by Lee Child
Part of Jack Reacher, book 12.5
First published 2011
James Penney walks out of the Southern California plant after seventeen years of loyal service. The company has laid him off. The bank wants to repossess his red Firebird. He runs. Police chase him through the dry desert landscape. A tall military policeman built like a weightlifter offers him a ride. Penney wonders why the cops want him so badly. Jack Reacher stops at a Manhattan bar late at night. He wants beer and music. His eyes find a wealthy young Russian woman sitting with her bodyguard. Two men watch her from separate tables. They look suspicious. Reacher studies the situation. The woman might be in danger. Old habits pull at him. This story happens minutes before the events in Gone Tomorrow.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Southern California, Manhattan, Russia
Period: 21st-century
32 pages · Kindle Edition · Transworld Digital