Mixed Pickles - the Book log 2012

Well, it didn't take me long to come back to Lee Child. A disappointment here, a case of reader's block there (it's like writer's block, except you keep finding yourself getting stuck on page 25 of a book that you really want to enjoy), and you find a familiar voice calling out to you from the loibrary shelves. This is a fairly recent Jack reacher thriller, and it sees him summoned by an old army comrade to aid in the investigation into the murder of another of his Army days Special Investigation unit. Pretty soon half the old gang is back in town, looking for information and, if necessary, revenge - but who, exactly, is on their tails, and why? The plot line develops convincingly and bloodily - Reacher's own hit rate approaches double figures, and his targets expire in a satisfying variety of ways, and his cameraderie with his ex-colleagues gives an insight to Reacher's state of mind - both for the reader and, it seems, for Reacher himself. It will be interesting to see how he moves on from the experience in future novels, but in the meantime I am going to enjoy myself filling in with the intervening stories.