In a chaotic and confused world that at times feels out of control, it’s reassuring to know that there is something consistent—a place where the bad guys lose (and are often killed), where right overcomes wrong, and Reacher is still travelling light on a Greyhound bus with his toothbrush in his pocket and his moral compass showing the way to prevent bad things from happening to good people.

In Exit Strategy, Reacher gets a message from a stranger (Gilmour) not meant for him. His decision to let Gilmour know his message hasn’t reached its intended recipient has Reacher postponing the next leg of his trip to help a man in trouble. What follows is Reacher-justice dealt out to gambling-den owners, kidnappers, blackmailers, and ex-army and government personnel, all part of an ingenious plan to make money by starting conflicts in other countries.

The novel has all the elements of the old Reacher novels—fast pacing, excitement, unflinching revenge—but I found there were too many competing storylines. Although they were tied up by the end, they diluted what I thought was an intriguing central plot. Because of this, there didn’t seem to be enough space for the secondary characters to be fully developed, as they have been in previous novels.

The ending was a little disappointing for me, but as I’ve been reminded, Reacher’s job isn’t to fix lives—it’s to remove the danger and let people make their own decisions. 

If you love Reacher, you’ll probably love Exit Strategy.