We all know about Jack Reacher. Ex-MP who wanders the
country with just the clothes on his back and a toothbrush in his pocket. Gets
on and off the buses as he pleases. Gets off a bus somewhere in Wisconsin to
stretch his legs. Glances in the window of a pawnshop and sees a West Point
class ring. Not something one would pawn. Pointers went through too much to
earn the ring. He’d know.
Goes in, talks with the shop owner. Gets a close look. It’s
engraved: S.R.S. 2005. Not right for the ring to be left in a pawnshop so he
buys it and decides to return it to the owner. Pawnshop owner (not so
willingly) gives up some info on how it came to him. Which (also not so
willingly) eventually leads Reacher a scumbag named Arthur Scorpio in Rapid City,
SD.
Scorpio is one of those guys with no visible means of
support. Owns a laundromat that has few customers, but requires a guard at the
front and back doors plus a old boxy Lincoln Town Car driven by more muscle.
Occasionally, a guy on a Harley drops in for a few minutes, then leaves. No other notable traffic. Then goes home.
Scorpio is also under the watchful eye of Detective
Nakamura, Rapid City PD. His phones are tapped and the police techy squad tries to track his
cellphone calls. Plus, a retired FBI agent turned PI has the laundromat under
surveillance. Reacher catches Scorpio’s attention and in the ensuing ‘conversation’,
Scorpio give up Sy Porterfield of Mules Crossing, Wyoming.
After a few talks with the West Point Superintendent,
Reacher learns that S.R.S 2005 is Serena Rose Sanderson, Class of 2005, medically
discharged as an infantry Major with five tours of Afghanistan. Purple Heart
and a Bronze Star. Status: lost to follow-up. Off the grid.
Reacher hitches a couple rides and finds Mule's Crossing, a wide spot on a
highway outside of Laramie. Thing is, so does PI Bramall, he of the expense account,
Toyota Land Cruiser, coat and tie. All which sort of stand out in this pick-up
and boots corner of Wyoming. But they form a bit of a respectful alliance.
Bramall was hired by S.R.S. 2005’s sister. Make that Rose’s identical twin
sister, Mackenzie. Both were born and raised in Wyoming, children of a state
judge. Mackenzie is a stunning redhead whose image would be more suited for the
cover of a magazine instead of on Roses’ military ID and desert camo. Once
Bramall and Reacher start reasoning out which stones to kick over, Mackenzie
shows up.
According to the local sheriff, Sy Portefield was the victim
of a bear attack about 1.5 years ago. Of course, Scorpio was lying. This
makeshift investigative team roots around the SE corner of Wyoming. No one shows
any recognition of Rose by seeing Mackenzie. That itself is a clue Reacher can’t
shake leading to several assumptions, some that play out and others that don’t. Questions still surface about if Rose is alive, if so, where, and most importantly, why did she go to ground.
This is Child’s 21st Jack Reacher novel. Doesn’t
take a genius to figure out that Child has a good thing going and no doubt that he delivers the goods repeatedly. 21 New
York Times best sellers. 12 #1s. All have been optioned for movies. Two of
which have been made. I’ve read them all and while all are terrific, Child’s
readers will have their own rankings. I’d put this in the Top 5 definitely and maybe
even the top 2 or 3. Thought this was one of Child’s most realistic situations, investigations, and outcomes. Child is resolute in showing Reacher’s loyalty to his Army roots.
Waited two months for my name to work its way up the library’s
list. A two-day read. Worth the wait. Absolutely a winner.
ECD
For the first time ever, Child's book tour for his latest novel included the St Louis County Library and I was able to attend... along with about 750 fans. Here's a couple interesting tidbits about the author. Lee Child is a pen name (real name Jim Grant) that originated as a family joke. Grant and his wife heard someone refer to their Renault automobile, le Car, as LEE Car so the couple began jokingly calling everything Lee... lee book, lee house, lee lamp, and their daughter, lee child. Thus the pen name was adopted. When asked about research, Child replied that it's overrated. He said details were only necessary when describing guns and cars... everything else just needs to sound plausible. I enjoyed the interview, the book and ECD's review. The Midnight Line is another winner for Child.
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