PERSONAL: LEE CHILD

Another Jack Reacher novel,  Lee Child's 19th, despite the fact that Child supposedly ended the series a couple of years ago.  I guess Jack is too tough to be put away.  Anyways, this thriller reminded me of Frederick Forsyth's The Day of the Jackal,  published in 1971, about a sniper hired to kill Charles De Gaul, the great French General and Politician.  In this novel, a sniper fails in an attempt to assassinate the President of France because of a clear bullet proof shield but the authorities discover this was only a test run.  The sniper intends on trying again at a G8 meeting in East London.  Three snipers are identified, one British, one Russian, and one American.  The American, John Kott, just happens to have been put away for sixteen years by Reacher, for shooting a fellow soldier in a bar fight.  Of course, he's been released from prison only months ago, thus he's on the radar.

Jack is called back to action by the government, by a disgraced but rehabilitated General O'Day. Reacher has never liked nor trusted him, but he's willing to do his part for the US.  He's teamed up with Casey Nice from the State Department, as a liaison between State and what Reacher's doing, much of it, obviously, beneath the radar.  He begins working with Russian and British agents but all three are attacked by a sniper, the Russian being killed.  Reacher then is sent to Britain, as they finally realize it's Kott that's out there.  Reacher soon finds out where Kott's staying, but he's protected by a British gang, the Romford Boys, led by a 7 foot animal called Little Joey. Unfortunately, Little Joey is no match for Jack Reacher.  This allows Jack to enter the Romford Boy's fortress/mansion where Kott is hiding.  He, of course, hunts him down but inexplicably finds himself staring down the barrel of Kott's rifle.  The rookie State Department agent, Casey Nice, steps up and blows away Kott, saving Jack's life.  They then ignore O'Day's offer of a flight home and fly home on a British plane.

When they return, there actions have all been unacknowledged by the government, noone admitting to the deaths of Kott or Little Joey.  O'Day, however, is waiting for Jack.  We then are served up a twist...all of these machinations were orchestrated by O'Day, including Reacher's death, to make O'Day a hero and essential once again in the CIA.  Jack realizes this, confronts him, gives him two choices, reporting him or suicide and walks away.  A few days later, we learn O'Day has mysteriously died, perhaps of old age...and is given a hero's burial.  Jack does not attend.