Past Tense

You always get what you expect from a Reacher book. In an almost textbook manner, Reacher knocks around town while things slowly heat up. This time around, events are on more of a slow boil. Events unfold for a pair of characters in one location for an unusually long time. The reader is left to wonder how that series of events will eventually intersect with what's taking place for Reacher in the meantime. Rest assured, the cast of characters eventually cross paths and to great effect. It just takes a long time to reach the inevitable intersection. The entire time, if you can put up with all of the point of view characters pedantically dissecting the world around them and the motivations of those they encounter the exact same way Reacher is famous—perhaps infamous—for, you're in for another satisfying Reacher novel.

I sound disheartened, yet I have rated this 4-stars? I can almost hear you thinking these words. Like I said at the start: You get what you expect from a Reacher book. It's worth reading, but the book could have been 50-75 pages shorter and nothing would have been missed. The story was good, but I don't think an author lacking Child's name could get away with this so easily and still sell so well.