It’s great to get back into Jack Reacher after a long hiatus. Lee Child definitely has variations in quality, but you can always expect an excellent thriller as the chaotic good hero tramples through conventions and laws and ensures that the villain is truly punished.

61 Hours is one of the better Jack Reacher novels. The mystery is enjoyable and you’ll slap yourself on the head when the truth is revealed. The various characters are all excellent and enjoyable to read, the various murders hit you in the feels, and Jack’s final showdown is great.

The villain is still moustache-twirling evil but for (spoiler) reasons, it works well.

Recommended.

The military bunker mystery, combined with the bikers, the police, and the hitman… what a great combination of twisting plots. It’s almost impossible for us to make the connection between the girl with the bikers and the chief’s photo, but Jack’s revelation that the chief was “not doing certain things” made wayyy too much sense. I love that part of Lee Child’s writing, as actions speak louder than words.

And damn, losing Peterson and then the witness… that really did hit me in the feels.

I also enjoyed the crazy showdown with Plato, though the abrupt ending pissed me off. I don’t think I can double layer spoilers but the next novel will resolve the abrupt ending, so writing this review a few days later means I enjoy 61 Hours more now, than at its conclusion.

Also Susan Turner shows up in Never Go Back, per the second Jack Reacher movie with Tom Cruise. Her early introduction now makes me excited to see that a real set of arcs and plots are developing outside the typically episodic instalments of these novels.