• 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 (7,309 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
Overall
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Worst Reacher Novel

I have been a big fan of Jack Reacher novels, but this one really let me down. It reminds me of the moment I stopped reading Tom Clancy and Patricia Cornwall and the horrible disappointment of Star Wars after the first three episodes came out. It seems as if Lee Child has started writing for the movies and the 15-19-yr-old male demographic with gratuitous murders and sex. This Jack Reacher has lost his moral compass,

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

Best Reacher story in a while

If you could sum up The Affair in three words, what would they be?

Jack Reacher Begins

Seriously, that's it. This story begins when Reacher is still in the Army. It's his last MP investigation.

What other book might you compare The Affair to and why?

This is the strongest Reacher story in a few years. I enjoyed 61 Hours, but some of the others have been weak.

This story is tighter & has better characters than any other recent Reacher stories. The locale - a single small town in the South - almost plays a central character here. The small town sheriff who Reacher defends is wonderful as well.

Any additional comments?

Can't wait for the next Reacher book to come out!!

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Very Disappointing

I have enjoyed several Jack Reacher books. He's totally implausible to real life, but a fun character for reading. But this may very well be my last Reacher read.

First, I hate when authors perpetuate negative stereotypes about any state or region. His 1997 description of Mississippi might have been accurate in 1957 or 1967, but not 1997. It was unnecessarily demeaning. Example: describing a man as "the result of four generations of eating squirrels". That is not only an obnoxious description, it's just plain stupid. If an author describes one place like this, then I don't trust any of his descriptions.

Second, I also hate when authors feel the need to live out their sexual fantasies in the middle of a good novel. His train sex scenes were little more than bad porno. Way too graphic and way too long.

But if you don't mind either of those flaws, it's a good story.

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

I Hope Reacher Lives Forever

Book 16 and I will leave my generic Reacher review. Every man wants to be like him and every woman wants to love him. The bad guys (the few still alive) fear him. Bigger than big and larger than life, Jack Reacher is always a 4-star or better read.

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

Mostly solving a mystery.

It’s fun because it’s Reacher. My favorite Reacher stories are the thrillers where the reader is in the bad guy’s head. I like seeing the bad guy’s motivations, plans and action to get Reacher. This book is not a thriller. We’re not in the head of any bad guy, but that’s ok. This is mystery, suspense, and some action. It’s enjoyable and entertaining because it’s Reacher. I like being in his world. Again, as with all the Reacher stories you need to suspend disbelief. Don’t try to hold him to technicalities. I will admit there were a few things about the plot that were not developed or explained well, but they were minor. This is my comic book hero escape.

One of the fun things I like about Reacher is how he confronts people and does not avoid conflict, which is so opposite of me. I like to avoid confrontation whenever possible. In this story, three army rangers are assigned to “sort of” arrest Reacher for a few hours. My reaction would be to sneak around and hope they don’t find me. What does Reacher do? He calls them on the phone and says I’m in the diner, here’s how I suggest you approach the diner to get me, but I’m not going with you.

Early in the story, Reacher’s boss orders him to investigate the case from the civilian side. I was chuckling at Reacher’s comment “You want ME to impersonate a CIVILIAN?” Apparently he had never done this before. Then I was chuckling on the subject of Reacher’s toothbrush. (We hear about this toothbrush in every book.) He needs to purchase traveling supplies, so he goes shopping for a toothbrush. He really likes this folding covered toothbrush and buys it. Later in the story, his boss tells Reacher not to go back to Mississippi. Reacher says I need to go back for my personal property. His boss asks what did you leave there? Reacher said my toothbrush. His boss said forget it. Reacher asked will the army reimburse me for it? His boss said no. Reacher said then I need to go back and get it... I then thought of another scene from one of the other books. Some bad guys trashed Reacher’s motel room and stepped on his toothbrush. Reacher walks in and isn’t bothered by the destruction until he sees his broken toothbrush, “b****rds he yells.

SEX SCENES:
I was laughing out loud at the sex scenes (in a good way - I’m not being critical). This book has more sex than any of the other Reacher books. It had six sex scenes. I’ve read a lot of romance with sex scenes written by female authors. They are sensual and passionate and designed to turn on a female reader. The Reacher sex scenes are not. They are written by a man and told from Reacher’s perspective. And they fit Reacher. There is nothing wrong with them. I just find it funny the way they are geared to a guy - not written to appeal to a female. I liked it for the humor. It fits.

SECOND STORY 4 ½ stars:
To my surprise a second story by Lee Child was at the end of this audiobook. It was a short story, 1 ½ hours long. It was titled “Second Son.” It’s about Reacher when he was 13 years old. His brother Joe was 15. They had just moved with their parents to a marine base in Okinawa (I think). There is a local bully and a couple of thefts. Reacher fights the bullies and solves the mysteries. It was good.

TOM CRUISE DISASTER:
If you haven’t heard, Tom will be playing Reacher in the first Reacher movie. He’s tiny. HE’S A LITTLE GUY. There are billions of people in this world. You'd think at least one exists who’s the right size and can act. Stallone was an unknown when he did the first Rocky, and it turned out great! Please movie people, show some Reacher integrity. You’re just going to turn this into another copy of all the other action movies out there. Reacher is different. Let him stay that way.

NOTE TO AUTHOR:
Someone suggested that you are changing things to better fit Tom Cruise and the movies. That reviewer said there was less talk of Reacher’s large size in this book and more sex. My request: please don’t change for the movies. Keep writing for us “readers.” One of the fun things about Reacher is hearing you say things like “250 pounds of power behind his ham-sized fist.”

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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The affair

I believe this is the best book in the Reacher series. Mr. Child has really grown throught the years and that is a very good thing. I can't wait for more in the Jack Reacher series.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

So sorry to have made this my first audio choice

As a Jack Reacher fan, I was excited to download and listen to "the Affair" while walking my dogs.... but the reader did such an annoying job of trying to be all the characters, with fake accents and high timbered voices, that I wished he had just READ the book! I kept losing interest because of the sometimes overdone, sometimes missing accents... BUT the Second Son was much better (not so many women's voices) and I thoroughly enjoyed that story.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Characters. Thoroughly Enjoyed

This book started off slow. After the first chapter I had my doubts – but my opinion changed as the story and the characters developed. This was my first audio book. It was a great way to spend a long drive. When we got home my wife and I couldn’t wait to listen to how it ended. A good read ….. or should I say “listen”.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Performance

I found Dick Hill's nasal, whining portrayal of the women's voices so annoying that I had to finish this book by reading it. I will never buy another audio book that he has narrated.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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