The Affair by Lee Child

Everything starts somewhere. For elite military cop Jack Reacher, that somewhere was Carter Crossing, Mississippi, way back in 1997.

A lonely railroad track. A crime scene. A cover-up. A young woman is dead, and solid evidence points to a soldier at a nearby military base. But that soldier has powerful friends in Washington.

Reacher is ordered undercover to find out everything he can and then to vanish. But when he gets to Carter Crossing, Reacher meets local sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux, who has a thirst for justice and an appetite for secrets. Uncertain they can trust each other, they reluctantly join forces. Finding unexpected layers to the case, Reacher works to uncover the truth, while others try to bury it forever. The conspiracy threatens to shatter his faith in his mission—and turn him into a man to be feared.

Did NOT enjoy this book. Not at all.

The Jack Reacher thrillers are very similar to an episode of a TV show such as CSI, Law and Order or NCIS. Easy, very entertaining, extremely addictive, but in the end rather forgettable. The very definition of a good holiday read - I'll be back for more.

This is a Jack Teacher book I've been waiting for. It's the story of how Jack left / forced out of the Army. Very much worth the wait. It really gets into his history and fills in a lot of the holes in the whole Reacher story.

"You want me to impersonate a civilian?" [Reacher said]
"It's not that hard. we're all members of the same species, more our less. You'll figure it out."

Thus begins the sixteenth Jack Reacher novel. Taking place in 1997, he's still an MP, and is being sent undercover into a small town near an army base, while another investigator is being sent into the base it self to investigate a murder possibly tied to base personnel.
His undercover disguise looks pretty much like the post-discharge Jack Reacher we know – no job, good pair of boots, a toothbrush and one shirt. He wanders into town, finds an ally or two and gets to work.
It takes very little time for Reacher to find himself at odds with some locals (I didn't think this storyline was all that satisfying, but it gave Reacher a chance to bash in a few heads). Not that he's ever short of ego, but he seems cockier than I'm used to – I'm assuming that comes from the inherent authority of an MP as opposed to a loan wanderer. Regardless, it was a kick to read his encounters, with this extended family:

He said, “Is there a reason I don't get out of this truck and kick your butt?”
I said, “Two hundred and six reasons.”
He said, “What?”
“That's how many bones you got in your body. I could break them all before you put a glove on me.”
Which got his buddy going. Hist instinct was to stick up for his friend and face down a challenge. He leaned further out his own window and said, “You think?”
I said, “Often all day long. It's a good habit to have.”

that

Killing Floor