Never Go Back, by Lee Child

It’s impressive that a character can feel so fresh this long into a series, but Jack Reacher is as dynamic as ever and Lee Child continues to churn out exciting action thrillers.  Never Go Back starts with Jack Reacher letting his curiosity about the sound of a woman’s voice at the other end of a phone conversation lead him back to 110th Military Police Unit he used to command.  He winds up called back to active duty just to be charged with homicide and accused of having a daughter he didn’t know about.

Reacher finds the woman he came to meet and ends up leading the military, the FBI and a group of shadowy government operatives on a chase from the east coast, to the west coast and back again.  The strength of these books is Jack Reacher, and Never Go Back is no different.  Reacher is intelligent, clever, a skilled fighter and always as cool as a cucumber.  He is a dynamic character and his magnetism leaps off the page.  

Child skillfully plays out the clues that lead you and the characters from one conclusion to another and take you from one action scene to the next.  Reacher acknowledges the role that chance plays when you have limited options and confidently follows his decisions.  The fights in this book are as good as it gets.  The stakes are highly personal and though they have some international implications, it’s not an end of the world situation.  These sort of stakes only work if you care about the characters, and Lee Child makes sure that you always do.  This is a great book for anyone who likes strong action heroes and should appeal both to newcomers as well as long-time fans.  Highly recommended.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.