The Affair is a flashback to the beginning of the career of Jack Reacher, who's appeared in 15 or so earlier novels by Lee Child. Unlike most of them, this one's told in first person, but then maybe all the flashback ones are. The difference this time is that it's told as if Reacher's telling it now and reflecting on the time that the story takes place, a pre-9/11 world where things were different.In a little Mississippi town, three women have been murdered, and Reacher's sent by the army to work undercover and see what he can find out. Why? Because there's an army base nearby and because a senator's son is also on the base. Reacher's cover is blown about five minutes after he gets to town, and he begins to investigate the murders, though that's not his job. He and the local sheriff, a very attractive woman, begin an affair. (There's a good bit of softporn sex in this book, more than in the earlier Reacher novels, as I recall.) Strange things are going on around the army base. Bad things happen. Before long, even the sheriff is a suspect.
Reacher, of course, sorts it all out in his usual fashion. Due process? Reacher laughs at due process. He takes care of things his own way.
The clock in Reacher's head, the one that's accurate to the minute, if not the second, is mentioned several times. There's a funny line where Reacher says he doesn't know anything about fruit trees. If so, it's the only thing he doesn't know about, as he spouts plenty of knowledge before the end of the novel.
The book's fast and entertaining, sure to make Reacher fans happy and to capture a few new ones.
6 comments:
Second book I read on my Nook whilst waiting for Sheriff Rhodes books to make their way by snail mail from various corners of the country. Am on Death on the Move right now. Skipped over the porn.light but also noted it was more wordy than normal (or needed). Also thought if this is how the military really works I'd be a bit depressed about it all. Will be interested to see how The Major, Retired (my BIL) thinks about it.
Child is always a bit wordy for my taste, but I keep reading the series.
Trying to convince my wife we need to camp out by the tracks some night. So far, not even Reacher could persuade her.
I liked it quite a bit. Jackie took the opportunity of the flashback book to read it - her first Reacher - and liked it too.
Jeff
I've only read the first book in the series. Liked it well enough, just never felt compelled to read another.
I've read the first one and liked it okay, always meant to get back to the series, but I haven't yet. I'll probably read this one since it's a flashback. And I'll catch up on the others eventually. Maybe.
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