The perfect hero, Jack Reacher; men want to emulate him, women adore him. I fell in love with him in Killing Floor, eight books ago, when he had just been chucked out of the army, disillusioned, becoming a drifter ready to pounce on the side of right when needed and I’ve watched him develop as time has bashed him about. But now, suddenly, we’re back in 1990 for a prequel to Killing Floor, Reacher is a US military policeman and has to obey orders! He has a mum, we learn more of his brother and we feel for him as the seeds of discontent are planted. For Reacher fans this is a must, those new to Lee Child will have no trouble starting here. It is, after all, the beginning. Then you must read Killing Floor and get hooked for he is one of the best in the adventure/thriller genre - honest, and he is British.

Comparison: Gerald Seymour, Michael Connelly, Harlan Coben.
Similar this month: Michael Marshall, Chris Ryan.

Synopsis

New Year’s Day, 1990. The Berlin Wall is coming down and the Cold War is ending. Jack Reacher is the duty Military Police officer on a base in North Carolina when a soldier’s body is discovered in a sleazy motel. Reacher tells the local cop to handle it – it sounds like the guy just had a heart attack.

But the dead man turns out to have been a general on a top-secret mission. And when Reacher goes to the general’s house to break the news, he finds a corpse: the general’s wife.

Lee Child’s latest stomach-churning, palm-sweating thriller turns back the clock to Reacher’s younger days. A Reacher who imposes army discipline, even if it’s only in his own pragmatic way…

Reviews

‘Dithering is not a factor in Reacher’s exploits or in Mr Child’s lean, dynamic storytelling. Ever’ New York Times

‘Lee Child writes a good story, twisting it into labyrinthine folds and keeping his readers guessing right to the end. He has obviously done his research’ IRISH TIMES

'Lee Child fans will love this prequel to the bestselling Jack Reacher novels. At last Child shares the events that shaped the maverick hero of his last six novels into an ass-kicking, irreverent good guy. If you’re one of the few people who haven’t sampled the sublime thrill of a Child novel, this blast from the past is the best place to start’ SCOTTISH DAILY RECORD

'One of the best writers in this genre … And nobody does it better’
The Sunday Telegraph

‘The thing about Lee Child’s books is that you can’t put the damn things down… there’s something about his writing that’s addictive. The Enemy is no exception…Superb’
INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

About the Author

Lee Child is one of the world’s leading thriller writers.  His novels consistently achieve the number one slot in hardback and paperback on bestsellers lists on both sides of the Atlantic, and are translated into over forty languages.  His debut novel, Killing Floor, was written after he was made redundant from his television job in Manchester, and introduced his much-admired maverick hero, the former military cop Jack Reacher.  Born in Coventry, he now lives in America. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation