence in productive directions? I doubt anyone can adequately answer these questions. They are probably rhetorical. Not that people throughout the centuries haven’t tried to answer them.
As I write this, Clint Eastwood’s film “American Sniper” is receiving both positive and negative buzz. Pundits want to make the film’s more controversial aspects a partisan issue, but I think that, at the heart of the film (and the memoir that it’s based on, written by Chris Kyle), the real controversy is a human one.
(I should preface the following with the disclosure that I have neither read the book nor seen the movie “American Sniper” as of yet. This is not due to any moral or philosophical dilemma that I have with either, I simply haven’t had the inclination.)
I do not consider myself a violent person. Indeed, I tend to live a rather pacifistic life. I am generally against war. I abhor guns. I have never served in the armed forces and, while I have no hatred or ill feelings toward the military, I have never had the desire to be a part of it.
That said, I also have to profess the following: I love fictional violence.
I love violent action movies, and I love reading violent books.
I am well aware of the striking contradiction of this. It is something that I have wracked my brain over numerous times. I have felt guilt and self-loathing over it. It has puzzled and disturbed me to no end.
The reviews I have read about “American Sniper” have been enlightening. They tend to say more about the diverse contentious views that people on both sides of the political divide have about the military and, specifically, the Iraq War. They tend to spend more time on what people “should” think about Iraq than on what people actually “do” think about it. But all of that is besides the point and could probably be covered elsewhere.
How does “American Sniper” relate to Reacher?
For me, it relates to Child’s ninth Reacher novel, “One Shot”. This was the novel that was also the basis for the Tom Cruise film “Jack Reacher”, a thoroughly watchable adaptation. In the novel and film, one of the main characters is a sniper, accused of going on a rampage in downtown Pittsburgh, killing several random people.
In the novel, the sniper is a disturbed young man who is sent to Iraq. He has an insatiable desire to kill, bordering on the pathological. It all culminates one day in Fallujah when he snaps and kills four U.S. soldiers at random.
Ironically, it turns out, the four soldiers were part of a “rape squad”. They, themselves, were partaking in a series of atrocious rapes of young Iraqi women and girls. In order to avoid a PR nightmare for the military, it was decided to cover the whole incident up. No disciplinary actions were taken against the sniper, and he was sent home with an honorary discharge, where, it was hoped, he would spend the rest of his life quietly as a civilian. Then, of course, Pittsburgh happens.
Reacher, the military police officer in charge of the case in Fallujah, wanted the sniper put away. He didn’t agree with the Army’s handling of the situation, but it was not his place to question it. He comes to Pittsburgh to put an end to the sniper, only to find that the sniper has been framed. The story builds in intensity from there, and it is, of course, a riveting one. But, I digress.
Chris Kyle, the real-life sniper of “American Sniper”, is responsible for 160 confirmed kills. That is documented. Supposedly, he may have been responsible for roughly double that number, but even Kyle wasn’t exactly sure how many kills he made. Kyle was killed in 2013 by an ex-Marine suffering from PTSD as the result of a gunshot wound.
Critics have lavished praise on director Eastwood and Bradley Cooper’s sympathetic performance of Kyle, commenting that the movie gives a human face to the Iraq War. Other critics have pointed out that Kyle, in his memoir, had a rather cold and dispassionate view of his time in Iraq, that he felt little remorse for his kills, and that he referred to his time in Iraq as “fun”.
I suppose it’s easy to make Kyle both a hero and a villain. As stated before, I have never served in the military in war-time, so I can’t imagine what I would do or think or feel in some of the situations that servicemen and -women face on a daily basis.
A part of me feels nervous and afraid of people like Kyle, but another part of me has great respect for him. Not because he is a killer but because he was put in a position where he felt he had to be a killer, and he became one. A good one.
In many ways, the character of Jack Reacher is like Kyle. This could be why many people don’t like the Reacher novels. It is also why so many people DO like the Reacher novels.
Reacher is a killer. There is no question about that. But we as readers let that fact slide because he is doing good. He is righting wrongs. He is protecting the innocent. It’s what fictional heroes do all the time.
And yet when people in real-life do the same things that our fictional heroes do on the page or on the screen, we are strangely silent and disturbed. Somehow it is wrong.
I have no idea why this is. I have no idea why I love violence in books and movies but hate it in real-life, although I suppose it’s healthier than the flip-flop.
I have nothing against Chris Kyle. Then again, I have nothing for him, either. Is he representative of the vast majority of men and women who fight and die for our country? Or is he, as some critics want us to think, a sociopathic monster?
I have no idea.
I do, however, have the belief that violence lives within all of us. We either choose to suppress it or let it out. This is the way it has always been, and it’s the way it will always be.
There are times, reading a Reacher novel, that I sometimes wish that he were real, fighting the good fight. Then I think to myself: what the hell is the “good fight”? My good fight may not be my neighbor’s good fight. We can’t even agree on who to vote for president, and if our political positions can cause us to dislike each other so much, I hate to imagine what our positions on something REALLY important would cause us to do.
