EXIT STRATEGY

In his 30th adventure, Jack Reacher is untangling strange doings at the port of Baltimore.

Reacher is in Baltimore to catch a blues concert when a stranger bumps into him at a coffee shop. The man, Nathan Gilmour, plants a note in his pocket saying, among other things: “Must disappear/ Life in danger/ Need help!” and giving the address of an abandoned warehouse for a proposed late-night meeting. “Come alone/ Bring what I’m owed,” the note concludes. “Please.” Ever curious, Reacher scouts out the meeting spot and decides to let Gilmour know he delivered the note to the wrong person. Gilmour proceeds to tell Reacher his sad story. He was in military intelligence, but struggled with a gambling addiction after returning stateside. A stranger offered to pay off Gilmour’s gambling debts and install him in a job at port administration in Baltimore; in exchange, Gilmour would feed him information about upcoming shipments. After a co-worker was killed in an on-site accident, Gilmour realized he was the likely target and lost his appetite for the scheme. Reacher isn’t inclined to get involved until Gilmour reveals that the bad guys have threatened to kill his young nephew if he doesn’t play ball. Reacher and Gilmour decide to talk to Sabrina Patten, another employee at the port authority, who they suspect is also being blackmailed. Together, the three investigate the counselor who is the only known link between them, suspecting she’s in cahoots with their blackmailer. The trail leads to Morgan Strickland, owner of Strickland Security Solutions, who has created a diabolical plan to make money off armed conflict between Turkey and Armenia. The plot is pleasingly complex, even if some of the pieces at the end don’t quite fit neatly into the puzzle. It’s a good story, but Reacher’s dominant personality is muted. He’s as committed to vigilante justice as ever, but lacks his usual keen insight and curiosity about human behavior.

A competent adventure, but Reacher himself feels dim, almost forgettable.