Jack of Hearts

Hunt for Reacher #12

by Diane Capri

Some things are worth dying for. Rescuing innocents is one of them.

FBI Special Agent Kim Otto won’t believe Reacher’s dead until she sees his body for herself.

Which she hasn’t.

Yet.

But if Reacher’s not dead, where is he?

Seven years ago, in Lee Child’s Worth Dying For, Reacher rescued Eleanor Duncan and saved sixteen Thai women from fates much worse than death.

Eleanor’s tormenters were controlled by a powerful mob boss with a long memory. He wants his property back and will stop at nothing to get it.

Now Reacher comes back to save Eleanor Duncan from the mob’s terrible vengeance.

With innocent lives at stake, Otto and Burke risk their lives to pick up Reacher’s trail and race to Las Vegas for an explosive final showdown.

Because some things are worth living for.

Genres: Thriller, Crime, Mystery, Fiction

784 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 6, 2021

About the author

Bestselling author Diane Capri is a recovering lawyer. She’s a snowbird who divides her time between Florida and Michigan. An active member of Mystery Writers of America, Author’s Guild, International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime, she loves to hear from readers and is hard at work on her next novel.

Connect with her online:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/@DianeCapri
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Diane-...

Here’s the Long version, if you’re looking for more info:

#1 Amazon Bestselling Author Diane Capri’s work is what the #1 worldwide publishing phenomenon Lee Child calls “Full of thrills and tension, but smart and human, too.” Margaret Maron, Edgar, Anthony, Agatha and Macavity Award-winning MWA Past President, says: “Expertise shines on every page.” And Library Journal raves: “….offers tense legal drama with courtroom overtones, twisty plots, and loads of atmosphere. Recommended.”

Diane’s new Jess Kimball series kicked off with Fatal Distraction, opening as the #3 Bestselling Legal Thriller, behind John Grisham. Diane’s new Hunt for Jack Reacher series began with Don’t Know Jack, which garnered #1 Bestseller spots on Mystery, Hard-boiled Mystery, Police Procedural, Women Sleuths, and Legal Thriller lists both in the U.S. and U.K. Don’t Know Jack was followed by two bestselling short stories in the Hunt for Jack Reacher series, Jack in a Box and Jack and Kill. Diane’s Judge Wilhelmina Carson mysteries were praised by Romantic Times and garnered the coveted “Top Pick.” Diane’s savvy, spunky character, attorney Jennifer Lane, stars in her own romantic suspense series, which kicks off with Annabelle’s Attack.

Diane is the past Executive Vice President of International Thriller Writers, past member of the Board of the Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, and active in Sisters in Crime and other writing organizations. She comes to writing after a successful legal career and is married to her college sweetheart. She loves her nomadic snowbird existence preferring perpetual summer migrating from Florida to Michigan each year.

Diane says she writes mystery and suspense for the same reason she reads: to find out what happens, why people do what they do, and how to bring justice to an unjust world.Her books are translated in twenty territories. Diane loves to hear from readers. Contact her at: DianeCapri.com/Contact to receive notice of new releases, subscribe to Diane’s blog, or simply connect with her.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s nothing like a good Diane Capri thriller to bring out the excitement for me, particularly when I am waiting for the next of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels. The ‘man with no fixed abode’ continues popping up in small towns across America, while Capri crafts stories around locating and capturing him once and for all. The FBI wants to talk to him, people he has harmed seek to get retribution, and the reader can see how Reacher stays one step ahead, usually.

FBI Special Agent Kim Otto is still getting used to a new partner, which has not been easy. However, she has bigger problems, as she is almost certain that she saw Reacher die in a plane crash...almost. While nothing is absolute, the hunt for him continues, which leads to Otto and Burke making their way to Nebraska. Reacher was there at one point, having saved a local woman and a handful of Thai girls from a man who had human trafficking on the mind.

As the story progresses, it becomes clear that this woman has been targeted anew, with no Reacher to protect her. Otto will have to intervene as best she can, but it is sure to put her into significant danger. From Nebraska, it’s off to Denver to work through some of the clues and try to make sense of things. Otto is all about the case first and safety afterwards, which has both her current partner and the man who held the role before slightly concerned.

When things get tense, Otto finds herself falling into a trap and almost dying, only to the rescue and back on the trail of these re-captured women. It’s all part of a larger plan, and a powerful man who resides in Las Vegas, hoping to coax Reacher out of the shadows again, where a bullet awaits him. This is one storyline Otto could not have predicted.

