The Secret: A Jack Reacher Novel

Jack Reacher Remains the Strong, Silent Guy Who Solves the Mystery
Book 28, The Secret, is excellent. I was worried when Andrew Child started writing these books with his brother Lee Child (the creator of Jack Reacher). But, I am pleased to say that this book seamlessly passed the test. If it was shared, it didn’t show and that is a good thing. The story starts a bit slow but picks up speed. Someone is trying to kill off all of the scientists who participated in a dark operation way back in 1969. Two of the scientists have been murdered and the current Secretary of Defense is worried that someone is targeting them. Reacher is still in the Army and gets recruited for the special task force to look into the action. It doesn’t have the same punch that other Reacher books have had, but it has the intellectual challenges and there is enough intrigue for everyone. I enjoyed it and will be ready for the 29th book in this series when it is published.

Enjoyable but not thrilling.
“The Secret” is a fast, entertaining read, but not the “gripping thriller” its promotional materials promise.It’s 1992 and Reacher is a Captain in the MPs, having just been busted down from Major. Now, he’s assigned to a task force formed by the Secretary of Defense to solve the whys and wherefores of a string of murders of scientists scattered across the country. Reacher and his fellow agents from the CIA, the FBI, and the Treasury must race against time to stop the perpetrators from killing again, if they can.This tale of adventure and intrigue has its good and not-so-good points.As to the good, it’s well and clearly written, fairly fast-paced, and contains some interesting information, especially about tradecraft. While the plot is a little disjointed (especially considering the first quarter has Reacher investigating a crime that has nothing to do with the rest of the story), for the most part, it held my attention. And it was fun to revisit the technology of the early 1990s when we all relied on faxes, corded telephones, and newspapers to get our information. Also, for those who enjoy Reacher’s pugilism, there are a number of well-described fight scenes.As to the not-so-good, the characters weren’t as interesting as they could have been. This was especially true of Reacher. Because this takes place in 1992, when Reacher’s still an MP, before developing his legendary “hitchhiker-with-a-toothbrush” persona, I’d hoped to learn how and why he became that man. But it seems the authors chose simply to take the character they’ve developed over the last 27 novels and transplant him back to 1992. As for the rest of the characters, they seemed stock and without depth. The villains are heinous. The “good guys” are kind of mundane, even if each does have a flaw to wrestle with. But there’s little exploration of what makes anyone tick. So, it was a challenge to root for or identify with anyone.In addition, I thought the mysteries’ solutions were revealed much too early and that other aspects were very predictable. 75% of the way through, I felt like I had the novel figured out. Nothing after that surprised me (not that anything in the first 75% was all that surprising, either).All in all, the lack of compelling characters and the dearth of surprises combined to make this novel far less gripping or thrilling than it might have been. Still, I found it entertaining enough to give it three stars.

good book
I enjoyed the book. Good plot and the characters were also good. Got a little tired of the flashbacks and leaps forward. Made it a challenge keeping up with the story and remembering characters. Not up to previous books about Reacher.

Good book
This is an offtake out of sequence with the series of the books. I think that it could work out to fill time till the next book in the series.

Me gustó mucho, loma acabé muy pronto.

Good entertaing thriller..lee child style..Reacher is magnificient..