I have no right to judge people like Kyle. It doesn’t stop me from doing so, of course.
Additional Readings
The following are some interesting reviews of “American Sniper” that I found to be enlightening and thought-provoking:
http://www.salon.com/2015/01/23/7_eno...
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/...
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles...
http://www.vulture.com/2015/01/americ...
Lee Child’s sixteenth novel in the Jack Reacher series, “The Affair”, is, as expected, a phenomenal suspense thriller and a riveting murder mystery. One can, of course, enjoy the book on those merits alone, strictly as entertainment, but, like most of Child’s previous Reacher novels, “The Affair” can also be looked at as an examination of relevant societal issues. In this case, the issues seem exceedingly apropos given some of the recent headlines: racism, government corruption, and the military mentality. (See Ferguson.)
Through entertainment, Child proffers his own social criticism and commentary, filtered through the voice of his character, Jack Reacher, who has a unique and singular view of the world.
Reacher is, to put it kindly, an unusual character. A former MP who no longer has an affiliation with the Army or the military, Reacher seems to work outside the system, beholden to no governing body or person other than himself and his own personal brand of justice.
This may make him seem like a vigilante, and, for all intents and purposes, he is one, but he is a reluctant one. He doesn’t seek trouble. He would probably be much happier sitting on a beach with a cold beer and a beautiful bikini-clad blonde at his side. Unfortunately, trouble tends to find him, mainly due to his heightened sense of justice, one based on a very simple precept: don’t fuck with good people.
Reacher has disdain for powerful people who use their power to oppress or take advantage of those who are weaker and less-powerful. He absolutely hates it when people use their power to get away with murder.
In previous books, Reacher has put a stop to corrupt CEOs, white supremacists, sociopathic FBI agents, Russian assassins, pedophiles, and back-water county sheriffs. People who have used their power for exploitative and inhumane purposes.
In “The Affair”, Reacher turns his sights on an institution that creates a conflict of interest for him and one that will change him forever: the military.
It should be noted that “The Affair” takes place in 1997. It is set just prior to the events of Child’s first Reacher novel “Killing Floor” and five years before the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, both of which are significant and help create context for the novel. This novel, more than any Reacher novel previously, helps to explain what set Reacher off and what made him the wandering outlaw hero that he has become.
Reacher is assigned to investigate the murder of a local girl in a small Mississippi town that is home to Fort Kelham, an Army base where Army Rangers are trained and housed. He realizes that it is not going to be a routine investigation because one of the commanding officers at the base is one Reed Riley, son of U.S. Senator Carlton Riley, who also happens to be the chairman of the Armed Services Committee.
When he arrives in town, he immediately finds himself on the radar of Sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux, a whip-smart and extraordinarily beautiful former Marine. They hit it off instantly. (Reacher possesses an almost divine luck when it comes to women, of course.) In the course of his investigation, Reacher discovers that there is more than one victim. The most recent victim is white. Two previous victims were young black girls, but these murders received very little attention. There are only a few things that the girls seemed to have in common: all of them were extraordinarily beautiful, and they coincidentally all dated Reed Riley.
As the investigation progresses, Reacher begins to suspect that corruption at the highest level has been perpetrated, an illegal cover-up designed to deflect attention from a heinous crime and one that has resulted in loss of innocent lives. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Reacher feels that the Army---in an attempt to save face and prevent a PR debacle---is handling the situation poorly, thus making the situation worse.
To give more away would be providing spoilers, more than I’ve probably doled out already.
Tangential Thoughts and Philosophical Ramblings
Frequently unasked are the questions: Does the military create killers? Or, does the military take people who have violent tendencies and provide them with a safe context in which to express their violence and kill for a “cause”? Does the military breed violence? Or, does the military simply channel violence in productive directions? I doubt anyone can adequately answer these questions. They are probably rhetorical. Not that people throughout the centuries haven’t tried to answer them.
As I write this, Clint Eastwood’s film “American Sniper” is receiving both positive and negative buzz. Pundits want to make the film’s more controversial aspects a partisan issue, but I think that, at the heart of the film (and the memoir that it’s based on, written by Chris Kyle), the real controversy is a human one.
(I should preface the following with the disclosure that I have neither read the book nor seen the movie “American Sniper” as of yet. This is not due to any moral or philosophical dilemma that I have with either, I simply haven’t had the inclination.)
I do not consider myself a violent person. Indeed, I tend to live a rather pacifistic life. I am generally against war. I abhor guns. I have never served in the armed forces and, while I have no hatred or ill feelings toward the military, I have never had the desire to be a part of it.
That said, I also have to profess the following: I love fictional violence.
I love violent action movies, and I love reading violent books.
I am well aware of the striking contradiction of this. It is something that I have wracked my brain over numerous times. I have felt guilt and self-loathing over it. It has puzzled and disturbed me to no end.
The reviews I have read about “American Sniper” have been enlightening. They tend to say more about the diverse contentious views that people on both sides of the political divide have about the military and, specifically, the Iraq War. They tend to spend more time on what people “should” think about Iraq than on what people actually “do” think about it. But all of that is besides the point and could probably be covered elsewhere.
