I don’t normally read thrillers.  Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels have, however, become the exception.  One lazy afternoon while backpacking in the wilderness of Virginia I began reading Persuader.  The story read fast and action lurked around the turn of every page.  Child’s depth of research and character development kept me glued to the story.  Reacher is an ex-military cop with sharp instincts and encyclopedic knowledge of weapons.  His character is that of a drifter, a loner.  Child paints the man with good heart and eerie unpredictability.

Persuader takes Reacher deep under cover into a world of crime lords and dirty bosses.  His assignment is to get dangerously close to a powerful family with plenty of secrets.  Reacher must find a missing government agent all the while pursuing an elusive character that he had given two .22-caliber bullets to the head a decade before.  With twists and turns at every corner, this story kept me entertained right down to the last page.  It’s a must for all the men out there.