The Affair. Jack Reacher. Book 16

March 1997. A woman has her throat cut behind a bar in Mississippi.

Just down the road is a big army base. Is the murderer a local guy - or is he a soldier?

Jack Reacher, still a major in the military police, is sent in undercover.

The county sheriff is a former U.S. Marine - and a stunningly beautiful woman. Her investigation is going nowhere. Is the Pentagon stonewalling her? Or is she trying not to find the killer?

Set just six months before the opening of Killing Floor, The Affair marks a turning point in Reacher's career.

If he does what the army wants, will he be able to live with himself? And if he doesn't, will the army be able to live with him?

Jack Reacher has long since earned his prominent place in the pantheon of cool, smart-talking American heroes... Shakes up the status quo by delivering the Reacher creation myth... stealthily funny... this book is really about the man himself, Janet Maslin, The New York Times

With its revelations and its bonk-fest, it's an unabashed fan-pleaser, but also a timely, reassuring wallow in the undiluted essence of Reacher, Telegraph