Book 95: The Visitor by Lee Child
Book 95: The Visitor (Jack Reacher #4).
Author: Lee Child, 2000.
Genre: Action. Thriller. Crime.
Other Details: Paperback. 512 pages.
It’s tough being a high-flying woman in the Army. Very tough. When Sergeant Amy Callan and Lieutenant Caroline Cook are found dead in their own homes-in baths filled with Army-issue camouflage paint, their bodies completely unmarked-Jack Reacher is under suspicion. He knew them both-and he knows that they both left the Army under dubious circumstances, both victims of sexual harassment. A former U.S. military policeman, a loner and a drifter, he matches the psychological profile prepared by the FBI, and is arrested by ambitious Special Agent, Julia Lamarr.
But when the body of another woman, Sergeant Lorraine Stanley, is discovered, killed with similar precision, Reacher is released. Everyone fears there is a serial killer on the loose. But the FBI have strong persuasive powers, and before long Reacher finds himself heavily involved in the murder investigation. What have these women got in common and why is someone out to do them harm? - synopsis from author's website.
This was published in USA under the title Running Blind.
In this outing Jack Reacher is pressured into assisting the F.B.I. in their hunt for a serial killer and so this novel was closer to a police procedural than later ones I have read in the series in which Jack is very much the lone wolf exacting his own kind of vigilante justice. Yet there is a sub-plot where he does get an opportunity to stir up trouble for some baddies. He is also considering his future following events in the last novel. Although these work fine as stand-a-lone books, I rather like reading in sequence for this kind of aspect of character development.
Overall, it was an interesting case and while I worked out some aspects, the final reveal came as a complete surprise. A fast, engaging read.
Lee Child's web page for 'The Visitor/Running Blind' - contains print and audio excerpts.
Cross-posted to 50bookchallenge.