Jack Reacher Will Not Be GONE TOMORROW

The title of Lee Child’s 13th Jack Reacher novel, Gone Tomorrow (out today), is misleading since Reacher ain’t going anywhere any time soon. He’s back, this time in New York City, kicking asses like always and kicking them hard.

Reacher, a former military cop who’s now just a traveling man, finds himself on the subway at 2 a.m. as the story opens. He sees a woman who shows all the outward signs of being a suicide bomber. Reacher approaches her and attempts to diffuse the situation but instead sets off a shocking series of events that escalate faster than the train on tracks.

The web of intrigue ensnares a former Delta Force major now running for the Senate, a pair of Ukrainian women who may not be what they seem, a human resources clerk in the Pentagon and lots of guys in suits who won’t show ID. Reacher becomes both hunter and prey in the urban jungle, trying to stay one step ahead of deadly opponents who match him in fighting and survival skills but whose hearts are pure evil.

I’m a huge fan of all Reacher novels but I particular like the ones written in first person, as this one is. Reacher is so clever and meticulous that it’s fun to be inside his head when he’s figuring out how to get himself out of a bad situation. I never really want a magician to show me his secrets but with Reacher, I think, Aha! I’ll remember that next time two guys come at me while I’m walking down the street.

Actually, I’m more likely to walk away from a fight or talk myself out of a conflict. But when reading the Reacher books, I always want him to put some serious hurt into the bad guys. This is a testament to Child’s writing skills. A protagonist can only be as heroic as the villains are evil, and Child gives Reacher enemies so hideous that only the Reacher brand of justice will satisfy.

Nerd verdict: Grab Tomorrow today