I’ve long enjoyed Lee Child and his books, which was only augmented when Diane Capri began using them as background for her own series. This thriller series that pits two FBI agents against the wiles of Jack Reacher has all the ingredients for a successful series and has never let me down. Each Capri book is loosely based on events Reacher experienced in own of his own novels. This story is pulled from the pages of Worth Dying For, one of the series’ bests. Reacher fans out to explore some of all of Capri’s work to complement their love of what Lee Child developed.

FBI Special Agent Kim Otto keeps up her great work as protagonist. Struggling to come to terms with her new partner, Otto must accept him while trying not to rely too much on the man who used to be at her side. This has been a struggle in the past two novels and really comes to a head in this piece. Otto is, however, razor focussed on trying to make it all work, in hopes of finding Jack Reacher once and for all.

The series is quite entertaining, particularly for those who have developed an affinity for Jack Reacher’s nomadic ways. The narrative pushes the story along effectively yet again, paired with strong characters that accentuate nice plot points. While the Reacher novels are not affixed to any specific time, all of Capri’s novels have taken place over 7 months, adding intensity to the manhunt and series development. While I suppose they could be read as quasi-standalone, why would anyone ever wish to parachute in and not see things as they progressed over time?

Kudos, Madam Capri, for keeping me enthralled throughout. I cannot wait to see what’s next and how Reacher will make an impact from the shadows.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Jannelies (living between hope and fear) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid book in this series with old acquaintances en new people to come into the story. Despite the fast pace and the many characters in this book, it doesn't get too complicated. This time there are a few extra surprises, which made me want to finish the book fast.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just Wow! Maybe the best book yet in the Hunt for Jack Reacher Series. Over the last few years I have read all of the Jack Reacher stories and all of the Hunt for Jack Reacher stories as well. This will be the 44th. And it is one of the best. And the next in this series have already been announced. This is the fifth I have read since that initial binge read. First I read the 29 Jack Reacher Novels and short stories by Lee Child. And then I read all the books in this series. This is the twelfth novel in the Hunt for Reacher Series, and the fifteenth story featuring Otto. In this one she finds out more about her new back up, William Burk. But Otto still has Gaspar in the wings helping out as much as he can. The source book for this volume was Lee Child’s Worth Dying For. That one was not my one of my favourites in the Reacher series. But this is one of my favourite of all the Reacher stories I have read.

The cast of characters in this story is:

Kim Otto
William Burke
Carlos Gaspar
Charles Cooper
Lamont Finlay
Gamon Chen (called “GiGi”)
Mika Chen
Ying Chen (called “Jade”)
Amarin Chen (called “Alan”)
Roberto “The Elephant” Rossi
Thaddeus Sydney
Eleanor Duncan
Evan Vincent
Dr. Ezra Landon
Brenda Landon
Petey Burns

and

Jack Reacher

This story deals again with some pretty hot topics. Some of the harsher elements in the story are human trafficking, prostitution, the criminal underworld. And in this story we also have underground Muay Thai fights including to the death. We have siblings reconnecting only to become pawns in a much bigger story. We have several close encounters with Reacher, and get closer to him than Otto. And Otto has her own near death experience. And the story builds in pace and races to an explosive confrontations.

This is another excellent story in a great series. One of the best of all the Reacher stories I have read. And it leaves you desperate for the next instalment in the series. Capri has done another excellent job in leading us on the hunt for Jack Reacher.

[Joe Clontz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diane Capri has continued her series of adventures with this new novel, JACK OF HEARTS. FBI Special Agent Kim Otto is now seven months into seeking information on Jack Reacher at the direction of her FBI boss. It has been a dangerous assignment since she’s working with NO FBI backup should trouble develop. Plus she now has a new partner, FBI Special Agent William Burke, who is not at all happy about being assigned as number two to lead agent Otto.

We’re introduced to the principals in the story in the first few chapters. Jade Chen a Thailand native who was one of many women and girls brought illegally to the US seven years ago for the purpose of selling them to criminals for use in sex rings. However it seems Reacher and some locals in Duncan Nebraska disrupted that plan and the women and girls were spirited off to Denver Colorado by Eleanor Duncan. Eleanor opened at Thai Restaurant and gave the refugees new identities and productive lives.

Roberto “The Elephant” Rossi is now the head of a large and prosperous mob in Las Vegas and was behind the original scheme to import the Thai women and lost a bundle of money. He’s determined to take possession of his “property” when he learns where they have settled. He brings in his top henchman, Thaddeus Sydney, a smart and ruthless gangster to retrieve his “property.”

