Once Upon a Time When Jack Reacher Was Still in the Army...

Although this is the eighth book to be published in the Jack Reacher series, it's a prequel to the others. It begins on New Year's Eve, as 1989 is turning into 1990. At the time, Reacher is still in the army and has just been transferred from Panama to Fort Bird, North Carolina. While almost everyone else is out celebrating, Reacher is the Military Police duty officer on the post when a two star general is found dead in a sleazy motel thirty miles from the base.

It appears that the married general has died of a heart attack while in the middle of having sex with a cheap hooker. By the time Reacher arrives, the hooker is long gone and so is the general's briefcase. Reacher's orders are to contain the situation so that the army will not be embarrassed. But what seems like a minor problem that can be solved relatively easily, turns into something much, much larger when Reacher finds the general's widow murdered miles away in Virginia. It also turns out that a very sensitive document is missing along with the general's briefcase.

The whole situation becomes very complicated and Reacher pairs up with a tough female M.P. named Summer to tackle the problem. He will find himself in a lot of trouble and in very grave danger as he digs into a situation that could ultimately threaten a lot of lives and careers, including his own. And, in the middle of all this, he has to deal with a critical family situation as well.

This is a very entertaining read that explains a lot about the army at the end of the Cold War and about the way in which the Military Police work. It also provides a lot of background about Reacher and his family that the reader hasn't learned before. (view spoiler) Reacher, while younger, is his usual self and will naturally have to break a few heads along the way as he battles a boatload of adversaries, most all of whom are in the army as well and some of whom are his superior officers. All in all, a fun book with lots of action.