Twenty million soldiers and civilians were killed during the First World War. Another twenty million were wounded. Among the wounded were countless maimed and disfigured soldiers, including those with horrific facial wounds. Horrific to those who saw them, and worse for those who suffered them. There were so many that some towns across Europe painted certain park benches blue so that these disfigured veterans, called the mutilées in France, could have a place to sit in peach and the public would know not to stare.
The Midnight Line, by Lee Child, is the twenty-second Jack Reacher novel. If you don’t know Jack Reacher, he’s a former army MP who lives his life kind of like how Jules says in Pulp Fiction: “You know, like Caine in KUNG FU. Just walk from town to town, meet people, get in adventures.”
Reacher happens upon a West Point class ring in a pawn shop in Wisconsin. As a West Point alumnus himself, his curiosity takes over. Who would pawn such a thing and why? What is their story? As he does in his singular minded way, he sets to tracking down the ring’s owner, a quest that pits him against bikers, drug dealers, federal agents, crooked soldiers, and more, all just to hear a story. And, in typical Reacher fashion, he finds himself in more and more danger with each part of the story he uncovers.
The Midnight Line is typical, and very well done, Reacher. It doesn’t necessarily break any new ground, but like the first John Wick movie, even though it’s not revolutionary, it does the familiar very well. If you know the series, you’ll like this installment. If you’re new to the series, the great thing about the Jack Reacher books is you can pick them up in any order. Not all of them make the best intro to the series or the character, but The Midnight Line is a solid choice. For my money, for your first Reacher, however, you should start with the first one: Killing Floor.
4.5 / 5 stars.