Worth Dying For
Lee Child
Dell 2011
544 pages
Worth Dying For finally came across my desk for review. Getting your hands on a new Jack Reacher book is a double edged sword. Once in your hands you have to start reading it but that makes doing anything else problematic. As with most Jack Reacher novels that come into my hands I read the hefty tome in relatively short order. Reacher fans will not be disappointed with the pace and action of this sixteenth novel in the Reacher series.
Most Jack Reacher novels start the same way – Reacher sticking his nose into someone else’s business and things getting interesting from there. While the typical start is a convenient method of starting a story it is wearing thin and the best Reacher novels Die Trying and Bad Luck and Trouble started in more interesting fashion.
In Worth Dying For Reacher has ended up in yet another desolate small town. This time Reacher is in Nebraska on his way to Virginia to try and meet up with the new CO of the 110th Military Police Corps. Naturally Reacher runs into a situation uniquely suited to his skill set and his inability to keep to his own business when he sees injustice.
Before long Reacher is butting heads with the Duncan family who run the whole county as their own personal fiefdom. Jack Reacher injured after barely surviving the firestorm of 61 Hours versus some crafty well entrenched strong men with high octane back up from organized crime it more of a contest than Reacher has had to deal with in a long time.
If you don’t mind the contrived nature of the story then Worth Dying For is definitely worth getting. It is a classic Reacher story and from start to finish the pace is brisk and easy to follow.