Book Reviews and More: 61 Hours - Lee Child

Saturday, 6 July 2019

61 Hours - Lee Child - Jack Reacher Book 14

61 Hours
Jack Reacher Book 14
Lee Child
Delacorte Press
Penguin Random House Canada
ISBN 9780440243694
eISBN 9780440339533
ASIN B0036S4CWA

This is Jack Reacher book 14. The books seem to continually jump around his time in the army, after the army and even one that has his leaving. I myself have been jumping around and have read the first few, the latest few and now also the middle few. Tis one is just part the halfway as far as the order of publishing goes. In the past 14 weeks I have read and reviewed 19 works involving Reacher. And with each one I read I feel we get to know and understand Reacher a little better. And to be honest this one was the biggest surprise about Reacher, who he is and what he does and why. And of the stories I have read so far it is one of my favorites!

The saying goes ‘wrong place at the wrong time’. Well that often seems the case with Reacher. But this time, maybe he is the right guy, in the right place at the right time. After catching a ride on a tour bus with several elderly people, Reacher suddenly awakes to the bus going off the road in a skid. The bus is damaged, the highway closed, and a bad storm front coming through. But the small town they end up in has much more to be concerned about than a bas off the road. The whole town seems to be on high alert looking for a stranger coming to kill a witness. The deputy chief and Reacher are soon working together. Working to protect the witness and figure out exactly where the risk is coming from. Soon a lawyer turns up dead. And The perfect change for the killer to strike comes and goes. Reacher is reaching out to his replacement at the 100th for some assistance, and the two are flirting over long distance as they banter back and forth. A little I’ll scratch your back and you scratch mine.

This story has a small town with a large police force. A prison nearby that the local police are part of their emergency plans. A Mexican drug dealer, and general bad guy who runs pawn shops, drugs and prostitutes. A witness to a crime in protective custody. And Reacher dropped in the middle, helping guide, protect, and generally living by his moral code. Reacher stuck in a blizzard sounds like a bad scenario. But Reacher can endure almost anything. And sometimes a change can spark something cathartic. The line that hit me most was:

“Reacher said, ‘A viable mode of transportation just left town without me on it. I just broke the habit of a lifetime.’”

And maybe breaking that habit can help unlock something in Reacher, but in order to find out you will need to give this book a read. This was a great read. It was terribly hard to put down and I devoured it in 2 sittings. And at the writing of this have already started my next Reacher novel. One of the best books in a great series.