Action & Adventure
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No Plan B: A Jack Reacher Novel
The gripping new Jack Reacher thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child
"No Plan B is not to be missed. A perfectly plotted, fast-paced thriller, with bigger twists than ever before. It's no wonder Jack Reacher is everyone's favorite rebel hero."-Karin Slaughter
In Gerrardsville, Colorado, a woman dies under the wheels of a moving bus. The death is ruled a suicide. But Jack Reacher saw what really happened: A man in a gray hoodie and jeans, moving stealthily, pushed the victim to her demise-before swiftly grabbing the dead woman's purse and strolling away.
When another homicide is ruled an accident, Reacher knows this is no coincidence. With a killer on the loose, Reacher has no time to waste to track down those responsible.
But Reacher is unaware that these crimes are part of something much larger and more far-reaching: an arsonist out for revenge, a foster kid on the run, a cabal of powerful people involved in a secret conspiracy with many moving parts. There is no room for error, but they make a grave one. They don't consider Reacher a threat. "There's too much at stake to start running from shadows." But Reacher isn't a shadow. He is flesh and blood. And relentless when it comes to making things right.
For when the threat is Reacher, there is No Plan B.
"No Plan B is not to be missed. A perfectly plotted, fast-paced thriller, with bigger twists than ever before. It's no wonder Jack Reacher is everyone's favorite rebel hero."-Karin Slaughter
In Gerrardsville, Colorado, a woman dies under the wheels of a moving bus. The death is ruled a suicide. But Jack Reacher saw what really happened: A man in a gray hoodie and jeans, moving stealthily, pushed the victim to her demise-before swiftly grabbing the dead woman's purse and strolling away.
When another homicide is ruled an accident, Reacher knows this is no coincidence. With a killer on the loose, Reacher has no time to waste to track down those responsible.
But Reacher is unaware that these crimes are part of something much larger and more far-reaching: an arsonist out for revenge, a foster kid on the run, a cabal of powerful people involved in a secret conspiracy with many moving parts. There is no room for error, but they make a grave one. They don't consider Reacher a threat. "There's too much at stake to start running from shadows." But Reacher isn't a shadow. He is flesh and blood. And relentless when it comes to making things right.
For when the threat is Reacher, there is No Plan B.
Editorial Reviews
Praise for No Plan B
"The ‘Child' brothers keep powering along, and their collaboration is bringing a new energy to the beloved Jack Reacher series (which is also flush with new fans in the wake of the hit adaptation). No Plan B has all the staples we've come to appreciate: a smalltown, arrived to seemingly at random, but soon Reacher finds a conspiracy unfolding, as a series of ‘accidental' deaths have something more sinister behind them. Reacher, naturally, will apply brutal reason (and other brutal forces) to find his way into the depths of this small town's corrupt soul."-CrimeReads
"No Plan B is one of the best Reacher books in years."-TheRealBookSpy
"Who could ask for more?" -Publishers Weekly
"Fans who come for the action . . . will not be disappointed. . . . A grimly efficient addition to the Reacher canon."-Kirkus Reviews
"No Plan B is not to be missed. It is a perfectly plotted, fast-paced thriller, with bigger twists than ever before. It's no wonder Jack Reacher is everyone's favorite rebel hero."-Karin Slaughter
"The world's favorite hero packs an even harder punch than ever."-Peter James
Praise for the Jack Reacher series
"The truth about Reacher gets better and better. . . . This series [is] utterly addictive."-Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"Jack Reacher is today's James Bond, a thriller hero we can't get enough of. I read every one as soon as it appears."-Ken Follett
"Reacher is the stuff of myth. . . . One of this century's most original, tantalizing pop-fiction heroes."-The Washington Post
"I'm a fan."-James Patterson
"The Reacher novels are easily the best thriller series going."-NPR
"Reacher is a man for whom the phrase moral compass was invented: His code determ...
