Tripwire by Lee Child

Tripwire  is another Jack Reacher novel, and I love me some Jack Reacher.  This was the third in the series, and the last "catch up" novel for me.  Now, I've read all of the 15 novels in the series and eagerly await the imminent release of #16 this month.

Who is Jack Reacher?  At 6'5", he is a giant of a man, an ex MP, and a current vagrant of sorts.  After leaving the army, he moves from city to city at will, never staying very long in one place, and owning only what he wears and can carry.

  He is quiet and slow to anger, but has a propensity for violence when called for, as his villainous opponents discover to their chagrin.  He has a strong moral sense, and although it often is more personal and immediate than the legal system, his moral code has a sincere sense of justice.

 Reacher's skills include terrific hand-to-hand combat techniques, the ability to know time without referring to a watch, an unusual awareness of his surroundings, great reflexes; he is also a skilled marksman.  He is a sort of superhero whose feats are pretty remarkable and whose adventures are suspenseful and exciting.

He is a sort of Paladin.  (Remember Paladin?)  Not as fancy a dresser and not a "gun for hire," but a good man to have on your side when fighting the bad guys.

Trip Wire, the third in the series, is a case involving Leon Garber, his former commanding officer.  Garber, before his death, was looking into something that made him curious (and suspicious) for the elderly parents of a young soldier whose death in Vietnam the military won't confirm.  Garber sends for Reacher, but dies before Reacher arrives, and Reacher is determined to get to the bottom of the puzzle his friend and mentor was trying to solve.

Fiction.  Action/Adventure.  2000.  432 pages.