Review: Moving Target by Jude Hardin

Moving Target by Jude Hardin

A rogue group within the army is still trying to clean up a probably illegal experiment they conducted which resulted in the cloning of Jack Reacher. In this very short novel, they hire a new hitman to kill Rock Whalman (the clone) and in so doing remove the “evidence” of their crime. Hardin takes the time to develop the idea that this is happening decades into the future (something that is not immediately obvious from any of the ongoing interactions in either of the first two books).

 

While the action is fast moving and enjoyable, the whole plot depends upon two very big coincidences. The first is that one of the army officers chasing Rock is the ex-husband of a woman Rock is romantically interested in. The second is that the hitman coincidentally saw Rock (who has given the army the slip) the morning he takes on this assignment. The second was necessary to the plot, but it’s not clear that the first was. Taken together these “coincidences” are more astounding then getting struck by lightning on the same afternoon.

 

Final analysis, this was another fun one and I’m looking forward to book three.