"The ‘Child' brothers keep powering along, and their collaboration is bringing a new energy to the beloved Jack Reacher series (which is also flush with new fans in the wake of the hit adaptation). No Plan B has all the staples we've come to appreciate: a smalltown, arrived to seemingly at random, but soon Reacher finds a conspiracy unfolding, as a series of ‘accidental' deaths have something more sinister behind them. Reacher, naturally, will apply brutal reason (and other brutal forces) to find his way into the depths of this small town's corrupt soul."-CrimeReads
"No Plan B is one of the best Reacher books in years."-TheRealBookSpy
"Who could ask for more?" -Publishers Weekly
"Fans who come for the action . . . will not be disappointed. . . . A grimly efficient addition to the Reacher canon."-Kirkus Reviews
"No Plan B is not to be missed. It is a perfectly plotted, fast-paced thriller, with bigger twists than ever before. It's no wonder Jack Reacher is everyone's favorite rebel hero."-Karin Slaughter
"The world's favorite hero packs an even harder punch than ever."-Peter James
Praise for the Jack Reacher series
"The truth about Reacher gets better and better. . . . This series [is] utterly addictive."-Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"Jack Reacher is today's James Bond, a thriller hero we can't get enough of. I read every one as soon as it appears."-Ken Follett
"Reacher is the stuff of myth. . . . One of this century's most original, tantalizing pop-fiction heroes."-The Washington Post
"I'm a fan."-James Patterson
"The Reacher novels are easily the best thriller series going."-NPR
"Reacher is a man for whom the phrase moral compass was invented: His code determ...
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter 1
The meeting was held in a room with no windows.
The room was rectangular and it had no windows because it had no external walls. It was contained within a larger, square room. And the square room was contained within an even larger octagonal room. Together this nest of rooms formed the command hub of Unit S2 at the Minerva Correctional Facility in Winson, Mississippi. Along with its sister segregation unit, S1, it was the most secure place in the complex. It was laid out with walls like the concentric rings of a medieval castle. Designed to be impregnable. From the outside, even if attacked by the most determined rescuers. And from the inside, even during the most extreme riot.
The safety aspect was welcome but the reason the hub had been chosen for this meeting was its seclusion. The opportunity it offered for complete secrecy. Because the rest of Unit S2 was vacant. There were no guards. No admin staff. And none of its 120 isolation cells were in use. They weren't needed. Not with the way the prison was run under its current management. The progressive approach was a cause of great pride. And great PR.
There were six men in the room, and this was the third covert meeting they'd held there in the last week. The men were spread out around a long, narrow table and there were two spare chairs pushed back against a blank, white wall. The furniture was made of bright blue polycarbonate. Each piece was cast in a single mold, leaving no joins or seams. The shape and material made the items hard to break. The color made it hard to conceal any parts that did somehow get smashed off. It was practical. But not very comfortable. And all left over from the previous administration.
Three of the men were wearing suits. Bruno Hix, Minerva's Chief Executive and joint founder, at the head of the table. Damon Brockman, Chief Operating Officer and the other joint founder, to Hix's right. And Curtis Riverdale, the prison's warden, next to Brockman. The man next to Riverdale, the last one on that side of the table, was wearing a uniform. He was Rod Moseley, Chief of the Winson Police Department. On the opposite side, to Hix's left, were two guys in their late twenties. Both were wearing black T-shirts and jeans. One had a broken nose and two black eyes and a forehead full of angry purple bruises. The other had his left arm in a sling. Both were trying to avoid the other men's eyes.
"So is there a problem or not?" Brockman shrugged his shoulders. "Can anyone say for sure that there is? No. Therefore we should go ahead as planned. There's too much at stake to start running from shadows."
"No." Riverdale shook his head. "If there might be a problem that means there is a problem, the way I see things. Safety first. We should-"
"We should find out for sure," Moseley said. "Make an informed decision. The key is, did the guy look in the envelope? That's what we need to know."
No one spoke.
"Well?" Moseley stretched his leg out under the table and kicked the guy with the sling. "Wake up. Answer the question."
"Give me a break." The guy stifled a yawn. "We had to drive all night to get to Colorado. And all night again to get back here."
"Cry me a river." Moseley prodded the guy with his foot. "Just tell us. Did he look?"
The guy stared at the wall. "We don't know."
"Looking in the envelope isn't definitive," Riverdale said. "If he did look, we need to know if he understood what he saw. And what he plans to do about it."
"Whether the guy looked is irrelevant," Brockman said. "So what if he did? Nothing in there gives the slightest clue to what's going on."
Riverdale shook his head. "It mentions 10:00 a.m. on Friday. Very clearly. The time, the date, the place."
"So what?" Brockman raised his hands. "Friday's an occasion for joy and celebration. There's nothing remotely suspicious about it."
"But the photograph was in there." Riverdale jabbed the air with his finger in time with each syllable. "Eight by ten. Impossible to miss."
"And again, that means nothing." Brockman threw himself back in his chair. "Not unless the guy actually comes here. If he shows up on Friday. And even then we'd be OK. We chose very carefully."
