The Affair

Lee Child has taken a different approach to his series character, Jack Reacher, the former military cop who now wanders about the United States, earning enough money to get by and carrying no luggage except his portable toothbrush. In The Affair, Child tells us how Reacher got to be Reacher, going back in time to his last case while he was still an Army major.

It’s 1997, and the Army is in the midst of covert action in Kosovo, sending Rangers out of the Fort Kelham military base near Carter Crossing, Mississippi on a regular basis. The mission is secret, but the town knows something is going on, because Rangers are in and out of the local bars and stores – indeed, the small town depends on them to keep going. The problem is that show more there’s been a grotesque murder: a woman has had her throat slit, been drained of blood, and then posed in an alley as if she bled out there. Worse, and unknown to Reacher when he’s assigned to the case, she’s not the first.

The Army is concerned that someone on the base committed the murders. It sends an investigator directly to the base to conduct an investigation from the inside, but it also sends Reacher to Carter Crossing under cover, asking him to find out from that perspective just what’s going on. Reacher, who has spent his entire adult life in the Army, has no clothing suitable for an undercover mission. He purchases a shirt, a pair of pants, some underwear – and that famous portable toothbrush – and he’s set to go. Reacher doesn’t buy more than the clothes he wears, leading him to the pattern he observes in all the other books: when a shirt or a pair of pants gets dirty or torn, he simply chucks them and buys new. It’s a lot cheaper than having a wardrobe and a place to keep it, after all.

Once in Mississippi, though, the police chief – a stunningly gorgeous woman who used to be a Marine – makes Reacher for an undercover cop almost the second he sets foot on the streets of Carter Crossing. She all but orders him out of town until he comes up with some information she missed, at which point they become a team in most ways, even though they have opposite purposes: she wants the murderer to be on the Army base and not her problem, while Reacher wants to find that the murderer has no relationship to the Army whatsoever.

The investigation goes forward in the same, smart way most of Reacher’s cases progress, including the random violence that seems a part of his life. And the random violence is followed by some carefully planned violence in which Reacher’s lightning quick reactions save him from an ugly death, more than once. And Reacher has the romance – or, at least, the hot sex – that he seems to find waiting for him wherever he goes.

The origins of superheroes (and Reacher really is a superhero, even if he doesn’t wear tights and a cape) are not always the best tales, but Child has turned out a strong entry in the series with this novel. The reader familiar with Reacher gets the delight of recognition when Reacher does the sort of thing he always does, seeing how this or that habit of his started up. And readers who haven’t encountered Reacher before would find this novel a great place to start. It’s a good story, well told, precisely what a reader hopes to find in a thriller. show less

This is a prequel of sorts. It is the story of Reacher's decision to leave the army and start his cross country wanderings. It takes place in 1997 and in places Reacher seems to be talking directly to the reader which is not a device that I typically like. It is in first person POV.

In general I enjoyed it. There were a few things that I found odd. There are way more sex scenes than in any other Reacher novel. I know Reacher sleeps with a lot of women but they were longer and more fully described than normal. So the book felt a little romancey. Nothing really wrong with that, I just wasn't used to that tone in my Reacher books.

Also, I read a lot of sex scenes written by women so at least it was novel to read one written by a man and show more see how they differ. Also, I didn't really like the woman he was sleeping with. She was the sheriff in the town where the murder took place and she just didn't seem very interested in solving the mystery. In fact she almost got belligerent with Reacher when he reminded her several times that they were supposed to be solving a crime. Plus she made several pure D stupid moves. I know her stupidity and lack of drive were supposed to make her more believable as the bad guy but since she wasn't, then her lackadaisical attitude toward solving the crime and her removing of the mud just showed that she was lazy and not real moral.

As another reviewer said, Child didn't stress how big Reacher was in this one as he usually does and it very well may be because of the whole Tom Cruise debacle.

Still I did enjoy the book. The mystery was interesting and I like the military aspect and would be happy to read an entire series of Reacher novels about his cases while an MP. There were some fisticuffs but I'm not sure there were enough to suit my friend Jane! ;-)

In the end any Reacher is better than no Reacher at all. show less

I was a little perturbed when I found out this year's Reacher novel would be a prequel to the series. Since Killing Floor Lee has evolved Reacher into a one man wrecking ball for truth and justice and hot women. Reacher has essentially become Superman without the need for external underwear and the ability to actually have a broken nose. This doesn't exactly mesh with the Reacher before his evolution.

This aside, Lee has served up another fantastic Reacher tale. The mystery unfolds, the intertwining clues and events are right there for you to pick up on and only implicitly used later - something I like about Lee's writing. In short, this is another fine Reacher novel.