How does “American Sniper” relate to Reacher?
For me, it relates to Child’s ninth Reacher novel, “One Shot”. This was the novel that was also the basis for the Tom Cruise film “Jack Reacher”, a thoroughly watchable adaptation. In the novel and film, one of the main characters is a sniper, accused of going on a rampage in downtown Pittsburgh, killing several random people.
In the novel, the sniper is a disturbed young man who is sent to Iraq. He has an insatiable desire to kill, bordering on the pathological. It all culminates one day in Fallujah when he snaps and kills four U.S. soldiers at random.
Ironically, it turns out, the four soldiers were part of a “rape squad”. They, themselves, were partaking in a series of atrocious rapes of young Iraqi women and girls. In order to avoid a PR nightmare for the military, it was decided to cover the whole incident up. No disciplinary actions were taken against the sniper, and he was sent home with an honorary discharge, where, it was hoped, he would spend the rest of his life quietly as a civilian. Then, of course, Pittsburgh happens.
Reacher, the military police officer in charge of the case in Fallujah, wanted the sniper put away. He didn’t agree with the Army’s handling of the situation, but it was not his place to question it. He comes to Pittsburgh to put an end to the sniper, only to find that the sniper has been framed. The story builds in intensity from there, and it is, of course, a riveting one. But, I digress.
Chris Kyle, the real-life sniper of “American Sniper”, is responsible for 160 confirmed kills. That is documented. Supposedly, he may have been responsible for roughly double that number, but even Kyle wasn’t exactly sure how many kills he made. Kyle was killed in 2013 by an ex-Marine suffering from PTSD as the result of a gunshot wound.
Critics have lavished praise on director Eastwood and Bradley Cooper’s sympathetic performance of Kyle, commenting that the movie gives a human face to the Iraq War. Other critics have pointed out that Kyle, in his memoir, had a rather cold and dispassionate view of his time in Iraq, that he felt little remorse for his kills, and that he referred to his time in Iraq as “fun”.
I suppose it’s easy to make Kyle both a hero and a villain. As stated before, I have never served in the military in war-time, so I can’t imagine what I would do or think or feel in some of the situations that servicemen and -women face on a daily basis.
A part of me feels nervous and afraid of people like Kyle, but another part of me has great respect for him. Not because he is a killer but because he was put in a position where he felt he had to be a killer, and he became one. A good one.
In many ways, the character of Jack Reacher is like Kyle. This could be why many people don’t like the Reacher novels. It is also why so many people DO like the Reacher novels.
Reacher is a killer. There is no question about that. But we as readers let that fact slide because he is doing good. He is righting wrongs. He is protecting the innocent. It’s what fictional heroes do all the time.
And yet when people in real-life do the same things that our fictional heroes do on the page or on the screen, we are strangely silent and disturbed. Somehow it is wrong.
I have no idea why this is. I have no idea why I love violence in books and movies but hate it in real-life, although I suppose it’s healthier than the flip-flop.
I have nothing against Chris Kyle. Then again, I have nothing for him, either. Is he representative of the vast majority of men and women who fight and die for our country? Or is he, as some critics want us to think, a sociopathic monster?
I have no idea.
I do, however, have the belief that violence lives within all of us. We either choose to suppress it or let it out. This is the way it has always been, and it’s the way it will always be.
There are times, reading a Reacher novel, that I sometimes wish that he were real, fighting the good fight. Then I think to myself: what the hell is the “good fight”? My good fight may not be my neighbor’s good fight. We can’t even agree on who to vote for president, and if our political positions can cause us to dislike each other so much, I hate to imagine what our positions on something REALLY important would cause us to do.
I have no right to judge people like Kyle. It doesn’t stop me from doing so, of course.
Additional Readings
The following are some interesting reviews of “American Sniper” that I found to be enlightening and thought-provoking:
http://www.salon.com/2015/01/23/7_eno...
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/...
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles...
http://www.vulture.com/2015/01/americ...
November 18, 2019
Book 16 in the Jack Reacher series published 2011.
This is really where it all started for Jack Reacher. In book 1 Killing Floor and all subsequent book it is alluded to, but never put into words, why Jack left the army when it is obvious he still has a lot to offer. Well wonder no more The Affair settles that mystery once and for all. This book is the prequel to where it all started.
There’s something terribly wrong in Carters Crossing.
Carters Crossing is a small, in the middle of nowhere, country town who’s entire economy is reliant on the top secret Army Base that is it’s next door neighbour. This relationship is by and large a happy one that is until, over the course of several months, three young women are found dead. They have all had their throats cut and have been drained of all blood. The locals hold the army responsible and the army blames the locals. The army decides to send two of their top MP’s to investigate. Major Duncan Munro is sent to the camp to investigate whilst Major Jack Reacher is sent, undercover, to Carters Crossing. Jack’s first objective is to get in with the local sheriff to get an understanding as to what their thoughts are. Much to Jack surprise he find that the sheriff is not only a woman, and an attractive one at that, but that she is also an ex Marine. It doesn’t take Sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux long to discover that Mr. Jack Reacher is not just a drifter but is indeed an undercover MP.
