The Affair: A Jack Reacher Novel

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

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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 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.

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This is the 16th book in a series of Jack Reacher novels. It's another awesome volume, adding to the allure of Reacher, giving us deeper knowledge of who he is, why he does things, or not.

The story is told from a looking back perspective to 1997, but quickly turns to "now" feeling, though it's 1997

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in the story. You are transported to March of 1997 quite easily and it's hard to put the book down, it's very engaging.

I particularly like the last paragraph. This is who Reacher is. He is this way, (he just is.) The short story "The Second Son" by Lee Child came out previous to this book, as an e-book only. It's the youngest version of Reacher in print, which fleshes him out more, and with this current novel, it's a complete "prior" of what he is today (well, in books, that is) ... especially if you have also read the short story that is in print (in Fresh Blood 3, for instance where I read it) "James Penney's New Identity" by Lee Child.

I couldn't put the book down until I was finished. It's a one-day read in bed delight for Reacher Creatures.

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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

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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 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.

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Reacher, Reacher, Reacher! It's always a delicious treat to put down all other reading and stay glued to a new Reacher novel. Here he tells of the 1987 events which forced him from his work in the military police, and it's just as much fun as the "current" storyline.

The Affair is the 16th Jack Reacher book, but the first one I've ever read. I enjoyed listening to it. I don't think they are so great I need to read them all but I will be willing to listen or read them if one crosses my path. Reacher almost seemed to be close to Mary Sue levels of invincibility.

A

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woman is found dead with her throat cut in an ally in a little town outside an army base in the late 90's. Jack Reacher is sent in undercover to make sure the local law enforcement isn't going to just blame a soldier and make a stink for the Army. Surprisingly he finds his match in the local Sheriff. She's an ex-marine and is pretty sharp. The more Reacher learns about the case, the more he thinks something stinks, apparently this is the 3rd victim, only the other 2 were from the wrong side of the tracks so didn't cause a stir. It doesn't help that one of the Officers in charge of the company suspected of the crimes happens to be the son of an important US Senator.

There are quite a few twists and turns though none of them caught me completely off guard. As I said it was an enjoyable read and I'm sure I'll read more at some time in the future.

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Now, after reading this prequel book, I know how the Jack Reacher story began. The book is set in 1997 and most of the action takes place in a small town in Mississippi. Reacher (an Army Major who is an MP) is sent on an army secret mission to determine whether or not the killing of a local woman

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in the small town of Carter Crossing was done by a local or by someone from the nearby base. And Reacher finds himself in a real hornet's nest with more than just this one young woman dead. He knows that secrets are being kept and it takes all his skill and training to get to the bottom of it all. And on the way he meets the local Sheriff. With her help and with the help of another Army MP Major, they manage to take care of business in the typical Jack Reacher way. I love Child's laconic and laid back style of writing. He gets a lot said in an economical use of words, and the technique is very effective. No one can build suspense like he can. His Jack Reacher creation is iconic and unforgettable.

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Did not want to put this one down. By far my favorite Reacher among the last few. As usual you don't really know who the good guys are or who are the bad. Don;t know if the military is covering up or who or what is on the level. At the end though you know how Reacher became the Reacher we have read

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for the past several years.

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An excellent fast mystery, surprisingly still as good as the others, even at 16. Some nice references to Blind Blake, even if you couldn't get all his songs on a cassette - even a double CD only cherry picks the repetoire..

If you are a well versed Jack Reacher fan, this book is pivotal to the character.
I was left with very new and mixed emotions of the character.

A great story that brings multiple characters of the series into perspective, this also clearly explains the personality traits of Jack Reacher

This on not one of my favorite Reacher books. I liked the fact that it was first person (I generally seem to prefer the first person Reacher books) and it gave Reacher plenty of opportunities to "be Reacher" (i.e., beat the living daylights out of one or more antagonists). And I liked seeing the

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evolution of Reacher's character into the wanderer that we've read about over the last fifteen books (well, fourteen if you exclude the one novel set back when he was still in the Army). I guess that the problem I had was that The Affair was, in many ways, more of a standard murder mystery. The "who" was essentially given away early in the story. There were also very few characters to inhabit the story around Reacher; most of his interactions were with characters who were never really fleshed out as people. And Reacher was never in any real danger in the story. He was just trying to investigate and clean up a mess, but he wasn't fighting for his own life. Oh, well. I'm still a Lee Child and Reacher fan.