Despite having pre-ordered this book it didn't arrive until quite show more awhile after its release date, something that has annoyed me for several books now (Matt Hilton's Dead Man's Harvest arrived late, Matthew Reilly's Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves still hasn't arrived). It was worth the wait though, as 50 pages in I was reminded why I had pre-ordered The Affair in the first place. I'd hazard a guess and say that next year's releases by my favourite authors are more likely to be received on their release date, straight onto my Kindle, just as soon as Amazon starts selling the new Kindle Touch outside of the US (bastards!). show less

I quite enjoyed this, although at times it seemed a bit more far fetched than other Lee Child books that I have read, such as the executions carried out by Reacher with seemingly no blow back or consequence, a tad unrealistic.

Overall though, it was an entertaining tale and I certainly enjoyed the subtle hints dropped throughout the book that didn't add up to a full picture until the closing scenes when it was all tied together nicely.

I think this is the worst Reacher novel. It is mean-sprited, overly complicated, and wordy. Where the series' strength is in the velicity and inevitability of Reacher triumphing over evil, using deadly force if required, here he becomes a sadistic cold-blooded murderer who is judge, jury, and executioner. By the end of the novel you are left with a bad taste in your mouth, both from the corruption the book decries and Reacher's sociopathic violence. Where in the series' other titles Reacher's violence is cathartic, here is is just revolting. The author deserves credit for witholding the plot denouement until the last pages, but even upon discovering the truth, it is a diluted experience because of overly complex plotting. Maybe Reacher show more and his creator get a pass since this is a prequel, but it doesn't make me look forward to the next iteration as I have done in the past. show less

Well, all of you Reacher Creatures* - do you have your copy of Lee Child's latest book - The Affair - yet? It releases today!

I don't bother reading the flyleaf or any pre-pub reviews - I just want to dive in and experience the latest Jack Reacher book (#16) without any inkling of what's going to happen. So....for those of you who feel the same, you may want to stop right here. But I'll tell you this before you leave - it's good, darn good, really darn good. You definitely won't be disappointed.

For those of you who can't resist a little peek... keep reading. Lee Child takes us back to the beginning of the end of Reacher's military career. Yes, we get to see into Reacher's past and have his back story filled in. How and why did he leave show more the army? Where and why did he start travelling so light?

"I remember the date, of course. It was Tuesday, the eleventh of March, 1997, and it was the last day I walked into that place as a legal employee of the people who built it."

"There was a lot more to leaving the service than getting a job. There were houses, and cars, and clothes. There were a hundred strange, unknown details, like the customs of a remote foreign tribe, glimpsed only in passing, and never fully understood."

Reacher is sent to Carter Crossing, Mississippi, to be a second pair of eyes for the Army when a local woman is found with her throat slit. Everything points to a Ranger on the elite training base just outside of town. But the deeper Reacher digs, the more dirt he turns up. There's been more than one death and everyone from the Pentagon to the Army and the local sheriff seem to have their own agenda and their own idea of who to blame....

Lee Child has created a character that appeals to all readers, men and women. He's the quintessential hard boiled hero. No backing down, his own set of morals and tough as nails. He has a firm moral compass, carefully delineated lines on what's right and wrong, but has no problem using questionable methods to get to the bottom of things. He's big, strong, smart and....well.... kinda sexy too. We get to see a much more personal side of Reacher in The Affair.

The plot is multi-layered and intricate, keeping me guessing until the end.The dialogue is short, sharp and witty. Really, all I can say is that I absolutely loved it. And, I'm a little in love with Reacher too.

"The sun was out, and the air was warm. There were miles behind me and miles ahead, and plenty of time on the clock. I had no ambitions and very few needs. I would be OK whatever came next." "I picked a road at random, and I put one foot on the curb and one in the trafic lane, and I stuck out my thumb."

And this reader cannot wait to see where Reacher lands next.

* I'm not sure where this phrase originated, but thanks to Jess for passing it on! show less

I am really disappointed with this installment of the Jack Reacher series. Reacher is one of my favorite characters, and I'm used to him defending someone who needs protection, kicking butt and solving a mystery. There was no real mystery here and I was appalled at how easily he killed people.

The book didn't paint a good picture of the army. ******SPOILER ALERT******* Even the honest soldiers like Reacher and his chain of command were willing to either go along with a cover up or kill the bad apples that created the need for the cover up with no emotional reaction or thought to other options. ****END OF SPOILER****

Felt like Child wrote in a lot of sex to make up for the lack of story. And how could/why would Reacher sleep with someone show more he suspected was a murderer while he was still investigating? I hope Reacher is back to his old self in the next book and the story is back on point. show less