From the start the pheromones between Deveraux and Reacher sparks a need in both of them that is obvious.
Everybody is doing their job and slowly but surely a picture is starting to evolve. That is until Jack gets information that implicates Sheriff Deveaux as a possible suspect in the murders.
By this time Jack and Elizabeth are a having, a no holds barred, raging affair and there is no way the Jack can believe what he has been told.
Jack now has two problems.
1: Find the killer.
2: Do so before the army fabricates enough evidence to accuse Elizabeth.
What follows is your typical over the top action packed thriller where Jack fights every villain, be they local or army, to get to the truth.
By the end you will understand why Jack says “enough is enough and goodbye”.
Entertainment plus 4/5 stars.
This is really where it all started for Jack Reacher. In book 1 Killing Floor and all subsequent book it is alluded to, but never put into words, why Jack left the army when it is obvious he still has a lot to offer. Well wonder no more The Affair settles that mystery once and for all. This book is the prequel to where it all started.
There’s something terribly wrong in Carters Crossing.
Carters Crossing is a small, in the middle of nowhere, country town who’s entire economy is reliant on the top secret Army Base that is it’s next door neighbour. This relationship is by and large a happy one that is until, over the course of several months, three young women are found dead. They have all had their throats cut and have been drained of all blood. The locals hold the army responsible and the army blames the locals. The army decides to send two of their top MP’s to investigate. Major Duncan Munro is sent to the camp to investigate whilst Major Jack Reacher is sent, undercover, to Carters Crossing. Jack’s first objective is to get in with the local sheriff to get an understanding as to what their thoughts are. Much to Jack surprise he find that the sheriff is not only a woman, and an attractive one at that, but that she is also an ex Marine. It doesn’t take Sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux long to discover that Mr. Jack Reacher is not just a drifter but is indeed an undercover MP.
From the start the pheromones between Deveraux and Reacher sparks a need in both of them that is obvious.
Everybody is doing their job and slowly but surely a picture is starting to evolve. That is until Jack gets information that implicates Sheriff Deveaux as a possible suspect in the murders.
By this time Jack and Elizabeth are a having, a no holds barred, raging affair and there is no way the Jack can believe what he has been told.
Jack now has two problems.
1: Find the killer.
2: Do so before the army fabricates enough evidence to accuse Elizabeth.
What follows is your typical over the top action packed thriller where Jack fights every villain, be they local or army, to get to the truth.
By the end you will understand why Jack says “enough is enough and goodbye”.
Entertainment plus 4/5 stars.
August 7, 2018
Here we are again, setting off with Jack Reacher on/in another adventure. Here we are involved in a series of murders in a small town near a military base. "Like" with most small town near military bases this town depends HUGELY on the base for...well, commerce. Jack (I mean "Reacher") is called in (as this is an "I'm still an MP story) to find out if the killings (of young women) were committed by a soldier or a civilian.
Of course this is Jack Reacher so THIS small town is home the 4 most beautiful, gorgeous, incomparable looking women in (possibly) the entire world. 3 of these unbelievably beautiful women are the victims (though others die later in the book, these not being lovely women) the 4th is (of course) the sheriff.
No spoiler to say that eventually she falls into Reacher's arms...though in this case the "falling" is mutual.
Not a bad entry into Reacher series, still some logical flaws but overall a good read.
Reacher lives a life that for "actual" people would never work (without a bottomless bank account anyway). He travels around owning nothing but the clothes on his back (and a toothbrush) yet always manages to stay in a (cheap) motel, eat and buy new clothes when the ones he is wearing (apparently) get to gamey to continue wearing.
Yet he meets an endless line of over the top, unbelievably beautiful women...who fall into bed with him...
Oh well, fantasy I guess. Enjoy.
Of course this is Jack Reacher so THIS small town is home the 4 most beautiful, gorgeous, incomparable looking women in (possibly) the entire world. 3 of these unbelievably beautiful women are the victims (though others die later in the book, these not being lovely women) the 4th is (of course) the sheriff.
No spoiler to say that eventually she falls into Reacher's arms...though in this case the "falling" is mutual.
Not a bad entry into Reacher series, still some logical flaws but overall a good read.
Reacher lives a life that for "actual" people would never work (without a bottomless bank account anyway). He travels around owning nothing but the clothes on his back (and a toothbrush) yet always manages to stay in a (cheap) motel, eat and buy new clothes when the ones he is wearing (apparently) get to gamey to continue wearing.
Yet he meets an endless line of over the top, unbelievably beautiful women...who fall into bed with him...
Oh well, fantasy I guess. Enjoy.
October 31, 2011
I pre-ordered this book and am dying to start but I promised myself I would get all my work done first. Don't worry, I'm sure I will be reviewing by this weekend!
Warning - I love all his books and can't imagine this one being any different!
