Books: Bad Luck and Trouble

It is post 9/11. The catastrophe that stuck on this fateful day has changed the habits of Jack Reacher. He can't travel like a bum anymore. He has to carry a passport and also an ATM card. Barring these minor changes in his routine, he is still the wanderer with no definite plan. But out of the blue, his old colleague Neagley reaches out to him in a way only a military policeman understands. This call will make Reacher to put together his old unit, or whatever is left of his old unit, back in order to do what Reacher does best - to avenge and to dispense justice.

When Lee Child returns to the Reacher series, the transformation is confined not only to his creation but also to himself. Lee Child is more vocal in this novel. There are subtle endorsements and also not-so-subtle criticism. The endorsements are pronounced while criticism are veiled where the names are taken in the former while references are given in the latter. It doesn't take the reader to be Reacher to figure the references to find out whom the author is pointing to.

But the most important transformation is to the mystery writer in Lee Child. Here the investigation is thankfully not quick deduction like seen in the earlier books but the slow gradual piecing together of clues to solve the mystery. Like any investigation, Reacher chases dead ends and retraces his path to take the other turn in the fork where he took the wrong turn. This is definitely a departure from the previous books. This also makes the book interesting to read. The rest is same as what we get in the other books.

The series is for Reacher fans. But this book can be enjoyed even by others who haven't been reading the series chronologically.

The other books in the series are.

Killing Floor

Die Trying

Tripwire

Running Blind

Echo Burning

Without Fail

Persuader
The Enemy
One Shot
The Hard Way

Tags: Books,Lee Child,Jack Reacher

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