Killing Floor, by Lee Child

Jack Reacher.  Mysterious hobo.  Murder investigator.  Lifetime military man.  Always in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Millions have enjoyed Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels, which all started with Killing Floor.  Originally published in 1998, it's still #698 in the Kindle store.  Impressive for a 17 year old thriller!

Set 6 months after Reacher left the army, Killing Floor introduces Reacher to the world.  With his military pension, no ties to family, and a desire to see the country, Reacher wanders from place to place, anonymous and free.  Unfortunately for him, as he stops in to visit a small town in Georgia, he becomes the fall guy for a murder investigation.  The attempt to frame him for the murder falls through due to his solid alibi, but of course he becomes involved in the investigation.  When he discovers that the murder victim was his only brother, it becomes personal.

As Child's readers know, Reacher's randomly getting caught up in an investigation is par for the course, so I wasn't too bothered by the coincidence of Reacher's arrival in town on the morning after the murders.  But the fact that the victim was his brother seemed so far-fetched that it detracted from the story.  Don't get me wrong, I still liked it, and Child kept me interested to the end.  But you really do have to be prepared for some rather contrived story elements.

I enjoy Reacher as a character.  I like that fact that his transience allows Child to put him wherever he wants, with little connection between the stories, so they can be read in any order.  I do have one question, though.  Reacher makes a point of traveling light.  He never has any baggage; a toothbrush in his pocket is all he needs.  When he needs a change of clothes, he usually buys new ones, and leaves the old ones in the trash or in the changing room at the store.  But it leads me to wonder: does the guy ever wear underwear?  In those stretches of time in which he wears the same clothes, don't he clothes start to stink a bit?  I don't remember Child addressing this in any of the Reacher books.

So if you don't mind some story-telling contrivances, and a main character that surely must smell from time to time, Reacher is a fantastic hero: smarter than those around him, just about invincible in a fight, and loved by the ladies.  I look forward to reading the next Reacher book!