Update: Well, I finished reading this book and had to think hard about what to write for a review. I love Jack Reacher and I love all of Lee Child's Books but is this the beginning of the end? Is Child tired? Yes, Reacher was Reacher in this book but it all felt very forced. I don't want to give anything away and the mystery part was still so good I didn't want to stop reading but the way Child gets there is too...I can't even think of the right word but things just happen that don't work for me. It felt like he wanted the story to go a certain way and nothing was going to stop that. Didn't matter if it made sense.
Anyway, yes , I was disappointed, but in the end, (I read this next part on someone else's review) even a bad Reacher book is good.
Warning - I love all his books and can't imagine this one being any different!
Update: Well, I finished reading this book and had to think hard about what to write for a review. I love Jack Reacher and I love all of Lee Child's Books but is this the beginning of the end? Is Child tired? Yes, Reacher was Reacher in this book but it all felt very forced. I don't want to give anything away and the mystery part was still so good I didn't want to stop reading but the way Child gets there is too...I can't even think of the right word but things just happen that don't work for me. It felt like he wanted the story to go a certain way and nothing was going to stop that. Didn't matter if it made sense.
Anyway, yes , I was disappointed, but in the end, (I read this next part on someone else's review) even a bad Reacher book is good.
December 14, 2011
After reading 61 Hours, I thought the Jack Reacher series had sagged a bit. Then I finished The Affair, and I'm happy to report the series is back in full stride, at least for this reader. Jack goes back in time (1997) to his last days as an Army MP major. He's dispatched to Mississippi to work undercover to investigate three murders committed in the small town next to an Army training base. I won't rehash the plot. Jack is a hard ass when he needs to be, and he does at several points here. In some ways, he reminds me of P.I. Mike Hammer, determined to do the right thing but by using his own means, often violent and forceful. He's a good detective who puts it together, and the plot twists are unexpected. At any rate, it's good to learn some of Jack's back story and get to know him a little better. Entertaining tale of which I read the final 200 pages straight through.
May 10, 2018
Just stunning. Books rarely get much better than The Affair. This is by far and away the best Reacher novel that I have read so far. I love seeing the early Reacher but this story in particular is the one that leads up to his leaving the army and wow is it action-packed, emotional and unforgettable.
I know some readers don’t like reading about Reacher in the past but I love it and as he’s now approaching 60 I hope we get to see more of his time in the army. The Affair deals with one hell of a conspiracy and an even bigger cover-up and we know by now that Reacher isn’t someone who settles for anything less than the truth. The story here helps us to understand the future Reacher more, and make sense of all the decisions that he has made in the previous books that we have read.
What I most enjoyed here was that the twist wasn’t the twist. Whereas some others would have went with the twist here and left it at that, Lee Child keeps the suspense going and those twists and turns carry on right up until the closing pages of the story. I finished this book and immediately wanted to reread The Killing Floor because it left me full of excitement (though perhaps not for Reacher) at the adventures and dangers he was going to face as he walked away from the army. I honestly just adore this series of books and The Affair has only cemented that fact even further. Jack Reacher is one of fictions greatest characters and this story is one of the best I have ever read in the thriller genre. There’s a reason these books keep me up until 2.30am, I just love them and can’t recommend this series enough if there’s anyone out there left to discover it.
I know some readers don’t like reading about Reacher in the past but I love it and as he’s now approaching 60 I hope we get to see more of his time in the army. The Affair deals with one hell of a conspiracy and an even bigger cover-up and we know by now that Reacher isn’t someone who settles for anything less than the truth. The story here helps us to understand the future Reacher more, and make sense of all the decisions that he has made in the previous books that we have read.
What I most enjoyed here was that the twist wasn’t the twist. Whereas some others would have went with the twist here and left it at that, Lee Child keeps the suspense going and those twists and turns carry on right up until the closing pages of the story. I finished this book and immediately wanted to reread The Killing Floor because it left me full of excitement (though perhaps not for Reacher) at the adventures and dangers he was going to face as he walked away from the army. I honestly just adore this series of books and The Affair has only cemented that fact even further. Jack Reacher is one of fictions greatest characters and this story is one of the best I have ever read in the thriller genre. There’s a reason these books keep me up until 2.30am, I just love them and can’t recommend this series enough if there’s anyone out there left to discover it.
May 26, 2021
NYT Best Seller Book #1 - Oct. 10, 2011
The insurmountable & unstoppable Jack Reacher, the “x-military” officer & drifter has a new project in his life.
It’s nice to see Jack Reacher show emotions, The Affair with Country Sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux (former 16 year US Marine - stunningly beautiful woman). Reacher is assigned to her investigation “going nowhere” of 3 murdered woman.
Two black vs. one white woman? Two pregnant? One woman with changed identity by an official US Army officer, his affairs with many woman?
Deveraux & Reacher enter a love relationship in The Affair which “lightens” the read so it’s not just mystery. In a date, Reacher buys a new shirt to impress her on their first dinner date. He was attacked by men just before the date and in typical “Reacher hand-to-hand”, he easily wins but he gets a spot of blood on his new shirt. Deveraux notices the blood which he has to explain.
