The Enemy

****.5

I groaned when I started the book and realized that it was a flashback to Reacher's time in the army. Usually when a series gets to this point the author has used up the good ideas, so goes back in time in a desperate attempt to eke out some more content. I needn't have worried. In fact, this was the best of the bunch.

Reacher's first person narration was the perfect fit for this look back to an earlier time in life, which documents his disillusionment with the army and the disintegration of his family. Feeling betrayed and alone and subject to forces outside of his control, we see him shrink inward and surrender to what ultimately culminates in his signature worldview.

Reacher's internal struggles are matched by a taut murder show more mystery, full of investigative twists and turns and intriguing subplots. Some of them are even somewhat plausible, in a shocking departure from the outrageous series of coincidences that have heretofore plagued the series. show less

"The Enemy", the ninth Jack Reacher book, takes us back to January 1990, just after the fall of the Berlin Wall, when Reacher was a Major in the Military Police.

One of the things I enjoyed about the previous book, "The Persuader" was the glimpses it gave me of who Jack Reacher was when he was in the Army. It left me hungry for more. Perhaps it had the same impact on Lee Child because "The Enemy" is set entirely in Reacher's Army past.

"The Enemy" is a sort of "Origins of Wolverine" book. it deepened my understanding of how the Jack Reacher I met in the previous books came to be the way he is.

"The Enemy" explores how the US Army works via an investigation into the death of General. The plot is tight, complex and satisfying, spiced by show more conflicts with an asshole superior officer with an agenda and a larger mystery around a coordinated but unexplained large-scale re-assignment of Special Unit MPs.

I know nothing of the US Army other than what I've seen of their bases in Germany and the UK but I found Child's depiction of it convincing and compelling: the sheer scale of the organization as it was back then, the way bases are the same everywhere in the world, right down to the menus in the Officers' Club, the power of rank, the freedom to work the system, the complete lack of control on where and under whom you will serve.

I enjoyed seeing Reacher outside the US, in Germany (where the US bases make everything seem as close to home as possible) and France in which Reacher, son of a French woman, seems more at home than in North Carolina. I was fascinated to see how Reacher behaved with his older brother, a man who was killed in the first Jack Reacher book, "Killing Floor" and who's ghost was evoked in the sixth book "Without Fail" when Reacher is approached by his brother's ex-girl friend.

Reacher in 1990 seemed less damaged and less lost than the Reacher in the other books. The Army and his family give him stability and a sense of purpose. It becomes clear how the loss of these things would change him for the worse.

But the 1990 Reacher is still recognisable. The things that make him scary are already present: his tendency towards violent confrontation, his inablity to let things go, his habit of using others to achieve his own agenda and his willingness to appoint himself as both judge and executioner. The things that prevent me from writing him off as a psychotic thug are also there: hisdrive to do the right thing, his willingness to take the consequences for his actions and his strong desire to keep the Army the way he thinks it should be.

"The Enemy" is a well-written period criminal investigation novel that would be attractive as a stand-alone novel. The insight's that it brings on Reacher's origins move it up into a compelling read and encourages me to thank that the Reacher novels will continue to get better, which is good news as I still have eleven more to go. show less

The 8th Jack Reacher novel provides an excellent place to jump into the middle of this series. Child takes us back to before Reacher left the Army. In 1990, the Army is preparing for major changes. The Berlin Wall has fallen and it is obvious the USSR is on its way out as an enemy and threatening superpower. The politics between two major groups within the Army, the armoured tank divisions and the infantry divisions, create the backdrop and motivating forces behind a series of murders starting on New Year's Day. The status of gay men in the military adds complications and layers that thwart Reacher's investigations. In finding the killers, Reacher discovers that the worst enemies are often those within your own organization. An show more additional subplot deals with Reacher's family, providing more insight into his personal development. Overall, a great edition to the Reacher series, as well as an excellent military mystery in its own right. show less

The Enemy opens with a heart attack. A two-star general is found dead of an apparent heart attack. Within hours his wife is murdered. Within days two special forces soldiers are murdered, one at a time. At the center of each death is Jack Reacher, a complicated military cop. Ordinarily considered one of the best, suddenly Reacher is starting to look like a suspect instead. Normally a loner, Reacher finds himself working with a partner trying to clear his name. It is obvious he is being set up and Reacher will stop at nothing to get to the truth including going AWOL and much worse. The Enemy is peppered with military jargon and violence but not overwhelmingly so. Reacher has a likable character. He is human enough to do the wrong thing show more from time to time. How he gets out of the trickier situations really makes the story. I was fascinated from start to finish. show less

While this is not my favorite Reacher novel, I can still say that Child is improving as a writer with every outing (this being the eighth). In this installment, we turn back the clock to 1989, when the Berlin Wall had just fallen and Reacher was a military policemen. We see more of his brother Joe and we meet his Parisian mother. There's probably more biographical information on our hero here than in any of the other novels. His year of birth is established as 1960, which makes him no spring chicken in 2011.

