The Secret by Lee Child and Andrew Child (the father and son team!). This is number 28 in the series featuring Jack Reacher, but is set a few years before the very first Reacher book, so we get to see a bit of his back story during the time he was still in the military police. The scene is set in Chicago where a hospital patient is shown a list of names by two strangers and is asked an impossible question. He can't and minutes later, he "falls" to his death out of the window. Surprisingly, this death raises a flag with the Secretary of Defence, who calls together a task force from a range of agencies, and Reacher is the Army's representative. Not known for his fondness for office politics, Reacher sets out to investigate, having to work with people he doesn't know if he can trust, and uncovers a secret that goes back 23 years. I read this book in three days - it romps along at a mighty fast pace and is a great holiday read, or for times when you don't want to be thinking too hard. It takes you out of yourself and into Reacher's world of 1992, when he is still a military cop. It is gripping and has all the elements you would expect from a Reacher book, but with a few little twists. Of course there is violence, but not a ridiculous amount. It is what it is. If you like a gripping thriller, with an edgy hero that is great to read on the page but who you really wouldn't want to meet in real life, then this could be the book for you. I don't think you need to have read another Reacher prior to this one to enjoy it and get a feel for the rest of the books in the series. I had been finding some a little on the violent side, but this strikes a better balance. I hope the father and son combo can continue in this same vein.
My STAR rating: FOUR
Length: 396 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from my brother-in-law.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.
No comments:
Post a Comment