The affair : a Reacher novel

 by Lee Child. *Starred Review* Jack Reacher fans know the basics about their hero career army MP suddenly transformed into the ultimate lone wolf (Have Toothbrush Will Travel) but they don't know the backstory. Finally, Child fills us in on what drove Reacher, a good soldier above all, out of the army. The basic structure resembles most Reacher novels: Jack turns up in an out-of-the-way locale (small-town Mississippi here), confronts a clutch of evildoers, takes them down, packs his toothbrush, and hits the road. But this time hitting the road means leaving the army, which becomes necessary because certain of the evildoers are soldiers, too, and to bring them down, Reacher must discard the MP's manual altogether. For fans of the series, much of the fun comes in spotting Reacher's now-familiar idiosyncrasies at the moments they were born (the habit, for example, of owning only one set of clothes, wearing them until they get dirty, and then buying replacements). The plot itself involves a serial killer possibly a soldier wreaking havoc among the locals living near an army base. Teaming up both professionally and romantically with the town sheriff, a comely former marine, Reacher simultaneously attempts to find the truth and protect the army. As usual, plenty of eggs get broken in spectacular style on the way to making a Reacher omelet. Child's mastery of high-octane plotting remains remarkable, as does his ability to inject what, in other hands, might have been cartoon characters with all the sinews that power human beings. --Booklist (Check catalog)