Otto and Burke through a quirk in good detective work learn that Eleanor Duncan has reached out to some of her friends in Duncan Nebraska to ask Reacher for some help in protecting Jade, her sisters and the other women. Thus begins four days of absolute intrigue and chaos. It goes from Duncan Nebraska to Denver Colorado to Las Vegas Nevada.

Otto never actually sees or talks to Reacher but her new partner, working alone and with out Otto’s permission, apparently encounters Reacher and is wounded but not killed by him, an unusual behavior for Reacher. Burke may have learned something that Otto must now, after all the dust and debris have settled, glean from her partner who wants to find Reacher first and claim the glory.

This latest adventure is full of dramatic turns and twists which will leave the reader unable to put the book down for either food, drink (except for a strong cup of coffee) or sleep. You will love it.

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was really close! Kim Otto has never been so close to Reacher and yet so far away, will she ever get him? Jack of Hearts is another great one from Diane Capri. I love everything Reacher and this series is a great addition as well as the ones from Dan Ames and Jude Hardin in the Reacher universe. Kim Otto continues her hunt for Reacher with her new partner Burke who isn't to keen on being second in command and find almost everything annoying, not realising that he makes a fool of himself. This time there are lots of connections to earlier characters in Childs books about our hero and Otto is in serious trouble. Thankfully Gaspar her former colleague is keeping an eye out for her. These books are only getting better and better.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Jack Reacher/Kim Otto book. It had me hooked from the start. As impossible as it seems, each story gets better. Definitely didn’t let me down.

[John Kuvakas · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the middle of the bridge over Hoover Dam, a woman encounters a man she’s familiar with…and afraid of. They are soon joined by a dangerous assassin. It soon becomes clear that one of them is going over the edge. But, who? And, why?
I’ve had the privilege of reviewing pre-publication copies of Diane’s books for some time and I found myself waiting on pins and needles for this edition. It did not disappoint!
In Capri’s last installment of the exciting “Hunt for Reacher” series, Kim Otto, special agent for the FBI, watched as Reacher perished in a plane crash. Or did he? She’s breaking in a new partner and he’s a challenge in many ways, perhaps the largest being his over-confidence while engaged in a situation in which he is unknowingly over his head.
Meanwhile, Otto is closer to finding Reacher than ever before. She encounters a woman from Reacher’s past who may have seen him recently…if he’s alive. It doesn’t take too long for Otto to determine that this woman and the people on the dam have stories that are intertwined with the shadow of Jack Reacher looming over it all.
Diane’ Capri’s addition to the Reacherverse continues to grow in its fascination. Her writing is a jewel that sparkles most brightly when the action gets heavy and that happens frequently. Gaspar is there, a voice at the end of a helpline, watching over her, intervening when she most desperately needs him. spiritually present but not physically…much like an anti-Reacher. Or can it be that Otto has two guardian angels rather than one?
This four-volume story arc is totally immersive, adding to the overall storyline while integrating smoothly and completely with Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels. I think the Hunt for Reacher series is every bit as good as their sourcebooks. For me, that says a ton! Bring me more!!

[C Phillpott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dont like unknowing-Kim

I liked the book but the ending seemed strange. She was leaving Vegas after she had been dumped in the desert but didn't know why or what happened inside a car she was riding in. Then she gets info on who was possibly behind it but when she goes to the rooftop to ask, there is a man who dies but tells her he was trying to get info on his sister's and blows up the guy she wanted to talk to but the man is killed. Then she goes to find her partner but is instead finding storage buildings that suddenly begin blowing up ! She then finds the woman she was with in the car with her employees and more oriental women fleeing the storage building but is clueless why they were there, can't figure out why the were abducted, and luckily finds her partner who is injured and needs medical attention. And he tells her it was Reacher. She gets back to her hotel, with no answers at all and she is heading to Chicago next , knowing nothing. Maybe the next book answers are forthcoming but it's a dumb way to end this book!!
I would still recommend to friend/family but maybe not next time if all these questions aren't discussed!

