Tripwire by Lee Child

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

Tripwire (1999)by Lee Child is the third book in the Jack Reacher series. When his funds start running low, Jack Reacher finds a temporary job in Florida: by day he's digging pools, and by night he's a bouncer at a local strip club. However, when a private detective starts asking around for him, and then gets killed, Reacher decides he needs to find out who sent the detective and why someone would kill him. His search takes him to a wake in New York state, where the daughter of one of his former military mentors asks for his help.

Once a shy, awkward teenager, Jodie has grown up into a confident, accomplished lawyer. After her father's recent death from cancer, Jodie hired the detective to find Jack. Reacher soon finds himself caught up in completing the task his mentor had been working on before his death--trying to help an old couple still grieving for their son lost in the jungles of Viet Nam. However, the closer he and Jodie get to unraveling what happened to young Victor Hobie, the closer they get to exposing a dangerous man. Early on, several men try to kidnap them. However, it is their boss who is behind the death of the detective--and others. He is a man who seems devoid of emotion, morality, or conscience; he is also a man who has made his fortune off of the stupidity and greed of others.

This is another wonderful read. Beyond telling an interesting story, it gives some insights into the plight of those families still affected by the war in Viet Nam--as well as by the work being done to recover and identify the bodies of soldiers lost in war time.

You can find Tripwire 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.