Running Blind (Jack Reacher, #4)

Title: Running Blind (Jack Reacher, #4)

Author: Lee Child

Published in: 2000

Date read: 24th October 2019

Score: 3/5

Genre: Crime, Thriller, Psychological

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Running Blind" (published as "The Visitor" in the UK) by Lee Child, published in 2000, is the fourth novel in the Jack Reacher series. It presents Reacher with a chilling, personal case involving the targeting of female military personnel.

The story begins with Jack Reacher, still a drifter, being unexpectedly pulled back into his past. He is summoned to Washington D.C. by the FBI. A series of seemingly unconnected women, all former military personnel, have been found brutally murdered, each killed in their bathtubs, seemingly by a strangler who then leaves a bizarre, almost ritualistic mark: a small, almost invisible puncture wound on their bodies.

The FBI has little to go on, but they have a crucial, disturbing lead: DNA evidence found at the crime scenes implicates Reacher. Although Reacher knows he is innocent, the evidence is undeniable, placing him firmly at the top of their suspect list.

Forced to cooperate to clear his name, Reacher is assigned to work with Special Agent Lisa Harper, a sharp and determined FBI agent. Their initial relationship is fraught with tension and suspicion, as Harper must reconcile Reacher's calm demeanour with the damning evidence against him.

As Reacher and Harper delve into the victims' backgrounds, they uncover a chilling connection: all the women had attended the same highly competitive and intense military training program at West Point or similar academies. Reacher's intimate knowledge of military life and the psychology of its elite members becomes invaluable.

The investigation leads them into the shadowy world of highly specialized military operations, secret training exercises, and the dark underbelly of personal vendettas. They suspect the killer is someone from their shared military past, meticulously targeting these women for reasons unknown. The murderer is cunning and precise, leaving almost no trace, making the pursuit a complex and dangerous cat-and-mouse game.

The search for the truth takes Reacher and Harper across the United States, from bustling cities to isolated rural areas, as they race against time to prevent the next murder. Reacher uses his formidable skills in observation, combat, and psychological deduction to piece together the killer's motives and identity.

The climax involves a tense confrontation where Reacher faces the relentless killer, whose twisted logic and horrifying methods are finally exposed. "Running Blind" is a gripping thriller that forces Reacher to confront his own past and showcases his unique brand of justice against a deeply disturbing adversary.

Comments:
Very good book and entertaining. I fear that my scoring for this may seem harsh but it is compared with the others so far and this was not as good as the previous 3.

Books that we've read by Lee Child (4):
Killing Floor (Jack Reacher #1) (1997), Die Trying (Jack Reacher, #2) (1998), Tripwire (Jack Reacher, #3) (1999), Running Blind (Jack Reacher, #4) (2000)