[Carianne Carleo-Evangelist · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was all over the place. In Worth Dying For, Lee Child insisted on referring (via Jack) to what was going on as a gang war, which it kind of was but mostly wasn't. So in the "sequel", or whatever these are meant to be, Capri mad it into Mobsters Gone Wild/FBI run amok. Kim getting herself in danger gets old, especially when Capri is already promoting the next book so you know she lives to see another book, and spoiler: doesn't catch Reacher.
All of the action took place over the course of a week, and only seven years after Reacher met Eleanor Duncan (and the other residents of Duncan), but the chapters kept flipping in sequence, so unless you pay really close attention to the time stamps, and even if you do, you'll likely be confused. It was OK, I guess, but the early ones in the series were better. Why did Capri retire Gaspar if Kim misses him so much.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack of Hearts is a continuation of the 2 previous novels jack Frost & Full Metal Jack. Playing a hunch Special Agent Otto drags a whining SA Burke to Duncan NE, where Reacher went 7 years ago after leaving Bolton SD in a mess. Of course many men died in Duncan when Reacher was there. When he left, several Thai abductees with an abused MS Duncan also left & established themselves in Denver CO. Otto & Reacher learn that the women are again in trouble from what turn out to be a gangster in Las Vegas. Gasper, in Miami, remotely assists Otto to survive a sequence of events including where she is left to die in a desert while her FBI partner chooses to not have her back & chase Reacher by himself ignoring FBI Director Cooper's, The Boss, direct orders that Burke's #2, "follow Otto's lead". Typical of a Reacher story many die & loads of property is destroyed. This novel contains too much stream of conscience, Capri is not Faulkner. The tale should be told with action & conversation not mind reading.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

FBI Special Agent Kim Otto is trying to develop a partnership with her new partner, FBI Special Agent William Burke. Burke continues to be a prima dona set on getting all of the glory when "they" track down Jack Reacher. After leaving Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, they decide to visit some of the places where Reacher visited in the past. They end up following his trail to Duncan, Nebraska. There, things start to get a little complicated. The combination of a mobster with a long memory from Las Vegas; his hit man who never fails; undocumented Thai men and women who were trafficked into the US seven years ago to Duncan, Nebraska; illegal orchids smuggled into the US; an escaped prisoner who is a master carjacker; an American woman who owns a Thai restaurant in Golden, Colorado ; a Thai woman running an escort service in Denver; and, of course, Jack Reacher. What mayhem can happen in a volatile setting? Lots!
You'll just have to read it to find out!

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last time Reacher had anything to do with people named Duncan, several of them died. There’s no reason to believe he would ever return to that middle-of-nowhere Nebraska village. But, FBI Agent Kim Otto thinks, if Reacher is still alive, that might be just exactly what he would do. Her new partner just can’t see it. To him, that makes no sense. What follows is the best “Hunt for Reacher” novel, to date.

JACK OF HEARTS is packed with fascinating characters, a deliciously twisty plot, and the pacing of a rocket. This one has it all: Vegas, kidnapping, human trafficking, immigrants, a kingpin of crime (seriously), and, of course, the intrepid Kim Otto. She’s well supported by retired partner Gaspar, resisted and disrespected by new partner Burke, and all but ignored by her shadowy boss (even when she is in danger). And did I mention Jack Reacher? Mayhem ensues.

[Trudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kim's back with her new partner Burke once again on the hunt for Jack Reacher  The thing is, does Burke really have her back?   It seems like he is a glory hound and has no respect for Kim.


Another winner for Diane!  Keeps you focused on the action and adventure.   Gaspar is always in the background to help Kim which is great because we know her boss Cooper will only tell her what he wants her to know, not necessarily what she needs to know.


It keeps you wondering between Findlay and Cooper what do they really want?  Page turner from beginning to the end.

It is always a pleasure to advance read one of Diane's great books.

[dennis barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack of Hearts. Diane Capri

Kim's new partner Burke has a tremendous ego, constantly complains and can be very annoying to her. But he usually concedes to her request's, she's in charge. He objects to her constant communications with Gaspar her retired former partner. Hunting for Jack Reacher can be a mind boggling and difficult experience. According to Intel from her boss, he's in Nebraska. Here the story unfolds. Reacher has returned to help someone he has helped in the past. What ensues now is chaos, mayhem and again one step behind Reacher. As usual another excellent read in this series!!! Enjoyed immensely!!

[Hugh Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This one does it all. How does she write this stuff?

Now, her conflict with Burke, the arrogant partner, is highlighted while she tackles the old Duncan mess complete with Las Vegas mobster bosses, killers and fixers, even a gardener of orchids.

Reacher was her then there alongside Petey the escaped criminal. Gaspar is helpful even when he is cut off. the setting ranges from Nevada to Colorado and Nebraska.

