"Without Fail"   By Lee Child
A Jack Reacher Adventure

2011 Book Review #62
Booklist Review

Jack Reacher, former military police, is in Atlantic City running a little pro bono interference for an elderly husband-wife lounge act worried they might be cheated by the local Mob.

Then he's contacted by M. E. Froelich, a Secret Service agent in charge of protecting vice-president-elect Brook Armstrong, the one-time amour of Reacher's late brother, Joe. Froelich hires an initially reluctant Reacher to test the security coverage around Armstrong, and Jack compromises the system with ease, prompting Froelich to hire him to develop a better system.

Armstrong, it turns out, has been threatened, and it may be an inside job. Reacher and an old military police crony run up one blind alley after another until Jack finds a single clue in the vice president's background that leads him to believe the threat may be personal rather than political.

This sixth Reacher novel is a stunner, packed with extraordinary detail regarding executive protection and overlaid with a genuine mystery that will baffle even the most astute armchair crime buffs. The suspense becomes nearly unbearable as Reacher closes in on his prey, leading to a brutal conclusion.

Mix in a touching romance between Reacher and Froelich, based mostly on their shared affection for the late Joe Reacher, and one has a thriller of unequaled emotional depth.

My Thoughts:  I love Jack Reacher mysteries!  No exception here!