The Affair - Lee Child

Well, all of you Reacher Creatures* - do you have your copy of Lee Child's latest book - The Affair - yet? It releases today!

I don't bother reading the flyleaf or any pre-pub reviews - I just want to dive in and experience the latest Jack Reacher book (#16)  without any inkling of what's going to happen. So....for those of you who feel the same, you may want to stop right here. But I'll tell you this before you leave - it's good, darn good, really darn good. You definitely won't be disappointed.

For those of you who can't resist a little peek... keep reading. Lee Child takes us back to the beginning of the end of Reacher's military career. Yes, we get to see into Reacher's past and have his back story filled in. How and why did he leave the army? Where and why did he start travelling so light?

"I remember the date, of course. It was Tuesday, the eleventh of March, 1997, and it was the last day I walked into that place as a legal employee of the people who built it."

"There was a lot more to leaving the service than getting a job. There were houses, and cars, and clothes. There were a hundred strange, unknown details, like the customs of a remote foreign tribe, glimpsed only in passing, and never fully understood."

Reacher is sent to Carter Crossing, Mississippi, to be a second pair of eyes for the Army when a local woman is found with her throat slit. Everything points to a Ranger on the elite training base just outside of town. But the deeper Reacher digs, the more dirt he turns up. There's been more than one death and everyone from the Pentagon to the Army and the local sheriff seem to have their own agenda and their own idea of who to blame....

Lee Child has created a character that appeals to all readers, men and women. He's the quintessential hard boiled hero. No backing down, his own set of morals and tough as nails. He has a firm moral compass, carefully delineated lines on what's right and wrong, but has no problem using questionable methods to get to the bottom of things. He's big, strong, smart and....well.... kinda sexy too. We get to see a much more personal side of Reacher in The Affair.

The plot is multi-layered and intricate, keeping me guessing until the end.The dialogue is short, sharp and witty. Really, all I can say is that I absolutely loved it. And, I'm a little in love with Reacher too.

"The sun was out, and the air was warm. There were miles behind me and miles ahead, and plenty of time on the clock. I had no ambitions and very few needs. I would be OK whatever came next." "I picked a road at random, and I put one foot on the curb and one in the traffic lane, and I stuck out my thumb."

And this reader cannot wait to see where Reacher lands next.

Read an excerpt of The Affair. Or listen to an excerpt. You can find Lee Child on Twitter and on Facebook.

* I'm not sure where this phrase originated, but thanks to Jess for passing it on!

***updated - Thanks to Daniel for passing on the following re: the origins of Reacher Creatures.
"Reacher Creatures” was an actual website started over a decade ago by Andrew Poole of Scotland.  It was semi-official, though the official site was LeeChild.com run by webmaven Maggie, but Child would make appearances on the Reacher Creatures site chat room from time to time, as it was the first fan site.  However, funding and competition with a US-based official forum eventually led to the demise of Poole’s original effort, but the term ‘Reacher Creatures’, which he coined, lives on in fandom.  By the way, he runs a movie theatre there. Typing in the address http://www.reachercreatures.com/ sends you to Lee Child's official site as well."***