The Enemy by Lee Child

I found this book online and since I have been reading some of the new books by Lee Child I was eager to read this one. There is an official website giving a synopsis and reviews of The Enemy. This is a story from earlier times when Jack Reacher the main character is still a major in the military police. The character of Reacher is much more on display and in this story we see his relationship with his family. His brother Joe is alive and working in New York. His mother is terminally ill and they visit her to spend some quality time with her. There is depth in the characters as relationships are explored, not just within Reacher’s family but also of others in the story.

The murders taking place and Reacher being pressured to cover up the murders with leverage of circumstantial evidence that could put him in the frame for these murders. There is a lot of upheavel as the Berlin Wall is coming down and all expect to see major changes in the armed forces which possible reduction of personnel. The senior officers appear to be working hard to keep their niche and corps safe from reductions in services. Reacher who I have come to like from the books I have read, shows his independent and tenacious attitude with a single minded approach to solving the murders mystery. He is stubborn and has little regard for his new boss who is hounding him to drop his inquiries.

It is interesting to see the army life and note that my brush with the army made it all seem familiar. It appears that life in armed forces is very much similar no matter which country they belong to. Reacher’s love to flaunt the authority and get to the truth no matter what, is setting the scene for the future stories. You can see the disillusionment from which he leaves the army beginning to show in this story. The detailed descriptions of the places and people in the book are as expected of Lee Child. The journey takes Reacher and his lieutenant partner across to Europe – Berlin and Paris. This book is part personal and part professional life of Reacher unlike the later books. The eventual working out of the murder puzzle is worked out to the reader as Reacher himself gets the facts sorted. However, I was disappointed that the end is even more abrupt than what I have come to expect from Lee Child’s books. The answer to the puzzle to some extent is evident and yet the pieces do not fall into place until the end. I just wish the end of the story was tidier as I was left with the feeling – is that it? Where is the getting of the baddies?