Jack Reacher is back, in this, the 18th in the series. Like all the others I read this in one or two sittings in spite of the fact that some parts did not involve as much action as we have come to expect from this series. Lee Child's skill in causing one to turn the page is really quite excellent. Completing the book I took a look around GR and touched base with some fellow fans of this series. Although I was going to give this book a 4 star rating, reading their reviews caused me to halt spitting out my own. It's been a few weeks since completing this book and in that time I've had reasons to downgrade this book. In part, due to my friends' reviews, and in part because I let my subconscious sift through the rubble that was my initial thinking.I believe Child made a serious mistake in this one. When I eat a certain delicacy over and over, one after the other, there comes a time when I want something different. Or, perhaps another analogy might do: you know those cereal boxes in the store, the ones with the horrendous packaging? How long has it been since humanity has had to deal with those impossible to open wax paper linings inside the cereal box. I mean, really! Isn't it time that we added a zip lock to the damned things? You see, right? When repeatedly going through the same struggle, we want some sort of progress. Same thing with series books.Without introducing spoilers, Lee Child introduced certain plot elements and characterizations in this novel that are quite different from previous novels, elements that could have moved this series into another realm, into something that would cause us to eat another 18 books like pop corn. He didn't do that. He relied, I'm guessing because of writer's fatigue, on his old formula. I'm thinking if L. Child is tired of writing Reacher novels, he could have ended the series beautifully with this novel. Or, if not tired, by taking a leap forwards, he could have transformed Reacher, given us the core reason why he is alone...why he discards human relationships, and in a way forced him to abandon that and bring us into more novels where he might struggle with his former life while living a new existence.Yes, yes, I know, easy enough for a reader to say "If I'd written this, I'd have done this and this." And in general I'd agree. But in this case, it might very well be a reason why I might abandon this series in the future.---------------------------------------------------------------------If you feel a certain affinity for the lone hero, a man of principle, of unwavering knowledge and assent as to his own actions, than Jack Reacher's your kinda guy.Out of all the consequences that arise out of human motivation I do think that the threat of isolation and the threat of death are among the top two motivations that drive humans to do what they do. The Dark Ages, for example, arising out of a religious view - which is at base made possible by a fear of death - is one such consequence and much has been written about this in fiction: Umberto Eco's, the Name of the Rose for example. And then on the subject of isolation, a continuing theme in this series, we have Lee Child's hero Jack Reacher Let me preface this by saying Lee Child is no Umberto Eco. This should not be read if what you're looking for is an in-depth, psychological understanding into the human psyche delivered with beautiful literary prose. This is not literature. It is escapist reading par none. The series relies on a certain formula that the reader has come to expect from L. Child. The books are easy to read, page-turners, so to speak. You sort of gobble up the books like pop corn at the movies. When finally a new book is published in this series, you're the first to buy it and you finish it in one or two sittings out on the back patio with coffee (and in my case, a cigarette or so).The formula consists of the following: a nomad with military experience travels the country. He is discharged from military services, owns nothing but the clothes on his back which instead of throwing in the laundry, are thrown into the rubbish bin when dirty. The nomad, Reacher, finds someone in trouble and he steps in to help. In this process he meets women and gets involved. Once done solving the problem, like his clothes, he moves on discarding everything and everyone involved in the novel's elements.What fascinates about this series is the portrayal of Reacher. Forget about the movie that has just been released. Jack Reacher is NOTHING like Tom Cruise (probably one of the worst casting I've ever seen, let alone the disgusting need of Hollywood to sensationalize everything it produces). Jack seems to implicitly understand that he is a unique animal/human running around on this planet and that in spite of social conventions, cultural trappings, and whatever conventions and abstractions we allow into our mind in order to alleviate this core fact of our singularity (and solitude)...the truth of it is not something Mr. Reacher denies. Secretly, we only wish we could face life alone as Reacher does. It would certainly lift the veil off love, cure the blindness with which we often enter into romantic relationships - another often repeated theme in literature.Jack Reacher embraces it. Understands his philosophy implicitly, revels in his physical being, his conventions and values. He defends those he loves (albeit temporarily), those he does allow into his world, with a loyalty bar none while never letting go of the notion that he is alone and being perfectly comfortable with that.