The Secret: Jack Reacher, Book 28

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First question. You’re meeting with a journalist the day after tomorrow. Where is the information you’re planning to give her?’ As to the good, it’s well and clearly written, fairly fast-paced, and contains some interesting information, especially about tradecraft. While the plot is a little disjointed (especially considering the first quarter has Reacher investigating a crime that has nothing to do with the rest of the story), for the most part, it held my attention. And it was fun to revisit the technology of the early 1990s when we all relied on faxes, corded telephones, and newspapers to get our information. Also, for those who enjoy Reacher’s pugilism, there are a number of well-described fight scenes.

Reacher said nothing.' count = 10. I was getting concerned when there had been only 2 of these in the first half of the book, but the count went up significantly in the 2nd half. She held it out for Bridgeman to take. It showed a gloved hand holding a copy of the Tribune next to a window. Bridgeman could read the date on the newspaper. Tuesday, 7 April 1992. It was that day’s edition. Then he saw two figures through the glass. A woman and a child. A little girl. Even though they were facing away from the camera Bridgeman had no doubt who they were. Or where they were. It was his daughter and granddaughter. In the home he had bought them in Evanston, after his wife died. Bridgeman’s heart was no longer racing. Now it felt like it was full of sludge. Like it didn’t have the strength to force his blood into his arteries. He couldn’t answer. It would mean breaking his oath. He had sworn to never reveal a single detail. They all had, twenty-three years before, when it became clear what they had done. And the missing name belonged to the flakiest of the group. Better for everyone if it remained off the list. Keith Bridgeman, who is in his early 60s, wakes up in his hospital bed where he is recovering from a cardiac arrest to find two strange women standing there. They identify themselves as Veronica and Roberta Sanson, and they are interested in a top-secret bioweapons project in India that he was a part of in 1969. Before they end his life by throwing him out of his hospital window, they inform him that they are the daughters of Morgan Sanson. This allows Bridgeman to go over in his head who he wronged during that mission as his body races towards the pavement. Overall, it felt like to me that “The Secret” showed that Andrew Child is continuing to get better in his writing of Reacher. His understanding of what works with the character is getting better. His plotlines and mystery elements are improving.The woman held up her finger with the clip attached. ‘Sorry. The cable’s too short for me to move. You want to sit, use the windowsill.’ There is an October 23, 2023 interview with Andrew Child about The Secret by Barbara Peters at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore's YouTube channel which you can watch here.

Reacher may be an exceptional soldier, but sweeping other people's secrets under the carpet isn't part of his skill set. As he races to discover the link between these victims, and who killed them, he must navigate around the ulterior motives of his new 'partners'. And all while moving into the sight line of some of the most dangerous people he has ever encountered. Another area of strengthening was the overall plotting. The mystery was multi-layered and the various pieces were revealed throughout the book at different point along the way, providing more tension and surprise along the way. Although I have to say that I figured out the last big reveal at the end, which means a lot of other readers will most likely have done the same.

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There is a very short book trailer for The Secret by Random House which you can watch on YouTube here. The woman took hold of Bridgeman’s arm and felt for his pulse. It was fast and weak. She said, ‘Come on now. Calm down. Think of your family. We don’t want to hurt them. Or you. We just need you to understand how serious this situation is. We only have two questions, but they’re important. The sooner you answer, the sooner we’re out of here. Ready?’ The woman with the finger clip climbed out of her chair. ‘And I’m her sister. Veronica Sanson. Our father was Morgan Sanson. It’s important you know that.’ His mission is to uncover the truth. Fast. The question is: will Reacher bring the bad guys to justice the official way . . . or his way? Bridgeman’s mouth was dry. He did his best to moisten his lips then took a deep breath. But not to answer questions. To call for help the old-fashioned way.

