Review: For diehard Reacher fans only (2.5 stars)
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 4, 2012
The military believes that someone is leaking classified specifications for a new sniper rifle to a foreign arms manufacturer.  The leaker is likely a Military Intelligence staff officer.  Reacher's job is to identify the leaker by pretending to be a Special Forces sniper assigned to the task force that is pitching the rifle to a legislative committee.  Rather improbably, the four suspects are all women.  Even more improbably, the plan is for Reacher to play James Bond by charming his way into their secrets.A good bit of this short story is taken up by descriptions of a woman jogging and of a man driving.  Other sections are taken up by descriptions of congressional committee meetings.  None of this is riveting although the congressional stuff might interest political junkies.  Action junkies will be less pleased.  There is an action scene toward the end of the story (this is Reacher, after all) but it's fairly minimalist by Reacher standards.  Nor will "Deep Down" satisfy fans of suspense or espionage stories.  To avoid spoiling the story's "surprise," I can only say this:  the notion that the "spy" obtained any useful information during the committee meetings is just silly.  If her bosses didn't already know the facts she gleaned, they are beyond incompetent."Deep Down" is an adequate/mediocre story that I suppose the Reacher completist will want to read, but it lacks the attitude of the best Reacher novels.  I would recommend it only to diehard Reacher fans.