[Review]—Jack Reacher is Back in "No Plan B"

Who knew there were 27 books in the Jack Reacher series? I suppose everyone else in the world but me. I read Killing Floor, the first Jack Reacher book, earlier this year, a few weeks before the Amazon Prime series' adaptation premiered. Midway through, I became completely engrossed. Over the next few months, I acquired the entire series, thanks to secondhand bookstores and thrift shops, with all good intentions of reading them, eventually. I did find time to read another Jack Reacher book, the 27th, and most recent, No Plan B, co-written by Lee and Andrew Child. 

The premise is much the same as in "Killing Floor"—I'm betting that every installment in the series features wanderer Jack Reacher always in the right place at the right moment. In this story, Gerrardsville, Colorado, serves as the setting, where Reacher just so happens to see a lady who is allegedly attempting suicide by crossing in front of a moving bus. At least on the surface, it appeared like she had committed suicide, although Reacher's account conflicts with another witness. According to the eyewitness, the victim crossed in front of a moving bus. However, Reacher says, a guy in a gray sweatshirt and pants pushed the woman to her death before snatching her purse and fleeing the scene of the murder. For the cops, this is a simple case—one with which Reacher strongly disagrees and pursues his own justice.

No Plan B is a book for male readers. Standing at 6 feet 5 inches and weighing 250 pounds, the hero is an irresistible force; attractive ladies flock to him, and the villains are terrified of him. In a sense, the plot is predetermined and follows a well-known narrative that works for roughly three-fourths of the book; then, the story practically runs out of steam. There were times when Reacher seemed out of character by using brutal force to murder the bad guys. 

   

The plot, overall, felt strange, which may have had something to do with the fact that Lee Child collaborated with his younger brother to write this novel or because I am new to the series. Do not misunderstand; the book is entertaining. I got hooked by the third chapter, lost interest in the latter half, and wanted the book to end. There were too many dull side characters and subplots, and no number of gruesome action sequences could compensate for the numerous story gaps. ╌★★★✰✰