If Reacher were Batman, this novel would be an issue of Detective Comics, showcasing him as a sleuth more than as a man of action. The fatal heart attack of a general leads to three murders, and Reacher must solve them all.

I used to show more get peeved when Child (an Englishman) would throw the occasional Brit-ism into Reacher's American milieu. They appear here, too, but now I see them as sort of a game rather than an annoyance. For example, what American uses the slang term "shirtlifter" for a homosexual? No one, that's who.

I'd welcome further forays into Reacher's past. F. Paul Wilson has been doing it too with his action hero Repairman Jack. I'd like to see how Reacher regained the rank of major that he lost in this novel. Keep 'em coming, Mr. Child! show less

've been working my way through the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. Up to this one (Book 8 in the series), the plots dealt with Reacher as a former MP (military policeman) who now serves as sort of a roving vigilante, bumming his way around the U.S. and getting himself into trouble wherever he goes, usually in defense of innocent people. I enjoy the books, but there was starting to be a certain sameness and unironic hyperbole that was starting to wear a bit thin.

How refreshing, then, to get to The Enemy. The book is a prequel of sorts, detailing what happened to Reacher while he was still an MP to sour him on what he thought would be a lifelong Army career. The mystery was as convoluted as any of the others, but Reacher himself was show more quite a bit less godlike, making him a much more interesting protagonist. The bad guys' ultimate motive seemed a bit obscure to me, but probably makes sense to people who pay attention to how the world's militaries have changed since the end of the Cold War. All in all, this book was a strong corrective in a series that was threatening to become a parody of itself. Hopefully that continues going forward. show less

This book is not the latest in Lee Child’s “Jack Reacher” series, but it merits a distinctive look, for reasons I’ll delineate below.

Lee Child books are crime/suspense/thrillers, some of which feature Jack Reacher, “hero, loner, soldier.” Short, clipped sentences describe plots that are not too gory, occasionally a bit obvious, but engaging enough to keep one burning the midnight oil to turn the pages.

The Enemy is an earlier book in the series involving Jack Reacher, who in this “episode” is a 29-year-old Military Police Office, a Major of the 110th Special Unit, newly transferred at the end of 1989 to Fort Bird, North Carolina.

Shortly after he arrives, a 2-star general is found dead in a nearby sleazy motel. Reacher show more picks an attractive woman MP, Lieutenant Summer, to help him solve the string of crimes that are linked to the murder.

This particular book is worth reading for a different reason. The real issue of interest is not the murders per se, but the situation the military was facing as the USSR was disintegrating. Since WWII, the resources and energy of the U.S. military focused on gearing up for a possible confrontation with the Soviet Union. When the Berlin Wall crumbled at the end of 1989, so did the results of an entire 40-some years of military preparation. Suddenly, the traditional enemy was gone, and a host of weaponry, infrastructure, strategies, agendas, and careers were on the brink - no longer of war, but of obsolescence.

The analysis of how much the military was shaped after the war by the perceived threat from the USSR is very thought-provoking. You will glean a lot of knowledge into the current problems faced by the U.S. by the descriptions of the different kinds of tanks in use and what they were good for; the kind of roads necessary to support them; and the costs and personnel involved.

The military and political information is fascinating, but there are some other gems of insight too – like this one when Jack and his brother Joe face the death of their mother:

“'Life,' Joe said. 'What a completely weird thing it is. A person lives sixty years, does all kinds of things, knows all kinds of things, feels all kinds of things, and then it’s over. Like it never happened at all.'

'We’ll always remember her.'

'No, we’ll remember parts of her. The parts she chose to share. The tip of the iceberg. The rest, only she knew about. Therefore the rest already doesn’t exist. As of now.'

We smoked another cigarette each and sat quiet. Then we walked back, slowly, side by side, a little burned out, at some kind of peace."

Evaluation: Even if you don’t like crime/thriller/mysteries, this book contains some fascinating political analysis you aren’t apt to get in such an entertaining format. Thus I recommend this book over others of the Lee Child Jack Reacher series, primarily for the edification it provides about international relations. show less