The countdown begins even before Reacher arrives. The first two sentences set the tone.  “Five minutes to three in the afternoon. Exactly sixty-one hours before it happened.”   

A lawyer visits his client in prison. Afterwards he places a call on his cell phone. During the call he momentarily loses control of his car and fishtails across the road. A tour bus passes him. 

Reacher has hitched a ride on the tour bus. Because of the lawyer’s inattentive driving, the bus ends up in a ditch. All the passengers are put up in homes in nearby Bolton.   

The local police are on high alert. There’s been a major drug bust in town, and a witness has agreed to testify. Their problem is an agreement that mandates in the event of an incident at the prison, the police—each and every one—will assume predetermined defensive positions that may leave the town unprotected. The police fear someone will be arriving to silence the witness.  They are closely checking every new arrival in town. Of course, Reacher becomes a person of interest. Eventually he convinces them that he’s friend not foe – a very useful friend. 

What the police don’t know is that a Mexican drug kingpin is planning to sell some valuable property in the open country just outside of Bolton. 

And the countdown continues. 

The best aspect of 61 Hours is the building tension. It starts in the first paragraph and builds inexorably as the hours count down. Adding to the tension is the isolated setting and brutal weather.The narrative has several appealing secondary characters: the witness who knows the danger she’s facing but believes in doing the right thing (I’m a sucker for librarians who break the meek stereotype); the assistant chief of police who is determined to keep his town safe; and the Army officer who presently holds the position that was once Jack Reacher’s.   

There’s one huge question that goes unanswered in 61 Hours. Why is Jack Reacher even in the region? He clearly doesn’t like the local weather. Moreover, who in their right mind would sign up for a “cultural tour” of South Dakota (yes, that’s right: “cultural tour”) in winter … even at a deep discount? Don’t these people have access to The Weather Channel or an almanac? 

The vast legion of fans who closely follow Jack Reacher’s every move will consider 61 Hours a must-read. Reacher is his usual insightful, courageous, and intrepid self; the bad guy is really scary; and the tension never lets up. This one is a worthy addition to the Reacher saga. Readers may find the ending unsatisfying, but there’s hope: the next book is due out on October 19. 

--Lesley Dunlap