Tripwire (Jack Reacher, Book 3)

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Reacher wins a final fight. He says “You’re not Victor Hobie. You’re Carl Allen.” Reacher beats & kills Carl Allen. A notable example was when he permitted himself to be captured without a fight by the bad guys as they also abducted a blond FBI agent - reason being that if they'd started shooting on that busy Chicago street others might be shot. (view spoiler) One of the joys of reading fiction is discovering new characters and one of the even greater joys is finding a character who steals the show. In film parlance, this is usually a supporting actor or actress but can even be a scene stealing bit player with only a few lines. Estelle Reiner in When Harry Met Sally did just that when she famously stated, “I’ll have what she’s having.” Supporting actor Christian Bale took over “The Fighter” and I actually had to look up the star of that film – Mark Wahlberg – because Bale’s performance was all I could remember. Likewise, Joe Pesci’s performance stands out in Goodfellas, more so than De Niro or Ray Liotta. And I cannot forget John Goodman’s portrayal of Walter Sobchak in The Big Lebowski, nor the actor who won the Academy that same year in the best supporting actor category for his role in Good Will Hunting – Robin Williams. But that said the book itself takes off and the plot is an excellent one. This one (in spite of the logic straining Reacher details) is a great read. I can and do recommend it. You get some multilayered thinking here and we leave a lot of the somewhat formulaic plotting that showed up in the last book in the series behind. Reacher and his "achingly beautiful" co-protagonist have a mystery to solve, a puzzle to unravel and a wrong to right. Under his new identity, Allen amasses a fortune as an illicit "moneylender", before establishing himself as a legitimate businessman who offers high-interest loans to financially troubled firms unable to borrow from banks. However, his real objective is to seize control of their assets, using threats and torture to force his clients to agree to his terms. Despite being aware that Reacher's investigation could expose his crimes, Allen decides to complete one final job: the takeover of a bankrupt multimillion-dollar company owned by Chester and Marilyn Stone. Allen and his men take the couple hostage, but Marilyn is able to stall them before her husband signs over his company.

Well, let's look at an example. Reacher has been in Florida when he's drawn into the "mystery" (no spoilers, sorry). He's been making a living hand digging swimming pools. Once he's drawn The prologue describes Victor Truman "Hook" Hobie's carefully planned escape route in the event of somebody discovering his "really big, well-guarded secret". His "early-warning system" consists of geographically-located "tripwires" that will warn him that he has been discovered. The first is eleven thousand miles from his home in the United States and the second is six thousand miles out. His response to their activation would be to tie up loose ends, cash in, transfer his assets, and disappear without trace. Over thirty years of quiet success have made him feel somewhat secure. But he did not expect both alerts to arrive on the same day.This isn't a review, because I just started reading this book, but I couldn't help sharing my irritation. Flash forward a decade-and-a-half. Garber has died and Jodie is now a stunningly perfect 29 year old attorney who has gotten Reacher mixed up in the mess about which the novel is concerned. The second thing that seemed to define this book was Reacher not having full confidence about everything. He seems more human in this and at the same time even more awesome than regular humans. It looks like he's wrong about a lot of things and he still keeps at it, like a sledgehammer.

Mere beauty does not trip Reacher's trigger. He tips waitresses. He sleeps with women who could drop you in a firefight.Well, let's look at an example. Reacher has been in Florida when he's drawn into the "mystery" (no spoilers, sorry). He's been making a living hand digging swimming pools. Once he's drawn into said mystery however events demand he leave, at once. I totally don't buy that Reacher would tell a total stranger so much private personal info over Jodie's cellphone. He also has disdain for most law-enforcement personnel - not just officers - mostly because they are ruining his day. Exceptions are those he needs and teams with. The kidnapped lady FBI agent is one. Others include the various clerical experts who can tweak databases, call in favors, cajole other police/military clerks, and generally do what it takes to get Reacher his information. The bullet wound that Reacher received is mentioned a few times in other Lee Child novels. Most of the women that Reacher sleeps with notice the "crater" and usually place their pinkie there while asking how it happened. In One Shot Reacher sums up the story by saying it was a wound received by a "Mad Man" and that most women are curious about it except for the one whom he was saving at the time. This book is escapist fiction at its very best! The action, mystery, suspense and twists would keep you hooked. There are other sub-plots which are equally entertaining to a thriller lover. You just need to - borrowing the clichéd phrase- suspend your disbelief, that’s all.