Copyright 2000 by Lee Child. Published by Berkley, New York.
Yes, another Jack Reacher book. I always expect to be entertained and I am never disappointed.
Some of the Reacher books are set during the time when he is in the army, but most are set post-Army when he is an aimless drifter. This one is in between: he is out of the army, but he has inherited a house and, at least temporarily, has a permanent address. He doesn’t know how to deal with that situation and it won’t last, but for the duration of this book he has both a house and an SUV. His internal conflict with this (to him) unnatural situation is a subplot in this book, but it is pretty obvious that it will be resolved shortly and he will, once again, be shiftless.
He also has a girlfriend and this might be a little more permanent. Jodie appears to be the love of his life. But her life goals conflict deeply with his and, though he clearly cares for her, the attachment will not be sufficient to root him. This subplot resolves itself rather neatly by Jodie becoming a partner in her law firm and being sent to London for 2 years. Problem solved.
So much for the subplots. The main plot centers on a serial killer. Someone is killing women who, while in the army, accused men of sexual harassment or worse. The FBI is on the case and their top profiler has identified the characteristics of the man they are looking for and, wouldn’t you know, his profile looks a lot like Jack Reacher. The first two women, in fact, knew Reacher because he was the investigator assigned to their cases when he as still an MP. The FBI haul Reacher in for questioning. But his status as “prime suspect” is short-lived as a third woman is killed while he is in custody. Rather than just letting him go, however, the FBI decides that he might be a useful addition to the investigative team. Reacher is not interested but is coerced into participating.
The murders themselves are bizarre. The women are all found in bathtubs filled with army-issue green paint. There is no obvious cause of death and no sign of a struggle, no sign of forced entry. The women apparently let the murderer in and then, quietly and without complaint, strip naked, sit in the bathtub filled with paint and just die. Figuring out the “how” and “why” is what makes this story interesting.
Reacher figures it out, of course. And so did I, mostly. I was pretty sure I knew who the killer was halfway through the book, but Child fooled me with some deft misdirection and convinced me that I was wrong. But I wasn’t. But I can’t claim that I figured out the “how” though in retrospect I should have.
This book, more than most of the Reacher books, is a classic whodunit. Like all Reacher books, it is a quick read. I had a hard time putting it down.
8 out of 10. I would have given it a 9 if I hadn’t figured out whodunit halfway through the book.