Review: A True Dective Story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 19, 2012
First, let's remember that this is a short story. There is not enough time to get too deeply into background, back-plot and character development. "Deep Down" is a vehicle for Lee Child to give Jack Reacher fans some insight into why he is respected in his field and how he earned some of the reputation and medals that are referenced to in the full novels."Deep Down" puts Reacher in Washington DC at a critical time. Things were heating up in many third world countries and covert intelligence agents were a genuine threat.In this story we see the amazing 'detecting' skills that kept Reacher at the top of his game. We are used to seeing him in a more physical environment and in much more danger. He is assigned to a mundane scenario: attend a high-order finance committee meeting and ferret out the leak. The interesting aspect is that the four suspects are all women, and poor Reacher (who is not comfortable trolling bars) must "man-up" and play the roll.He reads the players well and plays his part perfectly. Just one twist...Reacher-style...he doesn't see the situation the way his handlers do. He is a true Detective in this story. And the reader is asked to be one too. In the end there is still a "beat-um-up" and the trademark Reacher "walk-away". But this is still a great little mystery.As short stories go it has all the meat of a novel with fewer words. It fills in Jack Reacher's past and gives the reader a chance to appreciate his mind and not just his body.I know many reviewers will argue with my 5* rating but I feel "Deep Down" does exactly what the author intends...a quick look into the memory bank of Jack Reacher. Try it. It's priced where a short should be priced and it IS a great read.