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Jack Reacher is back, both on the page and on the screen.
The page is in the form of “The Secret,” the 28th volume of the series, now cowritten by Lee Child, the series’ originator, and his brother, Andrew Child.
The screen is in the form of the second season of the “Reacher” TV series on Amazon Prime, this time based on the 11th Reacher novel, “Bad Luck and Trouble,” and debuting Dec. 15.
The last time I wrote about my enjoyment of the Reacher novels I had one of the most indignant reader emails in the entirety of my decade-plus as the Biblioracle, accusing me of cretinism for embracing a series and character that glorifies violence. I will not deny that the Reacher stories employ a good amount of violence, but I’d also like to suggest that the character and series are not mindless, and while you will not confuse the Reacher books with literary prize winners, the pleasure in reading them is significant and real.
“The Secret” is set in 1992, when Reacher is still active-duty military police. It opens with Reacher in Chicago, sussing out a theft at a military armory, using his signature instincts and guile to get the perpetrator to all but confess. In alternating chapters, we see a pair of female assassins claiming victims as apparent acts of personal revenge. Before long, Reacher is pulled to Washington, D.C., as part of a team of misfits from various government agencies trying to catch these killers. As the story unfolds we also see a deeper mystery that reaches the highest levels of government and corporate America.
It’s no spoiler that Reacher ultimately triumphs, making sure justice is served on all fronts, because this is how every Reacher novel ends. The pleasure is in seeing the mystery unfold and the way the Childs keep the reader guessing at the inevitable conclusion comes into sight.
Reacher is a classic chivalric hero, driven by a code of honor and service, defending the weak from the strong, a code that frequently puts him at odds with people in power. The code being paramount means that Reacher pursues justice no matter the potential ramifications to himself. Yes, this kind of dedication to a cause is largely absent from real life, but this is part of what makes Reacher a compelling character. He acts as we wish we could, on principle, decisively and effectively.
The violence in Reacher novels is always purposeful, never gratuitous, described in a signature, matter-of-fact style that makes clear the method and purpose behind the violence. Reacher’s actions are precisely calculated one step ahead of his foes. He says he believes in disproportional violence because this is likely to end the violence sooner.
Does this glorify violence? I would argue no. Where there is a nonviolent solution to a problem, Reacher employs it, often giving his opponents a chance to choose peaceful surrender. It is also clear that we should see Reacher as a character out of fantasy, not reality.
The Reacher novels are also decidedly non-sexist. Women inside the Reacher universe — very much including “The Secret” — are equally capable as men of cunning villainy or great heroism. Reacher makes no prejudgments on the basis of race, social position or gender. The code demands equal treatment for all.
The Amazon Prime series, being a visual medium, does make the violence more visceral. Reacher, perfectly cast with the hulking Alan Ritchson in the title role (a far sight better than Tom Cruise in the film adaptations) both gives and receives lots of blows and they show. It is not necessarily for the squeamish.
But please know that the Reacher stories are far from mindless.
John Warner is the author of “Why They Can’t Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities.”
Book recommendations from the Biblioracle
John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you’ve read.
1. “The 1619 Project” by Nikole Hannah-Jones
2. “The Kennedy Withdrawal” by Marc Selverstone
3. “1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed” by Eric Cline
4. “The Revolutionary Samuel Adams” by Stacy Schiff
5. “Homo Deus” by Yuval Noah Harari
— Ben T., Austin Texas
Ben’s interested in nonfiction that unlocks some interesting insights underneath a story we may think we know. Nicholas Buccola’s “The Fire Is Upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr. and the Debate over Race in America” is both a fascinating work of history, and one that shines a light on ongoing conflicts today.
1. “Babel” by R.F. Kuang
2. “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng
3. “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri
4. “The Blind Assassin” by Margaret Atwood
5. “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles
— Dean B., Highland Park
For Dean I need a book with high quality prose that also delivers on the story front. I also want to go off the beaten path to surprise him with a book and author he might now know: “Saul and Patsy” by Charles Baxter.
1. “Crook Manifesto” by Colson Whitehead
2. “Normal Rules Don’t Apply” by Kate Atkinson
3. “Old God’s Time” by Sebastian Barry
4. “The Candy House” by Jennifer Egan
5. “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver
— Anne O., Buffalo Grove
Normally I don’t recommend books are part of one of the big celebrity book clubs because those books get plenty of attention, but I’ve been recommending Lauren Grodstein’s work in this space pretty much since I started, so I was excited to see that her new novel, “We Must Not Think of Ourselves” is the most recent pick for the “Today Show” Read with Jenna book club. I think it’s going to be a hit with Anne.
Get a reading from the Biblioracle
Send a list of the last five books you’ve read and your hometown to biblioracle@gmail.com.