Otto tackles a violent criminal and emerges with little damage. The Thai refugees are still the same trump card they were 8 years earlier when reacher last rescued eleanor duncan.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kim Otto is back with her new partner Burke and they are hot on the trail of Jack Reacher. The trail leads to Las Vegas and to a casino owner who his hand in all kinds of horrible crimes, from sex-trafficking to Muay Thai boxing matches that sometimes end with the death of one of the boxers. Will they get Reacher? Can Otto depend on Burke to have her back? This is a fast-paced read from beginning to end. Another Wow! from Diane Capri.

[Robin Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kim Otto is back on the hunt for Jack Reacher, along with her new partner Burke. It’s not clear yet if Burke has her back, but fortunately Gaspar (who is retired) always has her back and works with her behind the scenes. They are headed to Nebraska where Reacher has been before. From traffickers in Thailand, Vegas and Nebraska there are a lot of interesting, well developed characters in this book. I couldn’t put this one down!

[Sammye]

The hunt for Jack Reacher continues in the 15th book of the series. It seems, Kim Otto is closer to find him than ever before. This time she has a new partner FBI Agent William Burke, who just might not have her back! This series is crammed full of action, drama and adventure. So many thrills & chills make it a real page turner. This is another winner! *I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and this is my honest review*

[carl clause · Rating 5 out of 5]

CC1

Dia another terrific job with Kim , Gasper and Reacher. It seems Burke dropped the ball while leaving Kim in desert. If he did tangle with Reacher he is lucky to be alive. Rossi got what he deserved. Gasper is always there when Kim needs him. Great job. It seems like Cooper is ignorant ass hole no compassion for Kim or anyone else. Finley a question mark also? 10 stars plus!! Great read. Thanks Carl Clause

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best one yet!

Action-packed and as with the Reacher books, the good guys triumph and Reacher saves the day for them, while in this case utterly destroying the bad guys -- with a little help from our heroine, Kim Otto. Happy to see Kim finally acknowledge Reacher's heart. About time!

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. Fun, paced well, exciting. The negative that just kept annoying the sticks off of me was that she kept repeating herself. Reacher was missing. Reacher was off the grid. Reacher couldn't be found. Reacher had just up and disappeared. Egads woman, we get it... He is not here. It got rather redundant, rather quickly.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh so very close.

I'm on the fence with Burke. Gaspar, 200 miles away was more helpful to Otto in Denver than Burke was, who was in the same ZIP code; shameful.

What's his agenda? After all this time, why is Cooper being a BIGGER ass than he was in the beginning? The discovery of why Cooper wants Reacher will be good. It's comin'...

[ScottRichard Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Sequel

The novel is a good sequel to “Worth Dying For,” a Jack Reacher book. The follow up to the Nebraska story does a nice job of fleshing out previous characters as well as introducing new ones. It continues to be hard to like Burke even though he has a tough time near the end.

[Josh Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another non stop page turner

The hunt for Jack reacher series has been one of the more enjoyable reads for the past 12 months can’t wait to catch up on the next one and see how the series concludes

[Don Turnbull · Rating 2 out of 5]

disappointing

Too much unknown about why the FBI is running a hidden op. Many characters are unbelievable, and further more I didn’t care. Then it ends in the middle. Just a money grab. Part 2 - no thanks. Fool me once , etc.

[Terry Hillier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reacher overcomes evil again

Reacher had saved a dozen Thai women sold in human trafficking seven years ago.
They are now in danger from the gangster that originally purchased them for his brothels.
A rogue FBI action complicates their rescue.
Reacher prevails?!

[Lana Mccall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invisible Jack

Was Reacher in Denver? Was he in Vegas? Did you see him? I did not. I saw Petey Burns but no Reacher. Dead mens tell no tales Did Eleanor Duncan see Reacher? I think she did.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little slow to start but finished with a bang. I was skeptical at first that there could be a Jack Reacher without being written by Lee Child. This book is not a Jack Reacher novel but Diane writes in a very similar and thrilling fashion as Lee.

[Jerry Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otto has to go Muay Thai on some gangsters while Reacher is going John Wick scorched earth on the same. So close but not close enough to complete the hunt. New partner doesn’t seem like a partner. Good thing Gaspar has her back.

[Pat Welte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it starts of fast and had me guessing until the very end. The characters were fleshed out and I liked some and hated some. I can hardly wait for the next book in this series.