Monday, December 8, 2014

Running Blind, by Lee Child

Jack Reacher can't win a break.  He tries to mind his own business, wants to live an anonymous, solitary life.  But his Army past won't leave him alone.  In Running Blind, when he's ambushed an taken into custody for questioning, it quickly becomes clear that his captors don't really believe he is the perpetrator of a series of bizarre murders, but that they need his help solving the mystery of the deaths.  All of the victims are women who brought sexual harassment complaints during their times of service in the armed forces, and Reacher was the MP on the case.

Like a good mystery writer, Lee Child builds a case, only to tear it down and take the resolution in a direction that the reader never saw coming (but that you realize you should have suspected!).  Child's unexpected twist was certainly clever, but it was almost too clever, maybe a little groan-inducing.  But Reacher's path to figure it all out was impressive.

This was not my favorite Reacher book, due to the evidently improbable resolution, but I did enjoy it.  Child's books are a great commuting partner.  Child has Reacher wrap up the case, but, similar to an episodic television show, he leaves the ending wide open for the next episode.  I'll be tuning in for sure.

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