March 1997. A woman has her throat cut behind a bar in Carter Crossing, Mississippi. Just down the road is a big army base.Is the murderer a local guy - or is he a soldier?Jack Reacher, still a major in the military police, is sent in undercover.
The county sheriff is a former U.S. Marine - and a stunningly beautiful woman. Her investigation is going nowhere. Is the Pentagon stonewalling her? Or doesn't she really want to find the killer?
The adrenaline-pumping, high-voltage action in The Affair is set just six months before the opening of Killing Floor, and it marks a turning point in Reacher's career. If he does what the army wants, will he be able to live with himself? And if he doesn't, will the army be able to live with him? Is this his last case in uniform?
©2011 Lee Child (P)2011 Random House Audio
"Not so good"
I have listened to around 3 lee child books. This one is my least favorite of all of them. I like the reacher character a lot, so I kept returning to lee child books thinking that it would be worth my time. I gave 3 stars only because I completed it. If you never any reacher novel before then start with "one shot". If you want something better than "One Shot" this one is certainly not for you
"My 14th Jack Reacher novel & I rate it in my Top 5"
It was nice to go back in time to Reacher's final days in the Army and the story being told in the 1st person was interesting.The opening is a little bit too descriptive for my liking but the pace picks up quickly and ~12 hoursof listening passed in a flash. The last 90 minutes had me absolutely hooked. I also really enjoy Jeff Harding as narrator ... my favourite by far.
Because this particular book is told in the first person there can really only be one favourite character .. .Reacher himself. Otherwise, I always love it when Neagley pops up in the story line and her bit part in this novel doesn't disappoint.
Jeff Harding knows when and how to pause. He is articulate and I like that his volume is pretty much normalised throughout ... no whispering or yelling. He easily communicates a faster pace when necessary and I love that I can't really hear him breathing. His voice reminds me very much of Jack Nicholson but with absolute clarity.
My tag line for a movie of this book would be "Apple from the tree" as in "The apple does not fall far from the tree" or to quote Friedrich Nietzscheas "What was silent in the father speaks in the son, and often I found in the son the unveiled secret of the father."
Great book. Great listen.
"Another great Jack Reacher novel"
Great story, and good to hear a story from Jack Reacher's background in the army
He's a excellent narrator, does an amazing job of all of the different voices. You can tell who the character is just from the way he speaks for them. Even does women's voices well.
Definitely. Trouble was, sleep got in the way, so couldn't listen to it all in one go.
The Jack Reacher series is awesome, and this is as good all as the others I have listened to. If you like Reacher, you will like this one.
Spoken in the first person, as if narrated by Reacher, which was a nice change from the normal third person style, helps you to get a good feel for him.
"Riveting reading when commuting daily"
Suspense gripped me from the first line when the scene is set for the eventual confrontation between Reacher and Colonel Franklin. What also kept the read enjoyable was that the suspect seemed obvious until everything is brought to light in an enthralling climax.
Lee Child's The Visitor because the perpetrator worked for the FBI, an arm of state security, as Colonel Franklin worked for the military in The Affair. .
Jeff Harding, being american, brings strength to the Reacher character and makes him believably american even though Reacher grew up on different army bases all around the world.
The deep social divide between rich and poor and perception of justice in communities on either side of the tracks moved me throughout the story.
The gruesome way the women were murdered in the story may outrage sensitive listeners, but the message is that power hunger can be very cruel and must be seen in that context. The passion scenes only spice up the story and nothing more as there is clearly no future commitment.