Review: Persuader

Jack Reacher returns. The former MP, now drifting through the US as a kind of lone eagle one man justice machine is in Boston, when he encounters a face from his military past. He thought the man, Quinn, was dead. And he knows if he is still alive he is involved in nefarious actions of some kind.

Hoping for another chance to track Quinn down, Reacher requests an old friend still in the military police for information on Quinn's license plates. In just a few days, undercover FBI agents show up at Reacher's hotel room, wanting to know more about Reacher's curiosity about Quinn, and enlisting his help in an ongoing investigation.

Reacher's role as a loner enables him to gain entry to an isolated house on the coast of Maine, where one of Quinn's associates is smuggling items into and out of the US, using an oriental rug business as a cover operation. What is being smuggled, why and how is part of the mystery here. In addition, the unfolding truth reminds Reacher of the first time he hoped to bring Quinn to justice, and the story jumps back and forth in time as Reacher recalls the first incident.

As usual, Child creates a whole community from scratch, since Reacher always acts alone, and no continuing characters carry over from one book to the next. Here there are assorted bad guys, dispatched to their eternal rewards at varying intervals, the family residing in the coastal mansion, their domestic servants, and the FBI group. The latter is working "off the books," unable and unwilling to call for more law enforcement assistance.

Persuader gets off to an engrossing start, and I was intrigued with the setting and the puzzle presented to Reacher this time. But unfortunately the intrigue didn't hold, and as the story unfolded I felt things dragged a little.

Lee Child is one of my "don't miss" authors, and I'm looking forward to Reacher's next adventure.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Woodstock - RAM

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.

Book Review: Persuader

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.