Excerpts-

• From the cover Chapter 1
  
  The pain hit first, then the sound followed, the way lightning beats thunder in a storm.
  
  The pain was in Jack Reacher’s right wrist. It was sharp and sudden and hot, and it was more than strong enough to eclipse the dull throbbing ache that filled his head. The sound was a single, round, lingering note. Metal on metal. Distinct, but inconsequential next to the ringing in his ears.
  
  The pain and the sound came after he tried to move his arm. That was all Reacher knew. He had been asleep—­no, somewhere deeper and darker than sleep—­and when he floated to the surface he was rocked by waves of dizziness. He was lying on his back. Not in a bed. Not on the ground. On something smooth and artificial. And cold. The chill was seeping through his shirt and into his shoulder blades and down his spine. A sharp ridge was cutting into his calves. His head felt like it was being crushed against the hard surface. So he had drawn his right elbow back, ready to lever himself up. Or he had tried to. And it wasn’t just the discomfort that had stopped him. Something was fastened around his wrist, preventing it from moving more than a couple of inches. Something cinched in tight. It bit into his skin, but that wasn’t what hurt the most. It was one of the bones in his forearm. Maybe more than one. Some kind of major damage had been done beneath the skin. That was clear.
  
  Reacher tried to move his left arm. There was no pain, but that wrist was also restrained by something sharp. So was his left ankle. So was his right. He couldn’t see what he was attached to, or what he was bound with, because there was no light. Not the slightest glimmer. The space he was in was completely dark. There was no noise, now that the metallic clink had died away. And no movement of the air. Reacher had no idea where he was. No idea how he had gotten there. But someone must have brought him. And shackled him. And whoever had done those things was going to rue the day. That was for damn sure.
  
  The same time Reacher was slipping back into oblivion a man was standing at the side of the road, five miles away to the north, watching for smoke or flames. He had used plenty of names over the years but at that moment he was calling himself Ivan Vidic. He was heavyset and a little stooped, which made him look shorter than the six feet two he claimed on his driver’s license, and his bald head was all sharp angles and ridges, like it had been carved from stone by someone without much skill. His car was parked by the second of a set of three switchbacks. It was a notorious spot for accidents. The turns were sharp and close together and poorly lit. The road was separated from a steep drop by a wide shoulder and a rusty safety rail and the camber coming off the apex of the first bend was way out of whack. Something to do with ancient geological deposits deteriorating and undermining the layers of bedrock deep down, way below the surface. Nothing that couldn’t be fixed, given the right amount of money. But money was scarce in those parts so the local Department of Roads and Bridges had just thrown up a couple of warning signs. They didn’t help to keep vehicles from crashing, but the county lawyers said they might keep the department from getting sued in the aftermath.
  
  An SUV had crashed there, a little earlier that day. A Lincoln Navigator. It had left the road, clipped a tree, rolled three times, and come to rest back on its wheels. Its roof was caved in. Its hood was dented. Its doors were bent and twisted and all its windows were starred and opaque. Vidic had watched the accident unfold. He’d had no alternative...

Reviews-

• 

  October 14, 2024
  Lee Child hands the Jack Reacher franchise over to his brother, Andrew, with this solid series entry (following The Secret). Former military policeman Reacher wakes up shackled to a steel table with a broken right arm and no memory of where he is or how he got there. During a visit from one of his captors, Reacher manages to get free. He soon learns he was kidnapped by a gang that’s wrapped up in a complex art forgery scheme. Their motives, as far as Reacher can tell, involve the pursuit of a safe holding $2.2 million, a bag of gold bullion, and something called “the Russian job.” As he tries to stay out of the group’s crosshairs and figure out what, exactly, they want from him, Reacher teams up with a detective named Jenny Knight who has a personal vendetta against one of the gang members. Together, they resolve to bring the whole syndicate down—provided their explosive romantic chemistry doesn’t distract them from the task at hand. Though the plot is too busy by half, Reacher fans old and new will be perfectly satisfied by the familiar bone-crunching and world-saving in this fast-paced adventure. The series is in good hands.
  

• Scott Brick is the voice of ex-military cop Jack Reacher in this 29th installment in the series. Here Reacher is suffering from memory loss following a car accident that killed the driver. He awakens strapped to a table by people who think he's the driver's accomplice. He then becomes embroiled with four thieves, each of whom is trying to outwit and double-cross the others. Brick is all cool and confident charisma as Reacher, maintaining clear thinking while in extreme danger. The criminals supply steady pressure, but Brick's assertive pacing keeps listeners safe in Reacher's corner. Brick's female characterizations are strong and assured--these women play second fiddle to no man. This action-adventure ride is a master class in compelling narration. L.M.G. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

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