Whenever a Reacher book ends with him standing on the roadside sticking his thumb I feel sad and bereft.Anyway, I was happy to find that this is one of the better books in the series. The last two or three had been quite disappointing. 4 stars.

On page one of this newest Jack Reacher, Child does two things so subtly you don't even realize their implications both within and outside of the series: First, he tells us, in no uncertain terms, that Reacher is "...more than six feet five...heavily built... not particularly good looking." Thus reminding us that he is NOT a very pretty dwarf despite what you may have seen in the cinema.Second; he sets in motion what APPEARS will be the starting off point of the next several books by having Jack the lad start to hitchhike across America,starting from Maine and, eventually, ending in San Diego CaliforniaOne guesses the hitch-hike premise will be used for a while based on the fact that, in this "first" episode he gets not much further than Laconia, NEW HAMPSHIRE!But, since he also gets into one of the best Reachers EVER, one can forgive his lack of forward momentum.Some of Child's best characters and a real sense of emotional truth and some truly hilarious (albeit, possibly for specialized knowledge and tastes) fun, make this a book that has REACHES new heightsIndeed, if you can accept the premise that, in this day and age ANYONE would stop for ANY hitch hiker (let alone one who looks nothing like a certain former Jerry McGuire) this is a very promising opening to later adventuresGene Barry would be proud!

I’ve read them all and this one seems to be written by someone else. By far the worst Reacher book.

I have been a big fan of almost all the reacher books ( I remember at least one other clunker) but this one seemed to be a bunch of scenes you would expect to find Reacher in loosely strung together to make a book for sale. Maybe its time for Jack to retire.

I do not read Jack Reacher novels consistently, but I have always enjoyed them. I am not as invested in the character either. So presented with a novel where Jack learns his past was not something I "had" to get my hands on. With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Imaginative plot, fast pace read-it never slowed down. I enjoy well written thrillers and this was no exception. I read this 380 page book in one day.Highly recommend!