The Secret: Jack Reacher, Book 28

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In addition, I thought the mysteries’ solutions were revealed much too early and that other aspects were very predictable. 75% of the way through, I felt like I had the novel figured out. Nothing after that surprised me (not that anything in the first 75% was all that surprising, either). Keith Bridgeman was alone in his room when he closed his eyes. The morning medical rounds were over. Lunch had been delivered and eaten and cleared away. Other people’s visitors had clattered along the corridor in search of relatives and friends. A janitor had swept and mopped and hauled off the day’s trash. And finally a little peace had descended on the ward. Once he understands the rules of this forced assignment, Reacher decides its time to find a connection between the victims and who’s hunting them down, as well as rallying his fellow task force members to figure out why this is all happening. And to make matters worse, Reacher is getting the sense that someone in the government above their level is somehow involved and hiding key information… Information that could get them killed… There is a very short book trailer for The Secret by Random House which you can watch on YouTube here.

The woman said, ‘Bonus question. What happens tomorrow? Or the next day? Is the driver drunk? Do his brakes fail?’ Bridgeman’s heart was no longer racing. Now it felt like it was full of sludge. Like it didn’t have the strength to force his blood into his arteries. He couldn’t answer. It would mean breaking his oath. He had sworn to never reveal a single detail. They all had, twenty-three years before, when it became clear what they had done. And the missing name belonged to the flakiest of the group. Better for everyone if it remained off the list.No information. I’m going to tell her about my recovery. That’s all. I will never talk about December ’69. Why we were there. What we were doing. What happened. Not to anyone. I swore I wouldn’t and I keep my word. My wife never even knew.’

I recently came upon a quote which definitely pertains to my relationship with Reacher stories — I read a Reacher book in a day and then wait a year for the sequel. I suppose I could try drawing out the reading experience but Reacher adventures demand to be inhaled at top speed.Another area of strengthening was the overall plotting. The mystery was multi-layered and the various pieces were revealed throughout the book at different point along the way, providing more tension and surprise along the way. Although I have to say that I figured out the last big reveal at the end, which means a lot of other readers will most likely have done the same. Toothbrush mentions = 1. Reacher notices his hotel room has been searched because his toothbrush is not standing exactly on the vertical in the bathroom drinking glass. Reacher may be an exceptional soldier, but sweeping other people's secrets under the carpet isn't part of his skill set. As he races to discover the link between these victims, and who killed them, he must navigate around the ulterior motives of his new 'partners'. And all while moving into the sight line of some of the most dangerous people he has ever encountered. The purpose of the task force is to find out who is killing a group of ex-military scientists who are retired from service for years and appear to have nothing in common. However, they are showing up dead in what appears to be strange and unique accidents that raise questions. Overall, it felt like to me that “The Secret” showed that Andrew Child is continuing to get better in his writing of Reacher. His understanding of what works with the character is getting better. His plotlines and mystery elements are improving.