Jack Reacher witnesses a suicide by a young lady on a subway train. Curious as to the cause, he unveils a complicated plot of world terrorists seeking to retrieve a photograph of Bin Laden. Included in the photograph is an older shot of a current politician running for public office. Using a combination of intellect and raw power, Reacher investigates, punches out several people, runs from the NYPD, the FBI, the DoD, and the terrorists. The end of the book has him shooting, knifing, kicking, and ending the evil. It is a fun but violent roller-coaster ride guaranteed to keep the pages turning.
The political overtones with regard to Bin Laden and Al Queda give the book a global feel in spite of the localized action--most of it takes place in New York City. The story zips along as Reacher tries to avoid but at times confronts his many adversaries including the terrorists and local law enforcement. Probably the most fascinating dialogs occur with the politician Sansom who obviously has strong character traits and is committed to high morals while attempting to get elected. It makes for a healthy personal tension. Often books of this nature point to the imperialist politician as being the impetus for the negative events, yet in Gone Tomorrow, the politician is trying to set the record straight and help Reacher achieve his goals.
As stated in earlier views, I have often wished for more solutions to the problems than just punching and shooting, but in this story the violence was choreographed from the beginning and found myself cheering for Reacher's success. Accurate descriptions, characterizations, and clear distinctions make for a fun ride as Reacher saves the day. The super-hero stuff in the hands of a lesser writer would be rather elementary, but for experienced writer Lee Child, it works.Get more detail about Gone Tomorrow (Jack Reacher, No. 13).
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