Review: Reacher does it again...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 3, 2013
This is a very short story, and technically, it's 16.5 in the Jack Reacher suspense series. Chronologically, this takes place early in Reacher's career in 1986, so more like a 0.75.My TakeWhat can I say, it's a Reacher...and he figures it out so easily while I'm sitting here totally stupid. I liked how Child informed us of Reacher's character with his mouthing off to Christopher, his observational skills in figuring out what Christopher's hand movements mean. Without being an info dump, it tells us that Reacher is very good at his job.Christopher hedges so many restrictions around Reacher, I can't imagine how he'll be able to investigate anything. So...naturally...he does. Piece'a cake.I do enjoy reading Reacher's analysis when he's about to go into battle. He's so analytical.The StoryIt's a hearing before a procurement committee on the Hill, and there's a suspicion that one of the liaison officers is selling the design to a foreign manufacturer.It's Reacher's job to figure out who, and oh man, there are so many obstacles before him...The CharactersCaptain Jack Reacher is an investigator for the army, pulled in to investigate a leak occurring during a pre-committee hearing.Colonel Cornelius Christopher is with Military Intelligence, and he handles Reacher well: he lets him spew!The liaison officersAll four of them are West Pointers with off-the-chart IQs. Fast tracking their way to general, maybe even President of the United States. There are three 30-year-old lieutenant colonels: Christine Richardson is private school all the way; Darwen DeWitt is the daughter of a Houston businessman with a string of dent-repair shops; and, Alice Vaz is also public school. Twenty-nine-year-old Major Briony Walker is the fourth officer and is from a navy family and all public schools as well.The CoverThe cover incorporates a nice set of complements with the bright royal blue sky background and the slightly subdued orange in the author's name and the title. That blue sets off the Capitol building beautifully.The title refers to the leak, for it's Deep Down and under.