Never Go Back  
by Lee Child  
(Bantam Press)

Unreachable, inexorable, unbeatable: Jack Reacher, an American investigator, enters the base of his former Military Police unit in Virginia to meet his successor, Major Susan Turner, and little does he know what is ahead of him.

When he arrives, he expects to be greeted by Turner, but he senses that something is amiss when she doesn’t show, and it soon becomes clear what a big mistake he’s made, as he’s slapped with a convocation order and arrested on the charge of a murder 16 years before. To add insult to injury, Reacher also has a paternity suit on his neck, and quickly realises that he must fight hard to clear his name and reputation.

Lee Child has a complex writing style that comes with a complication of phrases, so one must pay attention to detail in order to follow. Nevertheless, it offers something different, as this book is written in the third person, which allows a more distant and objective feel while reading.

The reader does not get a great insight into the emotional world of Reacher. Instead, one relies on one’s own speculations. The detailed writing in which the author repeatedly describes food, clothing, furnishings in the various hotels so precisely is impressive, but for some may take away from the action building within the book.

As the story takes place in military circles and their surroundings, readers are automatically confronted with certain hierarchies between ranks. One gets thrown into the world of the military and this may be confusing for some readers, but it eventually becomes easier to follow. Reacher is a former soldier who convinces with his descriptions of incredible intelligence and physical strength. 
In short, the story is comprehensible, action-packed, and with Major Turner the author puts his protagonist on the same side as a very attractive and strong character.

Despite this being Lee Child’s 18th book in the Jack Reacher series, the plot is easy to follow, and one does not feel as if one is missing out by starting with this book first. Fortunately, the series can be read without any particular order.