Pun Salad

Yet another Jack Reacher yarn, co-written by "Lee and Andrew Child" (pseudonyms for James and Andrew Grant, respectively). Eventually, I've read, Lee will bow out from writing duties, tossing the keys entirely to Andrew. We'll see how that works out. For now, Andrew's name remains the smaller on the book cover.

And, yes, it's formulaic and forgettable. But also fun. Reacher maintains his streak of happening upon a massive nationwide conspiracy, by sheerest coincidence, which he thwarts more-or-less single handedly. This time he's touring a small town in Colorado when he (and nobody else) witnesses a woman being pushed under a bus. The perpetrator scampers off with the victim's purse, with Reacher in pursuit. Violence ensues, ending with a collapsing fire escape.

But Reacher's seen enough to put him on the trail of the baddies; he teams up with a partner, the ex-wife of another victim of the conspiracy; they set off on a road trip to a super-secure Mississippi prison, the true nature of which only becomes apparent near the end. Supplementary plot threads involve a Los Angeles boy living in an abusive foster home, who discovers that his estranged dad is due to be released from that very same prison. And an arsonist-for-hire set on a path to revenge for his dead son, that path leading to … you guessed it.