The Secret: Jack Reacher, Book 28

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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.’ 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. The purpose of the task force is to find out who is killing a group of ex-military scientists who are retired from service for years and appear to have nothing in common. However, they are showing up dead in what appears to be strange and unique accidents that raise questions. Another shot of his daughter and granddaughter, on foot this time, halfway across a crosswalk. The picture had been taken through a car windshield. This was maybe a so-so Reacher as he was not always centre stage in the narrative. It did at least make a change from the standard drifter Reacher template where he stumbles into some dastardly criminal conspiracy and has to rescue various innocents or even entire towns with his vigilante ways and means.

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. Readers are already privy to the fact that Stamoran had something to do with the tragic events that took place in India when thousands of innocent lives were claimed due to the mishandling of chemical weapons. The seven members of that team are now on a hit list kept by Veronica and Roberta, who also insist on learning the name of the notorious eighth individual who was really pulling the strings. The killer sisters were on a mission. The string of suspicious murders of retired scientists were originally deemed accidental or the result of a suicide. Only Charles Stamoran, Secretary of Defense realized they were murders. He established a multidisciplinary team of operatives from the Army, CIA, Treasury Department … chaired by a high ranking member of the Department of Defense. Reacher represented the U.S. Army. They were tasked to find out who was murdering the scientists and why? (Although Stamoran certainly knew). Project 192 was a joint Army / CIA covert operation. Although it was stated the objective of the project was to develop effective antidotes to the developing Soviet Union’s chemical and biologic weapons … obviously there was more to this than what was stated. 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 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.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. The woman said, ‘Have you ever seen a child’s coffin, Keith? Because if you haven’t I don’t think anything can really prepare you for how tiny it will seem. Especially when it’s next to the full-size one your daughter will be in.’ The woman leaned in closer. ‘Keith, we know what you did. What you all did. Twenty-threeyears ago. December 1969.’ 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?

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 said, ‘Bonus question. What happens tomorrow? Or the next day? Is the driver drunk? Do his brakes fail?’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. The Secret” is a fast, entertaining read, but not the “gripping thriller” its promotional materials promise. 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.’