The Secret: Jack Reacher, Book 28

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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).

This was maybe a so-so Reacher as he was not always centre stage in the narrative. It did at least make a change from the standard drifter Reacher template where he stumbles into some dastardly criminal conspiracy and has to rescue various innocents or even entire towns with his vigilante ways and means. The plotting and pacing were good most of the time. Andrew captures much of the same plot development style and flow as his brother, Lee. Although it felt a bit too clinical at moments, the storyline revealed itself scene by scene as Reacher played the role of investigator. One thing that I noticed and appreciated was that the fight sequences flowed more organically and were not so over-choreographed. Keith Bridgeman was alone in his room when he closed his eyes. The morning medical rounds were over. Lunch had been delivered and eaten and cleared away. Other people’s visitors had clattered along the corridor in search of relatives and friends. A janitor had swept and mopped and hauled off the day’s trash. And finally a little peace had descended on the ward. The transition of Andrew taking the lead, some things have remained the same while other things have changed. Andrew was definitely not Lee and his changes were weren’t always subtle to the millions of Reacher fans. In my personal opinion, it’s taken Andrew several books to develop his own rhythm with the character and his behaviors. The result is that Andrew’s version Reacher is not necessarily Lee’s Reacher. As a reader, you can choose to like that or not. It’s just the reality of the situation.The bad news for Reacher, recently demoted from Major to Captain due to insubordination, is that he and the rest of the task force members have been chosen for a reason. They are on the outs with their government organizations, and if they fail, they will become convenient fall guys who will be forced to take the blame… Another area of strengthening was the overall plotting. The mystery was multi-layered and the various pieces were revealed throughout the book at different point along the way, providing more tension and surprise along the way. Although I have to say that I figured out the last big reveal at the end, which means a lot of other readers will most likely have done the same. The woman said, ‘We have two questions. That’s all. Answer them honestly and you’ll never see us again. I promise.’ Maybe there is another name.’ Bridgeman closed his eyes. ‘Maybe someone knows what it is. One of the others might. But not me. I don’t think one exists.’

The woman with the clip on her finger lowered herself into the visitor’s chair next to the window. The woman on the left of the bed waited a moment then looked at Bridgeman and said, ‘We apologize. We didn’t mean to startle you. We’re not here to hurt you. We just need to talk.’

Reacher may be an exceptional soldier, but sweeping other people's secrets under the carpet isn't part of his skill set. As he races to find the killer, he must navigate around the ulterior motives of his new 'partners'. And all while moving into the sight line of some of the most dangerous people he has ever encountered. Bridgeman glanced at his left leg. The call button was where the nurse had left it, lying on the sheet between his thigh and the safety rail. His hand darted toward it. It was a fluid movement. Smooth. Fast. But the woman was faster. She snatched the button then dropped it, leaving it dangling on its wire, almost to the floor, well out of Bridgeman’s reach. Reacher said nothing.' count = 10. I was getting concerned when there had been only 2 of these in the first half of the book, but the count went up significantly in the 2nd half. PDF / EPUB File Name: The_Secret_-_Lee_Child_Andrew_Child.pdf, The_Secret_-_Lee_Child_Andrew_Child.epub The woman held up her finger with the clip attached. ‘Sorry. The cable’s too short for me to move. You want to sit, use the windowsill.’

He looked at the woman in the chair. ‘Can I at least sit? I’m older than you. I have one foot in the grave.’ Bridgeman had been in the hospital for a month. Long enough to grow used to its rhythms and routines. He knew it was time for the afternoon lull. A break from getting poked and prodded and being made to get up and move around and stretch. No one was going to bother him for another three hours, minimum. So he could read. Watch TV. Listen to music. Gaze out of the window at the sliver of lake that was visible between the next pair of skyscrapers. The woman took hold of Bridgeman’s arm and felt for his pulse. It was fast and weak. She said, ‘Come on now. Calm down. Think of your family. We don’t want to hurt them. Or you. We just need you to understand how serious this situation is. We only have two questions, but they’re important. The sooner you answer, the sooner we’re out of here. Ready?’ Bridgeman felt his heart quiver and tremble in his chest. He heard an electronic beep. It came from a piece of equipment on a stand near the head of the bed. It had a screen with a number in the centre of the top half and two jagged lines that zigzagged across the full width of the lower half. The first line showed his pulse. It was spiking wildly. Its peaks were surging closer together like they were chasing one another. The number showed his heart rate. It was climbing. Fast. The beeps grew louder. More frequent. Then the sound became continuous. Insistent. Impossible to ignore. The number stopped rising. It began to flash. It changed direction. And it kept going down until it reached 00. The lines flattened out. First at the left of the screen and then all the way across until both were perfectly horizontal. The display was inert. Lifeless. Except for the desperate electronic howl. Another shot of his daughter and granddaughter, on foot this time, halfway across a crosswalk. The picture had been taken through a car windshield.The killer sisters were on a mission. The string of suspicious murders of retired scientists were originally deemed accidental or the result of a suicide. Only Charles Stamoran, Secretary of Defense realized they were murders. He established a multidisciplinary team of operatives from the Army, CIA, Treasury Department … chaired by a high ranking member of the Department of Defense. Reacher represented the U.S. Army. They were tasked to find out who was murdering the scientists and why? (Although Stamoran certainly knew). Project 192 was a joint Army / CIA covert operation. Although it was stated the objective of the project was to develop effective antidotes to the developing Soviet Union’s chemical and biologic weapons … obviously there was more to this than what was stated.

Readers are already privy to the fact that Stamoran had something to do with the tragic events that took place in India when thousands of innocent lives were claimed due to the mishandling of chemical weapons. The seven members of that team are now on a hit list kept by Veronica and Roberta, who also insist on learning the name of the notorious eighth individual who was really pulling the strings.

First question. You’re meeting with a journalist the day after tomorrow. Where is the information you’re planning to give her?’ We’ll come to who we are. Right now you need to tell me what information you’re planning to give this reporter from Akron.’ There is an October 23, 2023 interview with Andrew Child about The Secret by Barbara Peters at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore's YouTube channel which you can watch here.