Lee Child adds his twentieth book in the Reacher saga with Make Me. While tautly written, the story is not an action adventure, but the narrative is gripping and the tale unfolds smoothly and quickly.

The strength of the story lies in the protagonist, Jack Reacher. He is a stellar character: watchful but not infallible, skilled but not superhuman, intelligent but not genius. He’s a character who is intriguing in his own right without needing a tragic, dramatic backstory to make him so. The female character, as with all of the Reacher novels, is flat and interchangeable. The character serves as a plot device, and while she serves the story well in that regard, I think a more fully-fleshed character would have added an interesting dynamic to the tale.

In Make Me, Reacher ventures with curiosity and unflinching resolution into uncovering the dark underbelly of humanity. Shocking and gritty, the climax of the story is haunting and grotesque. And, as always, Reacher metes out justice with rousing ruthlessness and pragmatism. This twentieth installment in Mr. Child’s series is an excellent, memorable read.