Set in 1996, Lee Child’s latest novel (following last year’s Make Me) is an action-packed prequel story set in a pre-9/11 world that introduces readers to a new side of Jack Reacher.
Fresh off a successful mission in the Balkans, Reacher is given a medal and hearty pat on the back. Then, immediately following the small ceremony, he’s given a new assignment with orders to go back to school.
The “back to school” setting is all a cover, though, and Reacher soon finds himself part of a three-man team put together for a special, top-secret assignment. With him are accomplished, like-minded men from the CIA and FBI. Each brings a slightly different background and way of seeing things, and each was handpicked by National Security Advisor Alfred Ratcliffe to find an American traitor.
The traitor’s identity is a mystery. He was first discovered when the United States was tipped off that a terrorist sleeper cell stationed in Hamburg, Germany, had met with an American who is selling something to the Islamic extremists for a whopping $100 million. The United States’ own deeply embedded source is not to be compromised in the investigation, making the job of tracking the American even harder. Hence the need for assembling only the best, brightest, most accomplished men for the task.
Each man goes about investigating things their own way. Reacher, though, teams up with the lovely Frances Neagley, a fan-favorite character who really shines in Night School, and heads to the streets of Germany to deal with things in typical head-on Reacher fashion. There, the duo discovers that the mystery item for sale might have something to do with Y2K. Failure to stop the sinister plan would result in a worst-case-scenario catastrophic event. And it’s up to Reacher to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Those who remember the computer and software scares leading up to the start of the new millennium will chuckle at just how far our technology has come since then. For Reacher, though, who has (at least for this book) transformed from full-time nomad to terrorist-hunter, it’s no laughing matter.
Night School is a giant leap forward from last year’s Make Me, and readers will cheer on the 6’5″ Reacher as he imposes his will against any and all enemy threats. Not only is it fun seeing Reacher back in his Army days, but it’s a real treat to see him running around like a covert operative, slightly out of his element, as he races against the clock and tries to save the day.
Lee Child dials up the heat for his latest novel, delivering another must-read thriller that fans of the genre are sure to enjoy.
Book Details
Author: Lee Child
Series: Jack Reacher
Pages: 384 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0804178801
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: November 7, 2016 (Order Now!)