The Secret: Jack Reacher, Book 28

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There is a very short book trailer for The Secret by Random House which you can watch on YouTube here. 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. The woman said, ‘Have you ever seen a child’s coffin, Keith? Because if you haven’t I don’t think anything can really prepare you for how tiny it will seem. Especially when it’s next to the full-size one your daughter will be in.’ It’s 1992 and the Cold War is still thawing. Eight respected scientists have been found dead across the United States, involved in unique accidents that the police have deemed non-issues. While many would find it hard to connect the dots, those deep within the Pentagon know these scientists and what they did for the Americans at the height of the Cold War. 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.

No information. I’m going to tell her about my recovery. That’s all. I will never talk about December ’69. Why we were there. What we were doing. What happened. Not to anyone. I swore I wouldn’t and I keep my word. My wife never even knew.’ Another shot of his daughter and granddaughter, on foot this time, halfway across a crosswalk. The picture had been taken through a car windshield. 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). Lee has three homes—an apartment in Manhattan, a country house in the south of France, and whatever airplane cabin he happens to be in while traveling between the two. In the US he drives a supercharged Jaguar, which was built in Jaguar's Browns Lane plant, thirty yards from the hospital in which he was born. I recently came upon a quote which definitely pertains to my relationship with Reacher stories — I read a Reacher book in a day and then wait a year for the sequel. I suppose I could try drawing out the reading experience but Reacher adventures demand to be inhaled at top speed.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 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.’

The woman leaned in closer. ‘Keith, we know what you did. What you all did. Twenty-threeyears ago. December 1969.’ First 1/3 of the book is a sub-plot but not really a sub-plot because it's just an entirely irrelevant tangent about another crime that does nothing to develop characters or plot. Doesn't give any insights to people or events referenced later in his story line in previous books. Doesn't tie into the main plot whatsoever. Just "here's a bunch of words about an uninteresting story so I can satisfy my quota to the publisher for this year's book." Insulting waste of time to legions of readers / listeners who pay for any book in this series.

The woman said, ‘Bonus question. What happens tomorrow? Or the next day? Is the driver drunk? Do his brakes fail?’ 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. 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.’ His mission is to uncover the truth. Fast. The question is: will Reacher bring the bad guys to justice the official way . . . or his way? That being said, we, as readers, must come to terms with understanding that Andrew is not Lee and cannot be Lee. He is his own writer. For example, nobody will ever be James Bond in my mind, but Sean Connery. He was the first, the best, and the model every other Bond is compared to. Most cannot come close to his greatness. However, everything considered, Daniel Craig did pretty dang good in his own version and I am enjoying his take on the character. He’s not Connery, but he’s much better than the others.

Toothbrush mentions = 1. Reacher notices his hotel room has been searched because his toothbrush is not standing exactly on the vertical in the bathroom drinking glass. The purpose of the task force is to find out who is killing a group of ex-military scientists who are retired from service for years and appear to have nothing in common. However, they are showing up dead in what appears to be strange and unique accidents that raise questions.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. 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. Bridgeman was channelling all his energy into trying to breathe. It was only a name that the woman wanted. What harm could come from telling her? Plenty, he knew. 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’s heart was no longer racing. Now it felt like it was full of sludge. Like it didn’t have the strength to force his blood into his arteries. He couldn’t answer. It would mean breaking his oath. He had sworn to never reveal a single detail. They all had, twenty-three years before, when it became clear what they had done. And the missing name belonged to the flakiest of the group. Better for everyone if it remained off the list.

It’s 1992 and Reacher is a Captain in the MPs, having just been busted down from Major. Now, he’s assigned to a task force formed by the Secretary of Defense to solve the whys and wherefores of a string of murders of scientists scattered across the country. Reacher and his fellow agents from the CIA, the FBI, and the Treasury must race against time to stop the perpetrators from killing again, if they can.The woman with the finger clip climbed out of her chair. ‘And I’m her sister. Veronica Sanson. Our father was Morgan Sanson. It’s important you know that.’ Keith Bridgeman, who is in his early 60s, wakes up in his hospital bed where he is recovering from a cardiac arrest to find two strange women standing there. They identify themselves as Veronica and Roberta Sanson, and they are interested in a top-secret bioweapons project in India that he was a part of in 1969. Before they end his life by throwing him out of his hospital window, they inform him that they are the daughters of Morgan Sanson. This allows Bridgeman to go over in his head who he wronged during that mission as his body races towards the pavement. His mission is to uncover the truth. The question is: will Reacher bring the bad guys to justice the official way . . . or his way? Veronica and Roberta Sanson are trying to determine who is responsible for a quasi-military incident in India in 1969. A secret project went sideways with devastating results. These two women leave bodies in their wake, trying to find everyone responsible for the project. They have a list of seven names, all scientists, but they think one name is missing, and that's the ultimate person they hope to find.