Book Review: The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child @LeeChildReacher @Andrew_Grant @DelacortePress

The Sentinel
A Jack Reacher Novel #25
Lee Child and Andrew Child
Delacorte Press, October 2020
ISBN 978-1-9848-1846-1
Hardcover

Jack Reacher is back.  This time the novel is written by Lee Child and his brother Andrew Child, who will be taking over writing Jack Reacher novels.  Andrew Child is a successful author in his own right having written nine mystery thrillers.

I was eager as always to catch up with Reacher, and more than a little curious to find out how this joint effort would fare.  I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed.

Reacher, on the road after helping out a group of four struggling musicians in Nashville, hitches a ride out of town with a young man who is heading to a small town of Pleasantville.

On arriving in Pleasantville, Reacher thanks his companion for the ride, and heads to the nearest diner.  As he crosses the street, he quickly senses that something criminal is about to go down.  His antenna is telling him that a man, who has just left the diner, is about to be kidnapped.

Reacher stops the potential kidnapping, but the local police aren’t impressed with his efforts.  As a result, Reacher and the potential victim are taken to the local precinct.  After some questioning, both men are released.  Rusty Rutherford, the man he helped, thanks Reacher and together they head to the diner.

Reacher asks Rusty why someone would want to kidnap him.  Rusty explains that the town is under a Ransomware attack.  A malicious computer program has been used to lock up the entire network in town and everyone blames him for the ongoing disruption.  Rusty was in charge of the system but was fired from his job and the whole town blame him for the current situation.

The perpetrators are demanding a huge ransom which is meantime being negotiated, but that doesn’t explain Rusty’s attempted abduction. Reacher believes there has to be more happening here. And of course there is.

There are good guys and bad guys and Reacher, in his inimitable fashion, creates as much chaos and upheaval as he can as he unravels the  truth. Suffice it to say there’s lots of action and intrigue along the way.

Check it out….

Respectfully submitted,

Reviewed by guest reviewer Moyra Tarling, November 2020.