This is the second Jack Reacher book to be reviewed here. I couldn't remember the title of the first one I read (or its plot) without consulting the sidebar, so I couldn't tell you which one of the two books is better.
In The Secret two sisters are out for revenge, killing a group of scientists who worked on a chemical weapons project in the late 60s. From there enter military policeman Jack Reacher, a no-nonsense taker of names and kicker of asses. By the time he captures and/or mutilates those who stand between himself and the two sisters the pillars of government are soundly shaken, justice is resoundingly served, and the world is once again safe for democracy.
The publication date is 2023, but The Secret must have been written during the 90s. Modern conveniences like cell phones, the internet and even laptops are entirely absent from the narrative, leaving our hero equipped with only a phone and a fax machine. Can you imagine trying to track down people off the grid since 1969 with only a land line and a fax machine? A quick Google search would have resolved some of the plot points in this book within minutes.
As Jack Reacher books go The Secret is merely more of the same. Our hero is called into service, he handles shit in the most egregiously violent manner possible, and of course he saves the day. It's all little more than another heterosexual male fantasy, and I can't fault it for being what it is.
Will I be reading any further Jack Reacher books? Eh, maybe. Hopefully I'll find better things to read, but in a pinch Jack Reacher will do.
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