Gone Tomorrow , by Lee Child (Read by Dick Hill)
Jack Reacher could have stepped into any car on the 2:00 a.m. uptown subway, but he stepped into the one occupied by four ordinary-looking New Yorkers and one very peculiar woman. On seeing the woman, Reacher's investigative instincts kick in. As he mentally checks off each of the 11 characteristic behaviors of a suicide bomber, he realizes that he has to confront the woman before she triggers a bomb that will kill him and untold numbers of people. What follows is more explosive than any bomb could be, as Reacher navigates the secret worlds of all the people who brought Susan Marks to NYC on her deadly mission. At first suspected and then aided by a beautiful NYPD detective, Reacher's pursuit of the bad guys puts him the paths of an ambitious U.S. senator, Homeland Security, the FBI, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
"Gone tomorrow" might describe Reacher's nomadic existence as he moves almost daily from hotel to flop house to hotel with a toothbrush and little else. Despite his lack of computer, telephone, wardrobe and base of operations he proves to be a most effective one man crime-fighting force. Using Reacher's powers of observation, good solid logic and brute fighting force, Child takes the listener on a heart-stopping adventure through the terrifying worlds of international and domestic terrorism. Infused with references to military and political events of the recent past, the story takes on an immediacy, forcing the listener to wonder how much of the tale is pure fantasy and how many of the threats discussed have either occurred or might occur in the future.
Dick Hill's reading is perfect for Reacher's first person narration. He gives the straight forward, no-nonsense hero just the right hint of bravado to keep him menacing, but likeable. The other characters are portrayed equally effectively, with Southern, New Jersey or Slavic accents, as appropriate. This fast-paced mystery satisfies on many levels, giving the history buff, the armchair detective, the amateur psychologist, and the political analyst all a thought-provoking and thrilling pleasure.
Ruth
Mormon
8/7/09
