In Too Deep: A Reacher Novel (Jack Reacher)

“Fast action, bold but well thought-out moves, fast paced writing, and a hero who wants to be involved to help others.”

In bullet-like staccato sentences, short enough to have been written by Ernest Hemingway, Lee Child and his brother, Andrew Child, are now collaborating on the bestselling Jack Reacher novels.

The basic plots of all Reacher novels—and there are 29 of them plus several movies and a TV series—go like this. Reacher, a loner who had been an investigator in the Army, has no home, no car, and not much in the way of possessions—though he does have a toothbrush which he keeps in his front pocket. He wanders where he wants and wherever he wanders, but no matter if he’s in a big city or a sparsely populated county if the middle of nowhere, trouble is bound to find him.

Though he’s basically homeless (and happy to be so) with few lasting relationships—there’s always a woman or two but they always mutually agree to move on), Reacher still acts on his own code of honor. He’ll help the good people who are getting trampled by the seriously evil doers even if it puts himself in danger. He’s not a move on kind of guy until justice is done.

Cue, “a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.”

For those who like old Western movies, think of Gary Cooper in Shane but set in modern times with cars instead of horses.

Because Reacher’s gigantic—a Redwood tree of a man—if it’s three against one, no problem. He’s a tactical thinker and can plan ahead in a brawl.

“Reacher could see the guy weighing up his next move. A twitch of his right arm. The shuffle on his left foot. He was slow off the mark. That was for sure. Reacher guessed the guy usually got by through intimidation. That had already failed . . .”

Summing up the situation, the Child brothers write about Reacher’s next move, “He was ready to drive his forehead into the guy’s face. It would be a brutal move. Vicious. Devastating. One of his favorites. A kind of Pavlovian response to being confronted by an *******. But Reacher stopped himself. He remembered his doctor's advice. Don't hit your head on anything. It's important.”

Not to worry. Reacher will figure it out. He always does.

But how he does it is what makes these books so compelling. Sure, you know the basic plot outline. But Lee Child and now, with Andrew, writes in a way that makes each story unique. There’s never a moment for those who have read most if not all of the 29 Reacher novels to say, oh yeah, that’s just like a previous novel. Their ability to take the outlines of each book and make them unique is masterful.

And that is true In Too Deep.

It begins when Reacher, knocked unconscious in a car accident, wakes up tied to a metal table in a basement in some unknown place. He has suffered a concussion; his vision is blurry and his head hurts and there are all sorts of other complications from going over a cliff. But at least he didn’t die as did the driver.  Each of his limbs is secured. A bad guy walks in. He wants Reacher to talk. Reacher doesn’t want to talk and lets him know even though he’s in a situation where he seems to have little negotiating room.

The bad guy threatens. Before long, he’s out cold and Reacher, in a well-choreographed set of moves that actually make sense (don’t try it at home because only Reacher could do it), is free. But it’s important to note that as far-fetched this might sound, it makes sense. There’s always a heavy dose of reality versus fantasy action. Think Matt Damon’s moves in all the Jason Bourne movies. Yes, it could be done.

All this is the satisfaction of a Reacher novel. Fast action, bold but well thought-out moves, fast paced writing, and a hero who wants to be involved to help others.