"We didn't. How could we? We only had nine to pick from."
A smile flashed across Moseley's face. "Ironic, isn't it? That the one we picked really is innocent."
"I wouldn't call it ironic." Riverdale scowled. "And there weren't nine. There were only five. The others had family. That ruled them out."
"Nine?" Brockman said. "Five? Whatever. The number doesn't matter. Only the outcome matters. And the outcome is good enough. Even if the guy shows up, how close would ...
The meeting was held in a room with no windows.
The room was rectangular and it had no windows because it had no external walls. It was contained within a larger, square room. And the square room was contained within an even larger octagonal room. Together this nest of rooms formed the command hub of Unit S2 at the Minerva Correctional Facility in Winson, Mississippi. Along with its sister segregation unit, S1, it was the most secure place in the complex. It was laid out with walls like the concentric rings of a medieval castle. Designed to be impregnable. From the outside, even if attacked by the most determined rescuers. And from the inside, even during the most extreme riot.
The safety aspect was welcome but the reason the hub had been chosen for this meeting was its seclusion. The opportunity it offered for complete secrecy. Because the rest of Unit S2 was vacant. There were no guards. No admin staff. And none of its 120 isolation cells were in use. They weren't needed. Not with the way the prison was run under its current management. The progressive approach was a cause of great pride. And great PR.
There were six men in the room, and this was the third covert meeting they'd held there in the last week. The men were spread out around a long, narrow table and there were two spare chairs pushed back against a blank, white wall. The furniture was made of bright blue polycarbonate. Each piece was cast in a single mold, leaving no joins or seams. The shape and material made the items hard to break. The color made it hard to conceal any parts that did somehow get smashed off. It was practical. But not very comfortable. And all left over from the previous administration.
Three of the men were wearing suits. Bruno Hix, Minerva's Chief Executive and joint founder, at the head of the table. Damon Brockman, Chief Operating Officer and the other joint founder, to Hix's right. And Curtis Riverdale, the prison's warden, next to Brockman. The man next to Riverdale, the last one on that side of the table, was wearing a uniform. He was Rod Moseley, Chief of the Winson Police Department. On the opposite side, to Hix's left, were two guys in their late twenties. Both were wearing black T-shirts and jeans. One had a broken nose and two black eyes and a forehead full of angry purple bruises. The other had his left arm in a sling. Both were trying to avoid the other men's eyes.
"So is there a problem or not?" Brockman shrugged his shoulders. "Can anyone say for sure that there is? No. Therefore we should go ahead as planned. There's too much at stake to start running from shadows."
"No." Riverdale shook his head. "If there might be a problem that means there is a problem, the way I see things. Safety first. We should-"
"We should find out for sure," Moseley said. "Make an informed decision. The key is, did the guy look in the envelope? That's what we need to know."
No one spoke.
"Well?" Moseley stretched his leg out under the table and kicked the guy with the sling. "Wake up. Answer the question."
"Give me a break." The guy stifled a yawn. "We had to drive all night to get to Colorado. And all night again to get back here."
"Cry me a river." Moseley prodded the guy with his foot. "Just tell us. Did he look?"
The guy stared at the wall. "We don't know."
"Looking in the envelope isn't definitive," Riverdale said. "If he did look, we need to know if he understood what he saw. And what he plans to do about it."
"Whether the guy looked is irrelevant," Brockman said. "So what if he did? Nothing in there gives the slightest clue to what's going on."
Riverdale shook his head. "It mentions 10:00 a.m. on Friday. Very clearly. The time, the date, the place."
"So what?" Brockman raised his hands. "Friday's an occasion for joy and celebration. There's nothing remotely suspicious about it."
"But the photograph was in there." Riverdale jabbed the air with his finger in time with each syllable. "Eight by ten. Impossible to miss."
"And again, that means nothing." Brockman threw himself back in his chair. "Not unless the guy actually comes here. If he shows up on Friday. And even then we'd be OK. We chose very carefully."
"We didn't. How could we? We only had nine to pick from."
A smile flashed across Moseley's face. "Ironic, isn't it? That the one we picked really is innocent."
"I wouldn't call it ironic." Riverdale scowled. "And there weren't nine. There were only five. The others had family. That ruled them out."
"Nine?" Brockman said. "Five? Whatever. The number doesn't matter. Only the outcome matters. And the outcome is good enough. Even if the guy shows up, how close would ...