After solving the crime, Reacher & Deveraux go back to the grassy side of a “railroad track” where they once made love in The Affair .
In the end, what Reacher considers humor is a talk of a Distinguished Service Medal & D.C awards - presented & recognizing the dead US Senator & US Captain as heroes - he wouldn’t want it - but if others only knew....
After reading, I found the book’s cover (above) is great/nice showing where the affair/killer’s scene would be at the railroad tracks. Would be a nice Tom Cruise movie with a woman by his side solving a crime with love.....
The insurmountable & unstoppable Jack Reacher, the “x-military” officer & drifter has a new project in his life.
It’s nice to see Jack Reacher show emotions, The Affair with Country Sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux (former 16 year US Marine - stunningly beautiful woman). Reacher is assigned to her investigation “going nowhere” of 3 murdered woman.
Two black vs. one white woman? Two pregnant? One woman with changed identity by an official US Army officer, his affairs with many woman?
Deveraux & Reacher enter a love relationship in The Affair which “lightens” the read so it’s not just mystery. In a date, Reacher buys a new shirt to impress her on their first dinner date. He was attacked by men just before the date and in typical “Reacher hand-to-hand”, he easily wins but he gets a spot of blood on his new shirt. Deveraux notices the blood which he has to explain.
After solving the crime, Reacher & Deveraux go back to the grassy side of a “railroad track” where they once made love in The Affair .
In the end, what Reacher considers humor is a talk of a Distinguished Service Medal & D.C awards - presented & recognizing the dead US Senator & US Captain as heroes - he wouldn’t want it - but if others only knew....
After reading, I found the book’s cover (above) is great/nice showing where the affair/killer’s scene would be at the railroad tracks. Would be a nice Tom Cruise movie with a woman by his side solving a crime with love.....
August 5, 2018
Perfect!
Another amazing Reacher story.
We go back in time to 1997 - to the beginning of the end of Reacher's military career.
He has to unofficially find a killer in a little Military Base Town in Mississippi and while doing that he's having an adorable affair with the Police Chief!
All very exciting and mysterious and typical Reacher-ish!
I LOVED IT!
Another amazing Reacher story.
We go back in time to 1997 - to the beginning of the end of Reacher's military career.
He has to unofficially find a killer in a little Military Base Town in Mississippi and while doing that he's having an adorable affair with the Police Chief!
All very exciting and mysterious and typical Reacher-ish!
I LOVED IT!
August 21, 2023
After reading more than a half dozen of his novels, I'm both a fan (quite a big one...) and a connoisseur of Mr. Child's works. So I can tell that this book is slightly different from the others, but not in a bad way:
- The Affair is the most descriptive, epic and even sexiest of all I've read
- at the same time, it is the last technical one
- usually, the action dilutes in almost all of Mr. Child's books; it's not the case with The Affair
- excepting the fight with Colonel Frazer, there are not other non-veridical or awkward scenes and that increases the value of the book
Therefore five stars out of five are more than deserved.
- The Affair is the most descriptive, epic and even sexiest of all I've read
- at the same time, it is the last technical one
- usually, the action dilutes in almost all of Mr. Child's books; it's not the case with The Affair
- excepting the fight with Colonel Frazer, there are not other non-veridical or awkward scenes and that increases the value of the book
Therefore five stars out of five are more than deserved.
March 17, 2017
While the story was good and well told, I found the abundance of "I said nothing" very irritating. Perhaps I would not have noticed it as much had I read the book in print rather than audio, but it seemed when Child was not saying "I said nothing" he substituted. "He said nothing" or "She said nothing." A lot of unneeded extra words.
December 7, 2023
Rating for “The second son”
Story 3 stars**
Audio 3.5 stars**
Narrator Dick Hill
Story 3 stars**
Audio 3.5 stars**
Narrator Dick Hill
August 16, 2018
Cel mai bun roman al autorului, dupa parerea mea. Jack Reacher este trimis in Carter Crossing sa ancheteze moartea unei fete violate si omorate. Seriful locului, fermecatoarea si isteata Elizabeth Deveraux nu este deloc fericita de amestecul lui in treburile politiei locale. Romanul este plin de descrieri privind armata, Pentagonul, tipurile de arme etc. Ofera si o serie de detalii uimitoare privind modul in care trebuie sa se desfasoare o ancheta, stabilirea orei decesului, examinarea cadavrului etc. Scenele de dragoste mi s-au parut stangace in mare parte pentru ca intre cei doi nu exista chimie.
"Oricine are un plan pana cand primeste un pumn in gura. " Jack Reacher.
"Oricine are un plan pana cand primeste un pumn in gura. " Jack Reacher.
June 24, 2017
Another good Jack Reacher story by Lee Child. This was a unique one that went back In time to 1997. This is really the backstory to Reachers separation from the army.
The story revolves around three murders in rural MS, outside of Kelham army base. Two MPs are dispatched to investigate. Reacher works with the beautiful, ex-marine, local sheriff, Elizabeth Deveraux to investigate and of course ends up in a relationship with.
