This first-person tale is a strong entry in the series. Child's Reacher books can always be counted on for hard-ass action, but this one shows a new hard-boiled artfulness to Child's approach, capturing the bittersweet tinge of tenderness that lies in the heart of every tough guy, and serving up some terse prose that, in a couple of action sequences, will make a fan of the genre laugh with delight.

Here's one: "I caught him with a wild left in the throat. It was a solid punch, and a lucky one. But not for him. It crushed his larynx. He went down on the floor again and suffocated. It was reasonably quick. About a minute and a half. There was nothing I could do for him. I'm not a doctor."

Reacher is at his best when his emotions are engaged. Particularly those emotions that require vengeance, and the dark thrill of taking out the baddest guys. The ones who can't be suffered to live. And that's what we get here. Reacher in full avenging mode.