Lee Child's newest Jack Reacher story, The Midnight Line, is classic Reacher. Picking up after Make Me, Reacher is on his own after his fling/partner from that book returns to her own life. Reacher hops on a bus for regions unknown. Wandering around during a rest stop, he sees a West Point ring at a pawn shop. It becomes his new mission in life to track down the former owner of the ring.
This pursuit takes Reacher into familiar territory: uncovering crime rings in small, forgotten towns, this time in rural Wyoming. The pawn shop owner directs Reacher to someone else, who directs him to someone else. Misdirects, more accurately. Along the way, Reacher meets up with a private investigator working on a missing persons case, who leads him to the twin sister of the West Pointer Reacher seeks.
Lee Child's fans should be quite pleased with The Midnight Line. Reacher's dogged determination and inability to let things go drives the story. His camaraderie and compassion for fellow soldiers motivate him to dig in and fight back. His unwavering desire for justice keeps him in the fight even when it seems like the fight is over and won.
Child writes formulaic books, it's true. But the nice thing about a great formula is that it gives great results. Just because The Midnight Line fits the Reacher formula doesn't mean it's dull or predictable. Just the opposite. I hope Child keeps mixing up this formula for more great Reacher stories.
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