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Not my favorite Reacher But a good read nontheless.

I don't usually read action-packed murder mysteries but this was very compelling. I liked the writers style, subtle humor, attention to detail, short hard hitting sentences, characterizations. My first Lee Child novel, but I will be reading more. Jack Reacher, the protagonist, is a man to be

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reckoned with!

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in 1997 Jack Reacher was a Major in the military police and assigned to Cater Crossing, Mississippi to by undercover and observe the criminal investigation to a girl who was murdered near a U.S. Ranger base. He's ordered to observe and to avoid publicity.

He meets the sheriff, the beautiful

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Elizabeth Devereaux, who is attempting to investigate the murder of a woman in question but also two other women who were black. All three women were beautiful but only the white woman's death stirred up any concern in rural Mississippi.

Devereaux is prevented in running a complete investigation because her power ends at the gate of the military base. Reacher sympathises with her and as they get to know each other, they develop a romantic relationship.

Working together to try to solve the murders, the plot moves swiftly with built in humor as Reacher comes up against a group of local hillbillies.

The pacing is well done as there are moments of tension spaced with the relationship of Reacher and Devereaux. We are also interested at the attempt of the military to white wash the investigation for political purposes with Reacher's refusal to bend to the attempted cover-up.

"The Affair" is another well written novel by Lee Child, a master storyteller.

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This is my first, and probably my last novel by Lee Child unless he has novels that aren't about Jack Reacher. He's almost a cartoon character. He is always right, seems invulnerable, and is formidable that he often faces down 3 or 4 assailents. Four victims of murder and one sheriff are women and

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all are stunningly beautiful, what are the odds? Lee's writing isn't horrible, but neither is it great. He does keep the action going and the suspense up, so that kept me reading until the end, but it doesn't motivate me to try another Jack Reacher novel.

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Mississippi, 1997, elite military cop Jack Reacher and local sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux reluctantly team up to uncover a mystery. A girl dead and all the evidence pointing to one solider who has friends in high places makes this investigation spin out of control. Leaving Reacher desperately

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searching for justice in this Lee Child novel.

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The book group I'm in hops wildly from genre to genre - that's the second-best thing about it, the best being the people - and so we tackle books I would never normally read, like this one.

I was expecting something in the Tom Clancy line, but this was quite a bit better than I expected - even

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though the solution to the murder mystery is telegraphed quite early in the novel, which makes the introduction of a lengthy read herring in its second half rather annoying. Jack Reacher is an engaging character, and the milieu of the novel is well-drawn - although I knocked off half a star for Reacher's readiness to act as executioner as well as judge and jury. He's the human equivalent of a drone strike.

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I don't care much for Child. His writing is mostly crap. But here he gives Reacher's back story and it has some interest. Not entirely convincing about why he leaves the army.

I enjoyed that novel more than some of other recent books from Reacher series. The reason is that as much as like Reacher character, it is becoming more and more difficult to push yourself to believe in any sense of reality regarding Reacher character. This novel avoids this issue since we deal

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with younger Reacher, right before he left the army.

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Probably my least favorite Reacher novel, but it was interesting to see the case that caused him to leave the Army. Some parts of it seemed very unlike the character that we have come to know and love; in other parts you could see the beginning of habits that would appear in later books.

Jack Reacher is true to form. Exciting to the last page!

Really enjoyed seeing Reacher in his military days. Would love to see more like it. I think we all wanted to know why he was not still in the military.

'Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.' (page 137)

I think this was one of the best in the series... or maybe it was because of the lag between the last book of Child's I read and this one that made me appreciate Reacher so much more. There are no other characters quite like him

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out there, and I've been looking. Calm, cool and collected... and doesn't take any guff from anyone.

