• The Affair

  • Jack Reacher, Book 16
  • By: Lee Child
  • Narrated by: Dick Hill
  • Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (7,310 ratings)

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The Affair  By  cover art

The Affair

By: Lee Child
Narrated by: Dick Hill
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Publisher's summary

With Reacher, number-one New York Times best-selling author Lee Child has created “a series that stands in the front rank of modern thrillers” (The Washington Post)

Everything starts somewhere....

For elite military cop Jack Reacher, that somewhere was Carter Crossing, Mississippi, way back in 1997. A lonely railroad track. A crime scene. A coverup.

A young woman is dead, and solid evidence points to a soldier at a nearby military base. But that soldier has powerful friends in Washington.

Reacher is ordered undercover - to find out everything he can, to control the local police, and then to vanish. Reacher is a good soldier. But when he gets to Carter Crossing, he finds layers no one saw coming, and the investigation spins out of control.

Local sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux has a thirst for justice - and an appetite for secrets. Uncertain they can trust one another, Reacher and Deveraux reluctantly join forces. Reacher works to uncover the truth, while others try to bury it forever. The conspiracy threatens to shatter his faith in his mission, and turn him into a man to be feared.

A novel of unrelenting suspense that could only come from the pen of number-one New York Times best-selling author Lee Child, The Affair is the start of the Reacher saga, a thriller that takes Reacher - and his readers - right to the edge... and beyond.

PLEASE NOTE: As a special bonus, this download also includes a recording of the New York Times best-selling e-book exclusive short story "Second Son", read by Dick Hill: At 13, Jack Reacher already knows how to end a fight. He knows that his brain is more important than his brawn. He knows how to get the job done. When his father is transferred to the military base on Okinawa, Jack and his older brother, Joe, prepare for school and consider how to deal with both the neighborhood bully and a missing code book that could cost their father his career.

Take another thrill ride with Jack Reacher.
©2011 Lee Child; 2011 Random House Audio (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Child is a superb craftsman of suspense.” (Entertainment Weekly)

“The truth about Reacher gets better and better.” (Janet Maslin, The New York Times)

“Implausible, irresistible Reacher remains just about the best butt-kicker in thriller-lit.” (Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about The Affair

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

"All Aboard!"

"Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start..." Say you've seen those books over the years, the ones with the little subtitle, "A Jack Reacher Novel", seen they were the 8th in a series, the 12th in a series, and now here comes the 16th, and you've passed them by because who wants to start in the middle? Here is the perfect chance to come on board! With 15 previous novels inspired by this Jack Reacher, you know this has got to be one interesting guy. Why now? Because The Affair is how it all got started (why nomad Jack likes his toothbrush). A brilliant idea by multi award winning author Lee Child; show the reader the etiology of the coffee guzzling, rapier witted, ex-military sleuth as he himself recalls,"I remember the date...the 11th of March 1997..." and thus begins the legend of Jack Reacher as he walks away from the Pentagon. As usual, lots of action, sharp humor, a colorful cast of characters, and a train that speeds through the one-diner town rattling more than the tracks. Dick Hill has been narrating Reacher books for a while and seems to have a great time with this one, particularly some of the scenes involving the train--talk about gusto! Childs has it down to a formula, churning out consistently top rated mystery thrillers, and while it may be predictable--it's never boring to travel along with Reacher. Reacher fans will love this one--newcomers will be jumping on the band wagon--or the train. [Next stop for newbies...#1 in the series, Killing Floor, *Now in movie production: Tom Cruise playing Reacher (some fans are up in arms) #9 in the series, One Shot.]

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164 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Better than previous Reacher adventures

This book takes us back to early in Reacher's career. He's send undercover to a small Mississippi town to investigate an unsolved murder, primarily because the townfolk suspect that someone on the nearby military installation is the culprit. I found this adventure better than the last couple of Reacher adventures and hope future installments are as good or better. The narration was good (as usual). This download has a bonus book which really adds to the value. The bonus book "Second Son" is about a much younger Reacher (just a kid) and his family in Okinawa, Japan. I really enjoyed this short story about one of Reacher's first adventures. If you are a Reacher fan you will enjoy this book.

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43 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great!

Really entertaining… listened to it in two days… couldn’t put it down (or away)…

I especially enjoyed the short story of the Reacher brothers in their teens included at the end.

Dick Hill is Jack Reacher!

Whoever decided to cast Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher in the upcoming movie obviously has not read the series… He does not fit my mental image at all.

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42 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Really, really, really great!

Whew... I read it like I was on the midnight train at 60 mph.... I tried to turn it off, to make the pleasure last, but, could not stop. Was surprised by the almost-graphic sexual content, but thrilled by the perfectly placed metaphor. Some stuff got hazy for me.. I may have lost track of who's who, but in the end, it all made sense. I had not read that there was a bonus book, so at the end, I'm thinking there's another hour .. though I couldn't imagine what else Reacher could do in this story.... I am saving "Second Son" for later... to prolong the ride... The best of all the ones I've read. Now that it's over, how long will be the wait for another "hit." Patricia

PS: Tom Cruise had better have blond hair and extra inches in height and girth. If I see him do his cartoon running with those stupid splayed fingers I might gag. Arnold is too old, but Arnold had the look of a Reacher. Tom, please back out... you'll make lots more money on this movie if you make JR authentic -- and you won't make a fool of yourself.

