Review: A fateful night for young Jack
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 6, 2013
As in an earlier Kindle Single (Second Son), High Heat features a teenaged Jack Reacher. It's the night of July 13, 1977, and 16-year-old Jack is stopping over in New York City, having traveled from South Korea to see his brother at West Point. All he wants to do is find a nice music club and maybe get lucky with a girl. Instead, he steps into a mob affair and has a price put on his head. At least he did hook up with an attractive coed, but the two find themselves on the run from a dozen thugs, and just when things couldn't get any worse, the lights go out - it's the infamous New York City Blackout of 1977. In the city-wide chaos and disorder, looting and arson are rampant, and Jack and his new girlfriend have an uncomfortably close encounter in the dark with serial killer David Berkowitz, aka "Son of Sam."High Heat is a fast-paced, action-filled short story (or short novella) that gives Jack Reacher fans a hint of what Reacher would become. The story ended with a very unexpected twist as young Jack leaves NYC and moves on to see his brother.Note: The earlier Jack Reacher short story, "Second Son," took place in 1974. "High Heat," set in 1977, is the second-youngest Jack Reacher story published by author Lee Child, with the exception of flashbacks and references to Jack's youth in his novels.The Kindle Single includes a short preview of the next Jack Reacher novel, Never Go Back.