This debut novel by Lee Child (Jim Grant) is the first book to feature Jack Reacher. It is the story of an ex-military forensic cop, who got off at the small town of Margrave on a whim, and got arrested for a murder. This is the story of his investigation into a brutal murder in this sleepy town, which goes on to unearth an international crime ring.
"Hit early. Hit hard. Kill with the first blow ... The gentlemen who behaved decently ... were already dead".
I really liked the character of Jack Reacher a lot. Part Rambo, part B.A.U. (Criminal Minds!) he was the driving force behind busting wide open the dirty little secret that a perfect little town was nursing. That’s why it was a little disappointing to go through a large chunk in the middle of the book when he didn't really do much. He had such a perfect beginning and powerful ending ... what happened in between?
(I also thought his relationship with Roscoe was utterly unbelievable; a character who, if I may also add, was so forgettable, even after I had finished the novel, I had formed no mental image of her).
Another character who fell by the wayside somewhere in the middle of all the action was Detective Finlay. When Reacher is first brought in and we meet the black person who had to fight against all odds in a small Southern state, I was truly impressed by him. Again, he too got lost somewhere along the line.
That said, I still liked the story a lot. It was a good read, with good action and a plausible mystery: the final reveal was really interesting. Oh, and I also really liked Child's introduction, where he talks about how the book - and especially the character of Jack Reacher - came to be.
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