In 1955 fifteen soldiers took part in a military operation at a Scottish castle commandeered by the Royal Air Force. In the modern day, some plan a reunion at the same castle. Harry Bennett, our protagonist, accidentally discovers the reunion and is swept along with the crowd to Scotland. Lord, I do love the analyses we get when Reacher is planning his moves. Do all fighters think this way? I’m curious.

This reveals itself for be the fact the men were tested on with a memory removing drug. During their original trials, some locals were killed in an accident and this rather ridicoulsly has them being covered up in the current tense. Detective Podolski of the Metro PD is investigating the beating. Crew Scully is Deputy Chief of Staff with the Department of Defense. His best friend is the army’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Gabriel Montague. Without introducing spoilers, Lee Child introduced certain plot elements and characterizations in this novel that are quite different from previous novels, elements that could have moved this series into another realm, into something that would cause us to eat another 18 books like pop corn. He didn't do that. He relied, I'm guessing because of writer's fatigue, on his old formula. I'm thinking if L. Child is tired of writing Reacher novels, he could have ended the series beautifully with this novel. Or, if not tired, by taking a leap forwards, he could have transformed Reacher, given us the core reason why he is alone...why he discards human relationships, and in a way forced him to abandon that and bring us into more novels where he might struggle with his former life while living a new existence. Reacher is there to meet--in person--the new commanding officer, Major Susan Turner, so far just a warm, intriguing voice on the phone.waves hand* No need to dwell on the fact it’s my first JK read. I will fix that egregious error as soon as I can finagle my TBR as I need more of this world. Although this is easy on the eye, and there are a lot of plot twists and turns, it's really hard to work out why exactly this whole book is happening - there doesn't seem to be a real crime, and there certainly doesn't appear to be any reason why anybody is running around (let alone two Septuagenarian amateur detectives/ spivs) looking for anyone, nor why anyone else would want to be bumping these people off. A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. The party begins on the train up to Aberdeen, until the apparent suicide of one of their number shatters the holiday atmosphere. Their arrival in Scotland seems under a cloud, and when another comrade dies soon after their arrival, Harry is gripped by a sense of foreboding. As well, the recollections of the old comrades of their time in the castle are frighteningly different, and unexplained events from 1955 still haunt them. As Harry tries to solve the mystery of what really happened fifty years ago, he uncovers an extraordinary secret that convinces him he will never leave the castle alive. Combining an intricate puzzle of a plot and an exciting chase for truth and justice, Lee Child puts Reacher through his paces--and makes him question who he is, what he's done, and the very future of his untethered life on the open road.

They follow Samantha many days to a cafe - Sam asks why first! The paternity suit was a fraudulent “service” to get alimony. “You can’t be dad”, the cafe’s waitress is mom & neither of you recognized each other. With this story Goddard takes a group of RAF veterans and brings them together for a reunion 50 years after they parted company. In their RAF days they were not flying aces, but troublesome rogues who, due to their attitudes were assigned to an educational experiment in a castle in Scotland. We later find out that this was a trial of a mind altering drug and that something happened while they were there – which none of them can recall – and which the reunion is in danger of bringing to the fore. Of course the authorities have to stop this becoming known using any means and this is where we start the twists and turns and false leads of a great Goddard story. For me I was also enthralled by the geography he chose (even with the soirees to Swindon) especially the final few chapters which were set in the city of Glasgow. But why he chose the Millennium Hotel is beyond me. It can only be because it fronts St George’s Square and so suited the plot (I do wish Glasgow City Council would compel the owners of that hotel to give it a facelift!!).Oh, oh, I love it. Morgan’s recalling Reacher is gonna bite him bad, and I love that Reacher takes full advantage. Lord knows someone has to take the reins!

This book had me in a chokehold! Annie and Max (along with a certain someone!) consumed my thoughts and I couldn’t devour the book fast enough. Before you ask, yes *nods*, I can confirm that I held daily briefings with The Mommy detailing the current state of play in the book alongside theories on personal agendas and who’d copped it next! I was fit to burst with the need to talk to someone about this story.During the war, Harry and his fellow RAF conscripts spent three months in a Scottish castle where they acted as guinea pigs in a psychological experiment. The reunion is to take place in the same castle. It will be a chance to see friends, settle old scores and lay a few ghosts to rest. You know, over time I've read quite a few of the Reacher books now. I read them in groups of 2 or 3 at a time. I've commented before on why that is. The third and last installment in the Harry Barnet trilogy delivers the same solid crime/murder mystery as the previous books. Yes, yes, I know, easy enough for a reader to say "If I'd written this, I'd have done this and this." And in general I'd agree. But in this case, it might very well be a reason why I might abandon this series in the future. Yep, you can imagine how Goddard runs with this but cleverly holds out on the nature of the experiment till the end. Harry is not as fast or as fit as he used to be, but he still has his wits about him and later an irascible companion from two earlier books.

Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival. Lieutenant Colonel Morgan is temporarily in command at the 110th. He’s a troubleshooter sent in to clear up messes. Uh-huh… Captain Weiss is on duty at Fort Dyer. Warrant Officer Pete Espin is with the 75th MP.

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If you saw the movie first, don't worry. It's a good movie that diverges completely from this great book, pretty early on.