Worth Dying For: A Reacher Novel by Lee Child

Jack Reacher fans: New book alert! My husband brought me a special gift late last week: I had put the new Lee Child book on reserve, and thought I would have a much longer wait. However, once it was in the house, I couldn't wait to start reading it!

This book picks up where the previous book left off (61 Hours), when Jack was stranded in a small town in South Dakota after a bus crash. After his adventures there, he hitches a ride and gets let out in the middle of nowhere in Nebraska. At first, he figures he will get some sleep at the little motel and then hitch a ride in the morning; however, he gets caught up in some local drama when he drives an intoxicated doctor to treat a patient and figures out why the whole small town seems so afraid of the powerful Duncan family. The Duncan family consists of three brothers in their 50s or 60s who own a trucking business and seem to run the whole area. They employ a crew of big, corn fed young men who act as enforcers, and are dubbed the cornhuskers by the locals.

Their handiwork is evident in the bruised faces of the motel owner and doctor, but Jack senses that there is more going on than anyone wants to admit. The Duncans are involved in something dangerous and illegal, but what--drugs? weapons? He isn't sure, but keeps asking questions and discovers that there is also a cold case at the heart of the bullying. A local child went missing 25 yeasrs earlier, and the mother accused the Duncans of kidnapping her, but no evidence was found. The Duncans have targeted her, and anyone who supported her cause.

One of the Duncan brothers has a grown son, Seth, who is married: Seth's hobby seems to be drinking and beating his wife, which Jack doesn't like. So after helping the doctor tend to the young wife's wounds, Jack decides to pay Seth a visit. Naturally, this stirs things up: the Duncans aren't used to having anyone stand up to them.

Jack has to decide if he is going to ride out of town and let the people fend for themselves or stay and help them fight the Duncans. It's a great read, but not one you can put down easily. Lee Child has created such a compelling character in Jack Reacher: he is a former military cop who is tough, solitary, and hypervigilant. His experience serves him well, and he manages to walk away, battered but not beaten.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even if I did wince a time or two at the description of some of the action. The characters, dialogue, and plot twists are excellent, and I recommend it to current and prospective fans of Lee Child alike.

You can find Worth Dying For on the New Fiction Shelf; I had Mike return it tonight, so if you put it on reserve, it could be your turn to read it.

c Waterloo Public Library 2010

Killing Floor by Lee Child

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

I found the first book in the Jack Reacher series, Killing Floor (1997).
It introduces us to Reacher, a former military policeman, who has become a drifter after peace time leads to the military downsizing. Early in the story, he drifts into the wrong town down south--Margrave, Georgia--and within the hour gets arrested for murder. Before long, it becomes clear that this town is no ordinary town: a large foundation appears to be paying bribes to local businesses, for no visible reason. The chief of police and mayor are working with the foundation, and have become corrupt.

Jack gets held in jail in spite of the fact that he has an alibi; however, the police need to time to verify it. He meets another prisoner, who seems terrified of something that he cannot talk about, and who comes to trust Reacher when the two prisoners are transferred to a larger jail. They are processed and put on the wrong floor--and it is only by Jack's experience dealing with tough guys that they survive.

Later, his alibi is confirmed and Reacher is released. He discovers that at least a few of the town cops are clean, and works with them to unravel the murder that happened shortly before his arrival. When the body of the victim turns out to be his older brother Joe, who worked for the Treasury Department in busting counterfeit money schemes, Reacher decides he cannot walk away from this situation. He will finish Joe's investigation and avenge his brother's brutal murder.

Along the way, he gets romantically involved with a female police officer named Roscoe. He makes friends with a pair of elderly African American barbers, who don't appear to have much business. He gets hired by a frantic wife to find her missing husband -- the prisoner Jack had saved earlier, Hubble.

This book has all of the elements that keep my interest, with well developed characters, dialogue, description, and action. Just don't plan on getting all of your chores done on your "To Do" list until you've turned that last page.

You can find Killing Floor in the adult fiction area of the Waterloo Public Library. You might want to check out the author's website for more details on the series.