Maybe there is another name.’ Bridgeman closed his eyes. ‘Maybe someone knows what it is. One of the others might. But not me. I don’t think one exists.’ Lee has three homes—an apartment in Manhattan, a country house in the south of France, and whatever airplane cabin he happens to be in while traveling between the two. In the US he drives a supercharged Jaguar, which was built in Jaguar's Browns Lane plant, thirty yards from the hospital in which he was born. Reacher may be an exceptional soldier, but sweeping other people's secrets under the carpet isn't part of his skill set. As he races to find the killer, he must navigate around the ulterior motives of his new 'partners'. And all while moving into the sight line of some of the most dangerous people he has ever encountered. The Secret is one of the occasional prequel novels that show the later transient wanderer Reacher when he was still serving in the U.S. Army in the Military Police. There is a short introductory section where Reacher solves a case of missing weapons, but he is soon enlisted in a greater manhunt. A series of scientists are being murdered across the country for an unknown reason i.e. 'The Secret' of the title. A group of elite investigators from the military, the FBI, the CIA etc. are called in to try to connect the murders, establish a motive and catch the perpetrators. The reader actually knows who the perpetrators are right away, but the motive remains unknown for the longest time. Of course Reacher & allies solve the case in the end with a few twists along the way.First 1/3 of the book is a sub-plot but not really a sub-plot because it's just an entirely irrelevant tangent about another crime that does nothing to develop characters or plot. Doesn't give any insights to people or events referenced later in his story line in previous books. Doesn't tie into the main plot whatsoever. Just "here's a bunch of words about an uninteresting story so I can satisfy my quota to the publisher for this year's book." Insulting waste of time to legions of readers / listeners who pay for any book in this series. In many of these books, Reacher is a large figure with an eagle’s sense of justice who roams the country and gets into situations that require a hero. There are others, like THE SECRET, in which Reacher is called upon by his own government to help clean up a potentially deadly mess. This latest effort is set in 1992, which makes some of the post-Cold War rumblings more significant than they would be in the present day. In addition, I thought the mysteries’ solutions were revealed much too early and that other aspects were very predictable. 75% of the way through, I felt like I had the novel figured out. Nothing after that surprised me (not that anything in the first 75% was all that surprising, either). The woman with the clip on her finger lowered herself into the visitor’s chair next to the window. The woman on the left of the bed waited a moment then looked at Bridgeman and said, ‘We apologize. We didn’t mean to startle you. We’re not here to hurt you. We just need to talk.’ It’s 1992 and the Cold War is still thawing. Eight respected scientists have been found dead across the United States, involved in unique accidents that the police have deemed non-issues. While many would find it hard to connect the dots, those deep within the Pentagon know these scientists and what they did for the Americans at the height of the Cold War.

Toothbrush mentions = 1. Reacher notices his hotel room has been searched because his toothbrush is not standing exactly on the vertical in the bathroom drinking glass. Keith Bridgeman was alone in his room when he closed his eyes. The morning medical rounds were over. Lunch had been delivered and eaten and cleared away. Other people’s visitors had clattered along the corridor in search of relatives and friends. A janitor had swept and mopped and hauled off the day’s trash. And finally a little peace had descended on the ward. His mission is to uncover the truth. The question will Reacher bring the bad guys to justice the official way . . . or his way? That being said, we, as readers, must come to terms with understanding that Andrew is not Lee and cannot be Lee. He is his own writer. For example, nobody will ever be James Bond in my mind, but Sean Connery. He was the first, the best, and the model every other Bond is compared to. Most cannot come close to his greatness. However, everything considered, Daniel Craig did pretty dang good in his own version and I am enjoying his take on the character. He’s not Connery, but he’s much better than the others.

Andrew and Lee Child (pennames for Andrew and James Grant) photographed by Tasha Alexander. Image sourced from Parade Magazine (link below). He looked at the woman in the chair. ‘Can I at least sit? I’m older than you. I have one foot in the grave.’ I recently came upon a quote which definitely pertains to my relationship with Reacher stories — I read a Reacher book in a day and then wait a year for the sequel. I suppose I could try drawing out the reading experience but Reacher adventures demand to be inhaled at top speed. Veronica and Roberta Sanson are trying to determine who is responsible for a quasi-military incident in India in 1969. A secret project went sideways with devastating results. These two women leave bodies in their wake, trying to find everyone responsible for the project. They have a list of seven names, all scientists, but they think one name is missing, and that's the ultimate person they hope to find.