So the Lone Ranger was the last survivor of a bunch of Texas Rangers but he wasn't exactly Lone. He had Tonto (and Silver). Part 2 of this paired posting relates to another survivor, who definitely has lone tendencies - Jack (none) Reacher, and his latest outing.
Although the Lone Ranger (2013) couldn't go back home openly because the risk was too high, that sort of situation is a positive draw for ex-military cop Reacher, who usually wants his adversaries to know just who he is. In Never Go Back (released last month in the US, a few days after the UK release) author Lee Child covers exactly that territory. Reacher is interested in seeking out corruption and injustice too, and does his best to fix it. He's a man who has no home in the sense of owning a piece of real estate. Foxes have foxholes, birds have nests, but the closest thing Jack can call home is his old stomping ground - the HQ of 110th MP Special Unit in Rock Creek, Virginia - a short distance from what some Americans think is the HQ of planet Earth in Washington DC. Jack may have no title deeds, but he usually does find somewhere to lay his head...
In truth, the pull back isn't an adrenaline rush generated by perceived danger; completely different hormones are involved. While in South Dakota, Jack had reason to be on the phone to the unit he used to command, and he liked the sound (literally) of its new CO, Major Susan Turner. He felt obliged to check if the rest of her matched the allure of her voice.
He arrives back in Rock Creek to discover there are charges waiting for him, along with unsympathetic defence lawyers, and that Major Turner's been relieved of her command and is facing charges against her too. He quickly takes a dislike to the temporary CO, and begins to unpick criminal activity by rogue elements in the military in Afghanistan, activity which is apparently orchestrated at a high level in the US government. He also discovers that he's apparently the father of teenage daughter he's never met.
Reacher is a bit of a pedant, tho' he would likely argue that he is accurate rather than pedantic (how pedantic). He's woken at 6am by Sullivan, his female lawyer, banging on his door.
Reacher: "Give me eleven minutes."
Sullivan: "Eleven?"
R: "That's how long it takes me to get ready in the morning."
S: "Most people would say ten."
R: "Then they're either faster than me or imprecise."
Lee Child is often, but not always, as accurate. In Never Go Back he plays fast and loose with Biblical (mis)quotation:
"Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, crimes come down to love, hate, or money, and unlike what it says in the Bible, the greatest of these is money." I've no reason to question the first half of that sentence, but the Biblical inference is definitely incorrect.* Reacher would call that sloppy...
I often learn something new from a Reacher novel - whether it's actually true or not is another matter entirely, but it doesn't really matter. I've pointed out this sort of thing before. It's usually in the context of believable detail regarding police work, weaponry, or some such thing, and Child manages to make it ring true. In this particular novel, I 'learned' that airports are a good place to carry out surveillance undetected (if your prey is there...) because there are so many solo loiterers. Doing nothing behind a rumpled newspaper might be unusual on the street, but it's almost compulsory in an airport.
He does meet the girl he's told is his daughter (but without her knowing who he is). She's tall, fair-haired, with ridiculous attention to observational detail.... and it turns out she's a pedant too. Seems a strong argument for nature over nurture.
Unsurprisingly, Reacher takes out a few baddies along the way (only when he's left with no other choice of course). The way he does it is commendable in one respect - he takes particular care to note what were their wishes regarding being organ donors, a subject I've written about at length in a previous post. He also shows his sensitive side, enquiring about the thoughts and feelings of others. Confronting one assailant, he says "What were you thinking? A bunch of warehousemen against the 110th MP?... It's like batting practice. And you're all that's left. And you're all alone now. And you're next. How does that even feel?"
It's a familiar question. Here it is asked in 1966.
Inevitable cover by Mick n Keef here...
And a stunning one below
Plus an interesting one here from an upstart. How does it feel to have so many cool guitars, young lady?
What a collection of talent. Same as in the book:
Reacher and Turner team up. She's concerned he may be a bit 'feral.' As they close in on the corrupt bosses, they have the following exchange:
Turner: "Are you going to cut their heads off with a butter knife?"
Reacher: "I didn't get one yet. Maybe I should ask room service."
T: "I want a clean arrest. I want them in the cells... I want a full-dress court martial. I want it textbook, Reacher. I want to be exonerated in public."
R: "A clean arrest needs probable cause."
T: "So should cutting their heads off with a butter knife."
I don't think it's a plot spoiler to reveal here that no butter knives get dirtied.
One thing I found a little irritating was Reacher's recurring reference to binary options as being "50:50" in terms of likelihood of alternative possibilities. He does modify this occasionally, but his starting point always seemed to be 50:50, "like flipping a coin." Despite his correction for side uppermost pre-toss, this is at odds with his usual fastidious approach to assessment of risk. Most of the time, a bit like with Pascal's wager, there was no good reason to assume the odds of the alternatives were evenly balanced, or even semi-quantifiable.
By the end of the story, I'd say there are a few questions left unanswered. Like was justice done? What's the harm in a few consenting adults doing stuff behind closed doors that doesn't seem to harm anyone else (unless they get in their way)? Why not leave them to it?
There's one question you never even ask (if you've any experience of Reacher): 'Will Jack finally settle down and put down roots?'
He seems committed to being a lone ranger, but I'd need to get to know him better to determine whether or not he's a lonely boy. So, Lee, bring on the next one!
"Well I'm so above you
and it's plain to see
but I came to love you anyway...
So you pulled my heart out and I don't mind bleedin'"
Sounds like another fixer.
Reacher spends a fair bit of time in and around motels. Back in the 80s, so did Martha Davis.
I did it before for The Rezillos so, if you want to see a more recent version by Martha, click here
Who goes up against Reacher? Only the Dum-Dum-Dum-Dumdy do, ah.
*For those who would like to verify this themselves, the relevant portions are here and here.
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