One Shot

A Jack Reacher Novel
Lee Child

This book opens with a setup of a seemingly random sniper shooting in a public square somewhere in central Indiana. The police are on the scene quickly, find the forensic clues and arrest a suspect within a few hours. Their physical evidence is indisputable. The suspect only says "You got the wrong man" and "Get me Jack Reacher". Then promptly gets beat up in jail and put into a coma. But Jack Reacher is already on his way, having seen the news of the event and having prior history with the suspect. Specifically, he had caught him having completed the near exact shooting spree over 14 years early as an army Sniper in Kuwait City. So Reacher came into town to make sure this guy was convicted for good. Begin mystery...

Just as a side note, I know that these are not great literature, but I think Lee Child knows this too. And still he has a way of communicating in a fun way. This sample particularly highlighted for me why I enjoy this writing style

He had more coffee and an English muffin filled with a round piece of ham and something that might have once been egg, first dried and powdered and then reconstituted. His threshold of culinary acceptability was very low, but right then he felt he might be pushing at the bottom edge of his personal envelope.

Brilliant. This was also the book that was the basis for the film Jack Reacher. I had not read any of the Reacher novels then, but having read many now, how did Tom Cruise get cast? Not even close.

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