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Critic's Corner
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61 HOURS Exactly 61 hours before “it” happened, a lawyer met with a prisoner in the new prison outside of Bolton, South Dakota. No notes were taken, no tapes made of the conversation. The lawyer using his photographic memory listened to each word the prisoner said putting each to memory. By the time he left the prison snow which had begun earlier covered the ground and roadways. He headed back through Bolton onto the highway as the blizzard increased. His car slid on an icy bridge throwing him into the path of an oncoming bus. By some miracle he avoided the bus by inches once more steadying his car onto the highway. Unfortunately the bus wasn’t so lucky. The driver yanked the wheel, too much, too late. Out of control the bus finally stopped at an angle, tilted a little, the front third in the ditch, the rear two-thirds still on the shoulder, and the engine compartment hanging out in the traffic lane. The passengers were a homogenous bunch, all except for one; twenty white-haired seniors plus a younger man. The group, from Seattle were on a cultural tour on their way to visit Mount Rushmore. The odd passenger had joined the bus at a rest stop just east of a town called Cavour. He asked for a ride and paid for his passage. He was like a hitchhiker, but not quite. His name was Reacher, Jack Reacher. The bus driver using his cell phone called ahead to the next town, Bolton. Soon police officer Peterson drove up to investigate the situation and inform the passengers he had transportation coming to take them into town. Because of the snow storm all the local motels were full of stranded travelers and visitors who’d come to see someone at the correctional center. Lucky for the passengers, townsfolk volunteered to take them into their own homes. All except Reacher who was to stay the night with Officer Peterson and his family. Chief Tom Holland explained to Reacher he’d have to wait for Peterson’s return as he was busy on a case. A recent homicide had occurred and it was keeping the officers quite busy. The lawyer called his contact and relayed from memory all the instructions he’d been given. The man hung up the phone then contacted the people who would implement the projects. Far from Bolton, South Dakota in a walled compound a hundred miles from Mexico City, an ambitious drug lord, named Plato, added yet another proposal to the list received. The lawyer was to be silenced as was the one witness the police had. Plato’s set-up was an international organization and as such must be protected at all costs. So, Jack Reacher once again encounters more adventure than he bargained for in his wanderings around the country. Bolton is being menaced by a large gang of probable meth dealers. Cops can’t get a warrant to raid them. The men are too careful. Two things happened, a local elderly woman witnessed a drug sale and reported it. She’s willing to testify. Then one of the gang members is killed by an unknown person. Now the police suspect a hit man is being sent to Bolton to kill the witness. It seems whatever is going on just outside of town in the abandoned Army facility is just too big to be shut down by the locals. As each hour passes the clock is counting down to something that is set to happen in the very near future. The blizzard has all traffic shut down, there is no escape route for Reacher to avoid what’s coming. He’s literally landed in the crosshairs of a deadly confrontation—that rockets him to a final showdown so shocking these sixty-one hours will be the focus of the media’s conversation points for weeks to come. If you think you know how Reacher will react when pushed to his breaking point, then you don’t know Jack! Readers familiar with author Lee Child, know from page one he’s set them a real puzzler this time. This is an adventure like no other Reacher has faced before. Will he survive this time? That question is literally up in the air. “61 Hours” is a must read. Buy 61
Hours Patricia Ann Jones is a published writer and has recently retired from her position of 18 years as a reviewer for the Tulsa World newspaper. To comment on this review you may email pattij777@aol.com. |
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from Amazon.com