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32 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

I Love Reacher

I've read all Reacher books at least twice. Thank you Lee Child and Dick Hill for another great Reacher. This book, as well as all others, is done well with enough "who done it" mystery, well thought out with great detective work, and good character building. I think Lee Child is a GREAT writer. Added: Tom Cruise as Reacher is LUDICROUS (and I've said so at Lee Child FB). My vote for movie portrayal of Reacher is Jim Caviezel. If you like Reacher, you should check out the new TV show Person of Interest.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

After 19 Reacher books, I still want more!

Where does The Affair rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

It's as good as the best and better than many.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Reacher, as always, is my favorite super hero.

What about Dick Hill???s performance did you like?

Since I have listened to Dick Hill perform this character through 19 books, I just like everything about his reading. I cannot see anyone else as Reacher.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I tried to do this, but it was too long for that. Anyway, I would have been disappointed if I didn't hae it to look forward to listening to again.

Any additional comments?

Yes, I would like to say that whoever chose Tom Cruise to play Reacher, must not have read the books. Reacher is supper tall, blond and blue eyed and very big. Does this author's description at all resemble Tom Cruise? What a colossal mistake. I hope something prevents Cruise from doing this movie. Only a type such as Dolph Lundgren could possibly be Reacher.

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24 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Ed
  • 10-28-11

Child is trying to appeal to women

There was enough of the usual Jack Reacher in this book to appeal to his fans. But I was a little disturbed at the excessive "romance" included by Child, which I can only assume was a transparent attempt to bring female readers on board. Forgive me for stereotyping but, exceptions aside, that's what we had here. As a prequel, I think Reacher's level of vigilantism in this book was also a bit excessive. Either that or he mellowed as he aged. Criticism aside, I can't get enough of Jack Reacher and I hope Child keeps pumping these books out. I also enjoyed the short story bonus included although the level of expertise exhibited by a 13-year-old Reacher bordered on the unbelievable. But such is fiction and comic book characters. And as usual, for much of the book, Reacher said nothing.

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16 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Premature review?

I am a rabid Reacher fan and was SO looking forward to The Affair. I've still got 3 hours of listening left but so far I'm a little disappointed. It's as though Mr. Child is just phoning it in. I can't quite put my finger on what's missing. It's not the same high quality, edge-of-your-seat story that we've seen in all the previous Reacher books (all of which I've listened to twice). I keep waiting for.... more... but more what, I can't say.

I DO know I wasn't waiting for more sexuality- even as mildly graphic as it was. Where did THAT come from? Did the publisher say "C'mon Lee, you need to sex it up!" I've thought of Reacher as a private guy and now he's describing his sexual events to me. Too much information, Jack! I guess I was expecting a military type affair, (requiring Class A uniform) rather than one conducted (entirely out of uniform) beside the railroad tracks at midnight. (was that a spoiler?) sorry.

The fact that everyone is raising hell with the casting of Cruise as Reacher should tell Mr. Child -and his publishers- that the previous 15 books strongly established Reacher in the readers' minds as the epitome of the strong, silent type ("I said nothing") and we can't easily accept or adjust to radical changes in his physical appearance or personality.

Having said that, I'll listen to the end with the hope that I'll be pleasantly surprised and will have to eat my words.

As for Dick Hill... I'd listen to him read the back of a cereal box. He's simply the best narrator out there, period...and I'd be willing to bet the farm that NO ONE thinks of Tom Cruise when they hear Dick Hill's voice.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Should We Like Reacher?

There are over 400 reviews of the book; this one will touch on what I believe to be a new slant.

Should we really like Jack Reacher? Because in this book, he kills at least four times. One is arguably self-defense when faced with deadly force. But the other three are cold-blooded executions. Two of them he takes pains to conceal, so that his killing will be hidden to forensic evidence. One seems to be spontaneous, but the others are premeditated. I'm not going to give the character names because that would spoil the book (and I hate reviews that give away the book farm).

Yes, there's justification for three of them. The fourth is, in my opinion, questionable because the individual has not taken life but Reacher exacts that penalty anyway. What troubles me most is that in this book more than any other, Reacher is judge, jury, and executioner. He believes he has the facts and the moral justification to take these three lives. Several times the character clearly expresses his own lack of remorse for his conduct. It's applicable to his behavior throughout the series.

I like the books, and have read most of them. But this one makes me question my own taste! Should I really like this character? What does it say about me? What does it say about me if I keep on reading Reacher novels?

Maybe Child will save me from this moral dilemma by making this the last book in the series.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

another stong reacher

I was a little surprised at this being more raunchy and graphic than previous books. But the strong writing that we all love is still in there. Dick Hill is perfection when he does Lee Child books. Well worth the credit!

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