(2008)Reacher comes thru Hope and Despair Colorado and finds that the towns' names are appropriate. Despair is home to a mysterious factory that is taking in old recycled cars but turns out is producing dirty bombs. The owner is an end-times religious nut that wants to bring on Armageddon. Still another good Reacher tale. He hooks up with a sheriff from Hope as the romantic interest.KIRKUS REVIEWIn Jack Reacher's whiz-bang latest (Bad Luck and Trouble, 2007, etc.), small-town cops bust him for vagrancy�big mistake!Despair, Colo.: population 2,692, and none of them with the sense they were born with. Because Reacher warned them, nobody can say he didn't. There he was, just passing through, seated harmlessly at the restaurant table, wanting only a cup of coffee, when the four deputies, ?each a useful size,? appeared in the doorway, clearly intent on seeing the back of him. Says Reacher to the restaurant's surly proprietor, ? ?If I get a cup of coffee I'll walk out of here. If I don't get a cup of coffee, these guys can try to throw me out, and you'll spend the rest of the day cleaning blood off the floor' ? Broken bones ensue¥none of them Reacher's¥but when a riot gun is added to the argument, Reacher allows himself to be arrested. The fact is his curiosity¥ever a major component in the Reacher persona¥requires that he stick around until he uncovers the something he suspects is rotten in Despair. Enter the lady deputy sheriff from Hope, the tiny town that borders Despair. Hope, of course, is as attractive as Despair is forbidding. Ditto Deputy Vaughan, who provides another compelling reason for Reacher to bide a bit. They join forces in an investigation that takes a series of twisty turns involving, among others, a buck-chasing religious zealot and some vexatious conspirators in Pentagon corridors of power. Answers garnered, curiosity slaked, Reacher arrives at a critical moment. He must now say to Vaughan, albeit ruefully, what those who know him best always knew was inevitable: ? ?I don't do permanent.' ?When, single-handedly, Reacher takes out eight huskies in a bar-room brawl, a million plus fans will grin happily, knowing that all's right with the action-lit world.Pub Date: June 3rd, 2008ISBN: 978-0-385-34056-4Page count: 416ppPublisher: DelacorteReview Posted Online: June 24th, 2010Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15th, 2008

My least favoriite Reacher book. Lazy plotting. Serve Reacher eggs and coffe at beginning of novel and itbis over before it started. ( )

With the first 11 Jack Reacher novels behind me, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed, this one was a let-down. I found it a bit slower than what I've come to expect from a Lee Child novel. ( )

Interesting concept, a little different than the other Reachers. Pretty good, but definitely doesn't crack my top 10 Reacher novels. I feel like they really kept you guessing throughout the novel, and then ending just kind of fell flat. ( )

Non c’è niente da fare, qualsiasi storia che vedesse anche solo la partecipazione di Jack Recher (anche minuscola) non la perderei per nessuna ragione perché avrei comunque la certezza di leggere qualcosa di veramente bello e avvincente.
Amo Reacher e le sue storie, amo il modo in cui sono raccontate, amo questo personaggio e le sue particolarità che lo rendono unico.
Un’altra storia imperdibile a tutti gli effetti. ( )