Worth Dying For
Jack Reacher Mystery #15
Lee Child

Delacorte Press
2010/ ISBN 978038534319
Thriller / Suspense
Amazon

Reviewed by Barbara Buhrer

Jack Reacher is just passing through the state of Nebraska on his way to Quantico where he hopes to meet with Susan who he has not yet met in person, but has spoken to many times. He is in recovery from his close encounter with death in South Dakota ("61 Hours").

He innocently becomes involved in what appears to be a case of domestic violence, when he forces local drunken doctor to treat Eleanor Duncan who is married to abusive Seth Duncan. Reacher breaks Seth’s nose in payment for his treatment of Eleanor. This causes the Duncan clan to seek revenge. Reacher then becomes involved in what seems to be the illegal trafficking of kidnapped women and young girls. He also finds information leading to the truth about a child who went missing years ago. There is a violent and deadly confrontation between the Duncans and Reacher and Dorothy Cole who has been helping Reacher and is seeking revenge.

This is Reacher at his most deadly. The story is well plotted, written in Child's usual crisp, efficient prose. The characters are well rounded and human. This is a story of revenge, corruption and greed. There is much violence.

Note: If you are a Reacher fan (which I am) you might be interested in this news I heard. The producers of a proposed movie based on Child's "One Shot" are contemplating casting Tom Cruise (5'7"} as Reacher (6'4"}. All his fans are up in arms about this miscasting.

Reviews of other titles in this series

Without Fail #6
Persuader #7
The Hard Way #10
Bad Luck and Trouble #11
Nothing to Lose #12
Gone Tomorrow #13
Worth Dying For #15
The Affair #16
Never Go Back #18