While it is set chronologically before the rest of the series, I think you should still probably read them in order of publication so you'll have a full appreciation of Reacher.

I don't normally note quotes but some in this book just seem represent the entire Reacher saga: 'Which means you have to hit each of them one time only. Because that's the minimum. You can't hit a guy less than once.' (page 190)

I kinda wish I hadn't read this series yet so I could go read it now and enjoy it all over again for the first time.

Can I explain what the story is about, or why it's so good? Nope... all I can say is that it's typical Reacher written in Child's usual style and the justice-by-toe-of-boot makes me smile.

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Everything starts somewhere. . . .
For elite military cop Jack Reacher, that somewhere was Carter Crossing, Mississippi, way back in 1997. A lonely railroad track. A crime scene. A coverup.
A young woman is dead, and solid evidence points to a soldier at a nearby military base. But that soldier has

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powerful friends in Washington.
Reacher is ordered undercover - to find out everything he can, to control the local police, and then to vanish. Reacher is a good soldier. But when he gets to Carter Crossing, he finds layers no one saw coming, and the investigation spins out of control.
Local sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux has a thirst for justice - and an appetite for secrets. Uncertain they can trust one another, Reacher and Deveraux reluctantly join forces. Reacher works to uncover the truth, while others try to bury it forever. The conspiracy threatens to shatter his faith in his mission, and turn him into a man to be feared.
A novel of unrelenting suspense that could only come from the pen of #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child, The Affair is the start of the Reacher saga, a thriller that takes Reacher - and his readers - right to the edge . . . and beyond.

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Better than the last few, but not yet back at the gripping page-turning heights of the first. Even though this is 16 books into the series, it is perfectly readable as a standalone. As it happens there are references to characters that have appeared in other books (almost for the first time in the

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series!) but there's no particular importance to them, they're just people Reacher knows.

This is set back in '97 when Reacher is still in the Army - a Major in the Military Police. He instructed to go to a small country town near a local base. There have been some disturbing homicide reports and the Army wants to make sure no bad publicity gets out. If it was an Army person then it's to be handled descretely. Reacher's job is not on the base, other MPs are dealing with that, he is to liases with local law enforcement and ensure they're on the ball. The case is particularly delicate because a Senetor's son is one of the captains on the base, and being a bigshot ladies man is one of the prime suspects. Reacher quickly ascertains that the local sherif if a beautiful woman who was ex-marine MP - pretty much his equal. But every woman falls into his arms and within a day they're shagging like bunnies.

All which was quite entertaining. After that it laspses back into the generic Reacher, with some of the faults from the later books. There's too much coincidence - Reacher happening to walk past the Sherif's former town house and discovering incriminating evidence. He was just cutting down a conveninent street, it asks too much of the reader to believ that 1 street in 1000 he picks would be the one with the details in it. Loose ends don't get tidyied up properly, there are no recriminations for shooting people etc etc. I think in the early stories it wasn't so obviously set in in an america where these things matter, more like Modern Wild West, but by now the whole basis of the novels is that they are contemporary. Hence it does matter. Also this is very much told retrospectively - how I got to be where I am today, which takes any of the mortal danger tension out of the equation. Whether it's six street punks coming for him or a bunch of annoyed Rangers (a unit that Reacher seems to have perenial problems with) we know he survives uninjured. One of Lee Child's tricks of the trade is a fairly meticulous detailed descriptions of a few items. When it works it's great this time the details again flow somewhere inbetween, they're slightly jarring whereas in the first books of the series they were seemless. But in the worst they were turgid lumps, and they aren't that bad either.

Gripping aside it was fun, the plot twists were sufficiently devious. You could see how the evidence could be read weither way (is the perpetrator an army man or town one - and who?) but when one piece of evidence pointed one way, the next would lean the other. In the end I was disappointed with violence solves eveything approach - although that is classic Reacher - in that the consequences of violence weren't fully explored.

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