The Secret

A Jack Reacher Novel

By: Lee Child, Andrew Child

Narrated by: Scott Brick

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A string of mysterious deaths. A long-classified mission. A young MP with nothing to lose.

1992. All across the United States respectable, upstanding citizens are showing up dead. These deaths could be accidents, and they don’t appear to be connected—until a fatal fall from a high-floor window attracts some unexpected attention.

That attention comes from the secretary of defense. All of a sudden he wants an interagency task force to investigate. And he wants Jack Reacher as the army’s representative. If Reacher gets a result, great. If not, he’s a convenient fall guy.

But office politics isn’t Reacher’s thing. Three questions quickly emerge: Who’s with him, who’s against him, and will the justice he dispenses be the official kind . . . or his own kind?

Critic reviews

Praise for the Jack Reacher series

“The truth about Reacher gets better and better. . . . This series [is] utterly addictive.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“Jack Reacher is today’s James Bond, a thriller hero we can’t get enough of. I read every one as soon as it appears.”—Ken Follett

“Reacher is the stuff of myth. . . . One of this century’s most original, tantalizing pop-fiction heroes.”—The Washington Post

“I’m a fan.”—James Patterson

“The Reacher novels are easily the best thriller series going.”—NPR

“Reacher is a man for whom the phrase moral compass was invented: His code determines his direction. . . . You need Jack Reacher.”—The Atlantic

“I pick up Jack Reacher when I’m in the mood for someone big to solve my problems.”—Patricia Cornwell

“[A] feverishly thrilling series . . . You can always count on furious action.”—Miami Herald

NOT WORTH YOUR TIME

Without Scott Brick’s excellent narration, I would not have listened to this entire audiobook. Andrew Child (although I’m sure he’s a really nice person) does not have the writing skills of his brother, Lee, and it really shows in this book: a group of highly trained officers tasked with arresting a female suspect were portrayed like the Keystone Kops (without the humor and with less common sense), and two females suspects were written as near demigods. Not worth the time and money.

Who wrote this?

This was the oddest Jack Reacher book ever. I didn’t even recognize the character. I wadted a credit.

Disappointing

Big Reacher fan.
Not up to standard of previous novels. Narrator very good.
Story, unremarkable

Too predictable

Jack Reacher is my superhero. And his performance is as espected in this novel.
It starts off with a story where the younger MP Reacher figurens brilliantly out how and why weapens are tampeted with. When that issue is out of the way, he is reassigned to a tasksforce with other agencies, trying to stop the killings of retired scientist.
When reading a Jack Reacher novel, you have expectations. Typically Reacher will have to face a formidable enemy to hjelp and protect someone weaker. This novel has the elements, but the story seems too predictable. It is ok, but just that.
Hopefully Reacher will be back in present time and on a bus somewhere in the next novel.

Great book

The brothers make a good team. I like that the story is set back in Reacher’s military days. His lonely, isolated days on the road as a do-gooder tramp were too isolated and kind of depressing. This is much more interesting.