I think everyone has a guilty reading pleasure. Maybe it’s a bodice-ripping romance. Or teen fantasy. Or serious sci-fi. For me, it’s Lee Child’s “Jack Reacher” mystery/thrillers. The books don’t need me to read and review them to sell; most adrenalin-junkie readers are already hooked on Jack, the guy with a heart who happens to be very capable at exacting revenge. All of that being said, in the last three days I have read the two most recent Jack Reacher novels and I just have to share — in case there is one or two people who haven't read any of the 13 earlier books.

When I think of Jack Reacher, I imagine a John Wayne-esque figure. Tall, broad and with an overzealous sense of right and wrong. He lives a nomadic life, hitchhiking back and forth across America with only a toothbrush in his pocket and an ATM card in his wallet. In 61 Hours Jack has managed to hitch a ridge on a luxury cruise bus during the dead of winter in South Dakota. Unfortunately an icy bridge lands Jack and his elderly co-passengers in a small town that seems to under siege by a biker gang holed up at an old military facility outside of town. Between prison riots, methamphetamine labs, burly bikers, an assassin on the loose, and an over-the-top Mexican drug lord who goes by the name of Plato, this is one of the best Jack Reacher books to date! This book just turned paperback.

New in hardcover is Worth Dying For. Jack has made his way south where his latest ride has dropped him off in the middle of nowhere Nebraska. He makes his way to a bar/motel where he quickly becomes embroiled in a domestic abuse incident. Jack does not like to see women (or children, obviously) beat up; he takes it kind of personally. Unfortunately Seth Duncan, the husband doing the beating is one of four Duncan men who are terrorizing the small community. Once Seth is given a taste of his own medicine, the Duncans make sure Jack can’t leave town until their honor is restored. But there is more going on than just bullying and brutality and the longer Jack hangs around, the more curious he gets. I have to admit, it’s fun to see the bullies, who never dream anyone will stand up against them, actually get their comeuppance. Leave it to Jack... ~Patti