The Affair

Jack Reacher, Book 16

By: Lee Child

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins

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)

Definitely not Lee Child's best

I've read several of Lee Child's books, and he's my husband's absolute favorite author and character. This book is pretty boring, and definitely not Lee Child's best.

Interesting story but abruptly ended!

This was another good Jack Reacher story, but I felt like the author suddenly had to stop writing and move on to something else. The ending reminded me of hitting a wall - and left me hanging with unanswered questions. Not the usual wrap up of all the loose ends I've come to expect from Lee Child's writings. All in all, though, it did make my commute less stressful while listening to this audiobook.

Thought I had it figured out early on but....

Enjoyed listening, good story but took time getting started. The narrator sounded older which was odd to me as the protagonist was supposed to 36 years old. Once the story started, it continued at a fast pace. The ending, although I thought I had it figured out, happened in a startling way. For a 16 hour book, that took a few chapters to get into, it ended too quickly!

Good story

Good story, but slightly predictable ending. Overall I am very pleased with the story, just not over the moon about it.

Great Plot switch

Love the book. For a moment I thought Jack was losing his skills but nope, he does it again. This book tells of one of the stories when Reacher was still in the military. It was a very nice change. Also the story story “Second Son” is good too.

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.

Already a Jack Reacher Fan?

I would guess that most people reading this book are already fans of the Jack Reacher series. I'm going to break this review into to portions however; one for new readers and one for old fans.

FOR NEW READERS OF THE SERIES:
First of all, if you're new, don't start with this book - this is a full series of books, and while each can be an enjoyable stand alone book, it's better when read in order. The first book is "The Killing Floor" and I recommend you start there.

FOR EXISTING FANS:
This story is textbook Reacher. It's a flashback, with the events in it taking place just PRIOR to the events that take place in the very first of the series, The Killing Floor. This book gives insight into how and why Reacher found himself where he did in the first book of the series, and what events lead him to leaving the military.

This book as all the good and bad of any Reacher novel. As always, I am a little taken aback about his easy use of violence, all the way up to killing people; but that's who the character is; if you're not comfortable with that, this wasn't the series for you anyway. It's got the same good tempo as the other books and it left me guessing until the end about who the good guys and bad guys were, which is always fun.

All in all, if you haven't started the series yet, don't start here, and if you DO start, understand these books have a level of violence to them. If you already love the series, I think you'll be pleased and enjoy another visit with our vigilante drifter.

The Affair

Enjoyed this new book from Lee Child. I had been wishing he would write more about when Reacher was in the Army, Child must have heard my wish. This book is the final days of Reachers army career. I noted the information about the post card from his brother Jo that was from another book. Dick Hill is Jack Reacher! I think that Sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux would make an excellent new series for Lee Child. The short story The Second Son would make a good book hope Child writes more about Reacher as a boy.

A bit Windy

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Shorten the sex scenes. The first one was interminable. At a certain point, I hit +30 until it and the subsequent ones ended. Yeah, yeah, it was nice that Reacher got laid, but let's leave sex out in the future. Lee Child was also a bit long-winded in his description, and seemed to go on for minutes (or pages if I was reading a book) about nothing. I felt like he promised x number of words, but fell short and had to pad.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Surprising and typical. Reacher wins in the end.

Have you listened to any of Dick Hill’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I am a huge Dick Hill fan. In this book, he seemed a bit flamboyant--probably because he had to read a lot of extraneous words...

Do you think The Affair needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No

You will Love Jack Reacher!

Jack Reacher is a cool dude! I enjoyed this story. Many twists , mysteries and turns. It was extremely unpredictable.