The Affair is the best Lee Child novel I’ve read. The setting is a flash back to 1997 when the Jack Reacher character is a Major in the Army’s military police. By flashing back, the author provides valuable character development for his famed Jack Reacher that I’ve felt lacking in his previous works.Major Jack Reacher is ordered to Carter Crossing, MS, a small town near Fort Kelham. Fort Kelham is an Army base for training some elitist ranger squadrons. A young woman has been raped and murdered and Reacher is to be the Army undercover guy outside the base. He is to interact with the local authorities and subtly convince them that Army personnel are innocent of the crime, whether they are or not. Yet from Reacher’s record he has no history of subtlety. His approach has always been direct and his style ‘nothing but the truth.’ So, this assignment makes him think he is somehow a political scapegoat and his Army career may be in jeopardy.
Sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux immediately recognizes Reacher as the Army infiltrator when he arrives in Carter Crossing. She is a former USMC MP and had been expecting the tactic from the Army. She is also a beautiful single woman the same age as Reacher. Mutual professional respect and a strong physical attraction quickly advances to a sexual relationship yet they remain suspicious of each other’s motives. Reacher learns there were two other young women raped and murdered in Carter Crossing both Black and both ignored by the Army. Reacher also discovers a volunteer militia group attempting to protect the Army but unknown to Fort Kelham’s leadership. High level politics are at play.
Through further investigation Reacher learns the most likely suspect for the murders is Captain Reed Riley. He has the reputation for fraternizing with the prettiest young ladies, was stationed at Fort Kelham at the time of all three murders, and dated all three. He is also the son of U.S. Senator Carlton Riley, who is the chairman of the Armed Services Committee. Yet Reacher’s Army superiors keep feeding him evidence that points to Sheriff Deveraux as the murderer. Her military history and conditions surrounding her discharge come into question. Reacher must make his own judgments and act in his vigilante style to save face for the Army and bring the true villains to justice.
Lee Child has a true talent for building and maintaining suspense; holds your attention and compels you to read on. His Jack Reacher character is perilous not just for his infallible combat skills but for his confidence in his own judgments and eagerness to act on them, legal or not. He acts as judge, jury and executioner and we applaud him for it. Great fiction!
From East Coast Don:
Thought I'd add my $0.02 here rather than as a comment. I agree with Midwest Dave that this is one of the best Reacher books to date. I've read the entire series and like any series there are some hits and some misses. I'd be hard pressed to say which Reacher books weren't first rate, but Child's venturing back (like Vince Flynn did in his last Mitch Rapp book) was a welcome diversion from the Reacher as vagabond savior to the latest in a long line of locally oppressed. Actually wish Child would venture into Reacher's military past more often. This one is not to be missed. I still have the question I've posed in other posts - with all the Reacher books having been optioned to Hollywood, just who in the hell would play Reacher? Know any 6'5" 225-250# actors looking for a lead role as one serious alpha dog?
A year and a day. That's how long it took to read through this new Lee Child, Jack Reacher novel. The Affair, the author's latest creation was a year in production and when finally introduced into the market, it took a long day of, "I can't put this damn thing down" reading. Like I said, a year and a day.
ReplyDeleteThe entire Jack Reacher series is based on a retired ex-army MP character named Jack Reacher. He's a big physical guy and very smart. His style is to move anonymously through the world's superfluous infrastructures and fix things. In this rendition Reacher is on his last paid military assignment before he begins retirement and his trudge through the humus and mulch working class level of America.
In The Affair, Reacher is sent to Mississippi to help the local female sheriff, an ex-MP like Reacher, solve the murders of three beautiful women in her jurisdiction, under her watch. The backdrop involves a small town, its supporting military base, top secret troop movement on and off the base, military cover-up at the highest levels, a high profile senator, and his entitlement-minded officer son.
It is purely brilliant Reacher detective work that looks at the fabric of things and identifies the subtle tears and flaws. With the help of Devereaux, the crimes become solved. A vintage Reacher avenging angel solution is provided for those in positions of abusive power that tend to demonstrate a blatant disregard for America's laws and its very granular working class citizens.
Lee Child's novels always seem relevant but now are a bit more timely. Reacher engages a side of America during very frugal times. An America with no superfluous needs. With the bling-less, nuts and bolts souls of this country. And very slowly, I am starting to get the author's message of that time's slowly evolving return. Perhaps by the time of the next novel, in one more year and a day, I am carrying my own sack lunch.
I agree with the previous reviewers. I've always liked Lee Child, but this is best, most skillful writing in the Jack Reacher series. If you like our genre, this book is it.
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