My effort to fill in the gaps and finish every single one of Lee Child’s novels (before the author’s April 11 appearance at Baxter Arena) continued this week with the author's 2002 outing “Without Fail.”
As I said in my review of “Echo Burning” last week, Lee Child doesn’t write the same novel twice. Because his protagonist is a loner who wanders the country (since he left his life as a military policeman), he can head anywhere and become embroiled in a variety of intriguing mysteries.
“Without Fail” finds Jack Reacher in New Jersey. He had hitched a ride with aging R&B musicians in California — headed for greener pastures in Atlantic City. Reacher is trying to help the pair receive the proper “fee for service” at the lounge where they’re performing.
It’s November. It’s cold in New Jersey. Reacher sets out to find an affordable clothing store where he can purchase a coat and some warmer duds. He also needs more money, and contacts his bank to have funds wired to Western Union.
The call to the bank sets our plot into motion. It turns out a United States Secret Service agent named M.E. Froelich is looking for someone who can help with an investigation. Her research points to Jack Reacher, but the fact that he’s off the grid makes him a hard man to track down.
But find him they do.
Froelich discovers Reacher on his way to pickup the wire transfer at Western Union. He spots her black Chevrolet Suburban. The two chat and Reacher learns that Froelich had worked with — and dated — his deceased brother, Joe.
“I want to hire you for something,” she said. “On a kind of posthumous recommendation from Joe. Because of what he used to say about you. He talked about you, time to time.”
Reacher isn’t looking for employment, but is intrigued by her “interesting proposition” — the agency needs someone to poke holes in their protection procedures for the Vice President-Elect of the United States.
In short order Reacher finds himself a consultant for the U.S. Secret Service. He hires a former colleague — Frances Neagley — to help them test the security around Vice President-elect Armstrong.
Reacher and Neagley prove that the politician isn’t as safe as one might believe.
But this wasn’t a mere “test” of policies and procedures. The would-be veep has received a threatening letter (intercepted by the Secret Service) — a simple message on a particular stock of white paper, printed on a Hewlett-Packard laser printer, in Times New Roman font, with a single fingerprint (that doesn’t come up in any of the government databases).
It’s a puzzle that sends Reacher, Neagley, and Froelich spinning around the corridors of Washington, D.C., and the wide-open spaces of the Great Plains (Armstrong is a senator from North Dakota).
Reacher is trying to figure out if those threatening Armstrong are hoping to implement their nefarious deed and escape — as Edward Fox did in the movie “The Day of the Jackal” — or if they are planning to die in the act of treachery — like John Malkovich’s renegade CIA agent in “In the Line of Fire.”
The story itself is compelling. It lacks the action and theatrical punch featured in some of Child’s other Jack Reacher stories — until the final act of “Without Fail,” which is pretty terrific.
Instead, “Without Fail” is more procedural in nature, showing Reacher analyzing a variety of evidence in the hunt for the truth (he even turns to various iterations of the constitution for clues). The antagonists in this story are basically unseen, and there are a variety of red herrings thrown in for good measure.
Reacher also finds himself in an awkward romantic relationship with Froelich as the novel progresses — the agent still has some of Joe’s old suits and personal belongings in her home.
Froelich is conflicted as she tries to convince herself (and Reacher) that she isn’t trying to bring Joe back from the dead, or live vicariously through his brother.
The early setup of the story reminded me a bit of Stephen Hunter’s novel “Point of Impact” (which was made into the movie “Shooter” starring Mark Wahlberg). The two stories ultimately take divergent paths.
Reacher’s brother Joe was a key plot point in Child’s first novel “Killing Floor,” and it was nice to see Reacher get a bit of closure on his sibling in “Without Fail.”
Lee Child worked in television before he became a writer at age 40 (he was laid off by Granada television). In this clip he talks about the importance of dialogue and research in his work:
One of my favorite aspects of a Jack Reacher novel is the banter between characters. It doesn’t matter whether Child is writing the novel in first or third person (six of the Reacher novels are told using the first person narrative), the conversations are crisp and quick.
I also like Child’s view on research — not to let it overwhelm the story, Too many novels I’ve read have awkward “info-dumps” at certain points, and you can tell the writer is excited to share how much they learned in the research process.
“Without Fail” is an intriguing novel in Lee Child’s repertoire (if you’re new to the Jack Reacher novels, I’d start with “Killing Floor”). The story gives new insight into Reacher’s family life, and adds additional depth to the character. It is a tad slower than the best outings in the series, but worth the read.
Also, as I mentioned in my previous review of “Echo Burning,” Lee Child is set to give a free talk at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Baxter Arena on April 11. Click here to learn more about the event — which includes ticket information.
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