I love the Jack Reacher series, as you probably know. Nothing to Lose is the 12th in the series, of which I believe I have now read 10. They are all good, but after a while certain themes reappear. In this case the reappearing theme is Jack-Reacher-against-the-town, a theme that appeared in the first Reacher, Killing Floor.
The town in this case is Despair, Colorado, just a few miles west of Hope. Reacher was just traveling through, on his way to California. He left Hope and walked to Despair. Where he was promptly arrested for vagrancy and run out of town. Well, you just don’t do that to Jack Reacher. Back in Hope – and in the arms of a sympathetic female officer of the law – he starts wondering why Despair was so unfriendly, so uninviting. Inquiring minds want to know.
NOTE: There is no such place as Despair CO. I checked because I wanted to put it on the itinerary for the next west coast trip.
Turns out the town has a secret. Or two. Or three. It is a company town, run entirely by a 70-something born-again preacher who owns a metal recycling plant that is the only industry in Despair. And, in addition to recycling old and totaled automobiles, the plant also recycles old and damaged Humvees and tanks under contract from the Army.
All of which Reacher learns in due course when, after being warned to never return to Despair again, he returns about a dozen times, stirring up various kinds of trouble and singlehandedly taking out the entire 6-man Despair police force and burning down the police station. A one-man wrecking crew, that Jack Reacher.
On one of these numerous return trips he finds that all 200-plus residents of Despair have been deputized and they have formed a human cordon around the town, just to keep Reacher away. No problem for Reacher – he just sneaks through the cordon, then sneaks back out again. There ain’t no town big enough to take on Jack Reacher. No sir-ree.
Anyway, it is preposterous and ridiculous and great fun, with a big ending that results in the recycling plant being destroyed. And then Reacher kisses the lady cop goodbye and continues on his way to California. Just a little interruption in his itinerary.
8 out of 10.