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After a career in the military, Jack Reacher has been moving around the U.S. and serving as a kind of unofficial investigator in many crimes. He hasn't sought a career in law enforcement or private investigation because he is more interested in pursuing justice than legal remedies. Sometimes that justice is obtained through some rather violent means. He can walk away from those kinds of situations since he is totally independent. That feature of his existence makes him highly desirable to various law enforcement agencies. In this case, he has been asked by the Secret Service to perform a security audit. The Vice Presidential candidate, Brook Armstrong, has received several death threats. The Service believes that their protection is impenetrable, but Jack discovers otherwise. He works closely with the agent in charge of security, M. E. Froelich, who was at one time engaged to his brother, Joe. Without Fail, the sixth book in the series, circles back to the first book, The Killing Floor which had to do with Joe's death. Joe is a haunting presence in this book, and brotherly patterns repeat themselves. Armstrong receives a number of written threats which are signed with an unidentifiable thumb print. The threats indicate that there is a personal motivation at work, rather than a political one. As the threats move into the realm of active harm involving innocent victims, Reacher and Frances Neagley, a supremely competent woman he knew when he was in the Army, work hand in hand with the Secret Service to alleviate the threat. It's a very difficult task, and it isn't until very near the end of the book that the rationale for the assassination attempts is made clear. By that time, several people have died, including one of the main characters. The character of Jack Reacher has grown over the course of the series from an action-oriented caricature into a cerebral man of action. He also has some soft elements about him, in which he exhibits caring and concern for the less well off. There are two strong females in the book as well, and Child does a superb job of fleshing out their characters. The quality of the writing is excellent as well. Child could teach classes on pacing, dialogue and characterization. The plot is nicely complex, and it's interesting to see how the lead characters narrow the possibilities, often following dead ends, until they get to the root of the evil. It's also interesting to get a behind-the-scenes look at the Secret Service. There are many puzzles to be explained, and Child wraps up every thread satisfactorily. There are lots of twists and turns, and the reader is challenged all along the way. Child has written an exciting page-turner with an excellent plot and memorable characters.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, April 2002
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