Jack Reacher Book 8
Lee Child
Penguin Random House Canada
ISBN 9780440334989
eISBN 9780739378526
ASIN B000FC1MBO
As of the writing of this review I have read 6 books about Jack Reacher by Lee Child in the last four weeks. I am getting more familiar with the character and the writing. To date the books are all either written in first person or third person. I started with Past Tense, which was at the time the most recent release. The next novel I read was I went to the first published, Killing Floor. And now this one which is currently the first novel chronologically. There are a few short stories that predate this book which appear in No Middle Name Short Story Collection. It has been a little odd jumping around the Reacher timeline and the two different voices. And yet with each one I read I am eager to pick up another. In fact when I finished this volume I picked the volume Jack Reacher’s Rules, The Fourth Man short story, and Night School to add to my reading pile. But now back to this volume.
The title of this book comes from a conversation between Reacher and his new CO (Commanding Office) a Colonel Willard. Reacher states:
“And you’re making a big mistake. Because you really don’t want to make an enemy out of me.”
Any truer words might never have been spoken. This story begins on new years eve 1989 and Reacher has just been transferred to Fort Bird. He is now acting XO (Executive Officer). It seems to be a quiet little military base. Reacher is not sure why he has been pulled out of a major mission in Panama. But the Army said move so he moved. But on New Year ’s Eve a dead body in a seedy motel that at first Reacher pawns off on the civilian authorities is the beginning of a very big can of worms. Within 2 weeks Reacher is back and forth to Europe, and across America chasing a missing agenda to a series of meetings.
Reacher makes some quick assumptions both at the hotel and after meeting his CO. Both have severe consequences. During the novel Reacher has numerous phone messages and a few calls with his older brother Joe. Reacher and Joe go on a quick trip to France to see their sick mother. And Reacher finds out a lot about his mother and himself that he never knew.
There are some very brutal murders in this novel. And some attempts to stage a crime scene. We see less of the violence directly in this novel. But we do see more of the investigation into it, and resolving it. The story moves at a solid pace, but compared to the other novels I have read takes place over a much longer time frame. It is great to experience Reacher and his brother Joe interacting on the phone and in person. And I loved the discovery about his family history. In some ways the mystery in this novel reminds me of the old movie The Presidio. There is a lot more going on that we first suspect and some great plot twists.
I really enjoyed this read and look forward to my next Reacher novel!
Books by Lee Child:
Jack Reacher Books Publishing Order:
Killing Floor
Die Trying
Tripwire
The Visitor /Running Blind
Echo Burning
Without Fail
Persuader
The Enemy
One Shot
The Hard Way
Bad Luck and Trouble
Nothing to Lose
Gone Tomorrow
61 Hours
Worth Dying For
The Affair
A Wanted Man
Never Go Back
Personal
Make Me
Night School
The Midnight Line
Past Tense
Blue Moon
The Sentinel Jack Reacher's Rules
...
Reacher Short Stories and Novella’s:
No Middle Name – Complete Collected Short Stories
Stories in No Middle Name Collection:
Too Much Time
Second Son
Deep Down
Guy Walks into A Bar
James Penney’s New Identity
High Heat
Everyone Talks
Not A Drill
Small Wars
Maybe They Have A Tradition
No Room At The Motel
The Picture of the Lonely Diner
Other Short Stories:
The Fourth Man
The Christmas Scorpion
...
Faking a Murderer with Kathy Reichs
Cleaning the Gold with Karin Slaughter
Good and Valuable Consideration with Joseph Finder
...
Other Books by Lee Child
The Hero
Jack Reacher: A Mysterious Profile
...
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