The Midnight Line by Lee Child (2017 fiction)
Jack Reacher is a dreamboat character, 6’6” of bone and muscle, unencumbered by family or a job. Doing good. As a war veteran, he is intrigued by a 2005 West Point medal in a Wisconsin pawn shop and begins a search for the owner. ‘Tis a tiny ring, and so a woman, S.R.S. Reacher digs in, unearthing sufficient clues to shed sufficient light. His physical combat prowess is matched only by his skeletal vocabulary. He progresses from a simple question to an ever-deepening swamp of evil. Child introduces characters when necessary, and Reacher solicits and receives information. The background is haunting, convincing in detail, and startling in scope. I was disadvantaged because of my ignorance of U.S. geography, but I accepted vast undeveloped spaces and remote cabins. Opioid addiction, inescapable unrelenting pain and suffering, challenging his resources. I recommend this book for a reading timely in light of today’s VA problems.
Reviewed by Martin Waldron
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