Enough of a page turner for me to give this a solid 4 stars....but I am a big fan of this series.
The story revolves around three murders in rural MS, outside of Kelham army base. Two MPs are dispatched to investigate. Reacher works with the beautiful, ex-marine, local sheriff, Elizabeth Deveraux to investigate and of course ends up in a relationship with.
Enough of a page turner for me to give this a solid 4 stars....but I am a big fan of this series.
December 20, 2012
While I've been aware of Lee Child's best-selling Jack Reacher novels for a while, I hadn't really cracked the cover of one until I heard there was a movie based on the series headed our way. Being the guy who has to read the book first, I headed out to the local library and picked up the first novel, Killing Floor, assuming that the movie series would start with the first novel in the series.
That's what I get for assuming. Turns out that Reacher, like the Bond movies, has decided not to start with the first published novel in the series, but with the ninth novel One Shot. After reading both One Shot and The Killing Floor, I think this is a pretty good idea. As an introductory novel, The Killing Floor is OK, but it's not great. Having just been released from the Army after 13 years of service, Jack Reacher is wandering the country by bus. On a whim, he decides to visit a small town in Georgia to look in on his younger brother and soon finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy.
The first novel is a good one, but a lot of it depends on coincidence. Reacher happens to wander into vital information and situations at just the right time. This works the first time or two it happens, but I found myself rolling my eyes a bit as it kept occurring through the entire run of the novel.
And so it was that after reading the first Reacher, I jumped forward to the ninth novel, One Shot so I could do the inevitable comparing the book to the movie when I see it. As an action thriller novel, One Shot works extremely well. When a sniper goes on a killing spree, the prime suspect has only one request--find Jack Reacher. Turns out our accused sniper was trained by the military for this exact purpose and had a run in with Reacher as an MP. Reacher arrives on the scene and starts investigating, once again finding there's more here than meets the eye. There's too much evidence pointing to our main suspect, which Reacher finds suspicious. There's also a conspiracy in play and Reacher kicking a lot of tail on various people who make the mistake of crossing him.
As the outline for an action film, I can see why Hollywood would choose this one first. It's got a good build-up to Reacher arriving on the scene and it's got some good action moments for the character. It shows him as a man of action/detective of sorts, all while pulling in Reacher's past and previous experience. I'll even admit that the first trailer for the film had me hopeful because it looked fairly faithful to the source material, especially the last 30 or so seconds with the big brawl in the street.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK7y8O...]
That said, I just can't quite understand why Tom Cruise was cast as Jack Reacher. (OK, I get it--the guy is a box office draw). If you've read the novels, you know that Reacher is a tall, imposing man who uses that to his advantage to impose his will upon people. I know that Hollywood can't always cast a character just as he or she originally is described in a novel, but surely they could come a bit closer than Tom Cruise. Interestingly as I waited for The Hobbit to start last weekend, there was a extended sneak peek at Jack Reacher with author Lee Child extolling that Cruise is a good Reacher. My first thought was, of course he's not going to tear down the casting choice saying "Boy, they sure blew it on this one." That won't encourage your faithful audience to head out and see the film now then will it?*
*That is, unless you're Clive Cussler, who famously was not a huge fan of what they did to Sahara, thus killing the potential Dirk Pitt franchise.
After One Shot, I was significantly intrigued enough to want to read more of the adventures of Reacher. So, I sought out the second novel in the series, Die Trying. Reacher is in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets pulled into a vortex when he tries to help a woman out on the street. I have to admit of the five novels I've read in the series so far, this is my least favorite. It just didn't quite grab my attention and hold me the way three of the five novels in the series have.
Next up, I jumped ahead to The Affair. It's the sixteenth novel in the series but one that cycles back to the time before The Killing Floor and details the events that led to Reacher leaving the Army. In Carter Crossing, Mississippi, a small town next to an Army base, a local woman has been killed. Reacher is assigned to go into the town undercover and cozy up to the local law enforcement to find out what they know. However, the sheriff is an ex-Marine MP and sees Reacher coming a mile away. She allows him to stay around and begin to investigate things, soon finding a pattern to events taking place in the town. It all adds up to (wait for it ) another conspiracy and Reacher being caught in the cross-hairs.
I'll admit The Affair works a lot better as an introduction to Reacher than the first two novels did. Reading the books, I keep finding myself comparing the character to that of Bond--he's a man's man that all women seem to find irresistible. He also has some eccentricities that are repeated in each novel (or so it seems). He doesn't use toothpaste, instead always opting for a fold-up toothbrush and mints. (Reacher loves his fold-up toothbrush, to the point that you'd think it was the greatest thing since sliced bread). He travels light, often washing the same set of clothes in the hotel sink multiple times per book (and he gets all the ladies, how again?). He also doesn't believe in settling in any one place for any length of time.
Which is why the third novel in the series struck me as a bit odd. Tripwire stars off with Reacher digging pools in Key West. When a PI shows up looking for him, Reacher denies who he is and the detective gets killed. Curious as to why finding him cost the PI his life, Reacher begins digging around and heads to New York to find the elusive Mrs. Jacobs who hired the PI. Turns out Mrs. Jacobs is Jody Garber Jacobs, divorced attorney and daughter of his former CO. The CO has just passed away and Reacher was like a son to him. It also turns out that Jody pined for Reacher when she was 15 and Reacher always wondered what might have been had she been a bit older. (There's a nine year gap in their age). After a quarter of the novel is spent fraught with sexual tension between the two, they finally admit they're hot for each other, have been for years and begin hooking up. They also look into a situation her father was examining when he died involving a guy with a hook for a hand, scars on his face and a connection to an MIA Vietnam vet.
Tripwire works well because it has an interesting adversary for Reacher. Hobie Hook is menacing in that Bond villain kind of way and I could honestly see the book translating well to a second film should the first one prove successful. Hobie chews scenery with the best of them and his plan to bilk a rich guy out of his company is an interesting one. Of course, a lot of the book would have to be set somewhere else since, unnervingly, Hobie's office is on the 88th floor of the Twin Towers. (The book was written well before Sept. 11th).
It's also in Tripwire that Reacher is at his most Bond-like. At one point he gets shot in the chest only to survive because his pecs are so strong the bullet simply couldn't get to his heart.
Of course, it's also interesting to see that Reacher is left the house of his former CO in the novel and elects to remain near Jody as the book ends. Considering she's not on the scene by the time we reach One Shot, I can only assume she exits the series at some point. I just hope she doesn't meet the same fate as Tracy Bond...
So far, I like the Reacher novels. They're not great literature, but they're fun, entertaining action adventures stories that when they're good, keep the pages turning. I'll be interested to see how the movie does and if that will drive audiences to the books. I also plan to try and continue reading more of the adventures of Jack Reacher, if only because I'm curious as to what happens to Jody and why, if she's the great love of Reacher's life, she vanishes from the series.
June 16, 2016
Unquestionably one of the better Reacher novels and a sorely needed satisfying Child experience after The Enemy, which I found to be one of the weaker novels of the author’s thus far. I really don’t know why Child insists on not writing all of his books from the first person. The third person entries are less riveting and tend to wander into painfully boring territory. When you’re in Reacher’s head, even when the story is not at one of its several extremely tense or riveting moments, it’s still fun because it’s fun to hear Reacher tell stories about his life. You can tell that Child is really hearing Reacher’s voice and isn’t forcing it.
The plot...as per usual, the less said the better but this one was a doozy. What starts as Reacher investigating the rape and murder of a woman in a town next to an army base (in his official capacity as a 110th MP, because it’s 1997) quickly mutates, changes and spins into one of the more tense and complex Child plots I’ve encountered. Seriously, there was no point in the story where I could guess where the next twist was going to come from or what it would entail. I’m not saying I’m the sharpest reader to walk the earth, far from it, but I have read a decent amount of these dumb books and can usually sense the patented Child sucker-punch chapter end coming. Not so with The Affair! This led to some teeth-grindingly tense passages, which is one thing Child is definitely good at.
This one was also fun due to the fact that it’s kind of the Reacher origin story. Sure, there are other Reacher stories that predate this one but this is where the Reacher character is fully gelled and sets out on his country-traveling mission to see, come, and conquer. (Get it? ‘Cause Reacher visits a different locale every book? And sleeps with a different lady every book? And absolutely wrecks someone’s shit every book?) The exact cause for Reacher’s long-mysterious split from army life is finally revealed, which was gratifying. Child also sticks with the long game element, kind of atypically for this series, by retroactively setting up the plot threads that would become Killing Floor. Overall a very fun entry in the series and one that reminded me why I read Lee Child.
The plot...as per usual, the less said the better but this one was a doozy. What starts as Reacher investigating the rape and murder of a woman in a town next to an army base (in his official capacity as a 110th MP, because it’s 1997) quickly mutates, changes and spins into one of the more tense and complex Child plots I’ve encountered. Seriously, there was no point in the story where I could guess where the next twist was going to come from or what it would entail. I’m not saying I’m the sharpest reader to walk the earth, far from it, but I have read a decent amount of these dumb books and can usually sense the patented Child sucker-punch chapter end coming. Not so with The Affair! This led to some teeth-grindingly tense passages, which is one thing Child is definitely good at.
This one was also fun due to the fact that it’s kind of the Reacher origin story. Sure, there are other Reacher stories that predate this one but this is where the Reacher character is fully gelled and sets out on his country-traveling mission to see, come, and conquer. (Get it? ‘Cause Reacher visits a different locale every book? And sleeps with a different lady every book? And absolutely wrecks someone’s shit every book?) The exact cause for Reacher’s long-mysterious split from army life is finally revealed, which was gratifying. Child also sticks with the long game element, kind of atypically for this series, by retroactively setting up the plot threads that would become Killing Floor. Overall a very fun entry in the series and one that reminded me why I read Lee Child.
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