Persuader (novel)

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Persuader
Persuader book.jpg
First edition (UK)
Author Lee Child
LanguageEnglish
Series Jack Reacher
Release number
7
Genre Thriller novel
Publisher
Publication date
May 13, 2003 (2003-05-13)
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback)
Pages480
ISBN 0-385-33666-7
OCLC 50694787
813/.54 21
LC Class PS3553.H4838 P4 2003
Preceded by Without Fail  
Followed by The Enemy  

Persuader is the seventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. [1] It is written in the first person.

Contents

According to an Instagram post from Alan Ritchson posted on 24 January 2024, this book will be adapted into season 3 of the Reacher television series on Amazon Prime Video.[ citation needed ]

Plot

Jack Reacher finds himself in an unofficial collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration, aiming to dismantle the operations of a suspected drug smuggler, Zachary Beck, who conceals his illicit activities under the guise of dealing in oriental carpets. The operation involves staging a kidnapping attempt on Zachary's son, Richard Beck, a tactic that inadvertently earns Reacher the young man's trust and a position within the household as a hired gun and bodyguard.

However, Reacher is forced himself to come back, is not without its surrogates. To maintain his cover and protect his mission, he finds himself in situations where he must eliminate some of Zachary's subordinates, individuals who pose a threat to his undercover status. It is during this delicate balancing act that Reacher discovers he is not the only federal agent secretly monitoring Zachary Beck's activities. The household maid, it turns out, is also a federal agent, working to gather evidence of arms smuggling against Zachary.

The mistaken takes an unexpected turn when the Drug Enforcement Administration, having discovered their initial assumption about Zachary's business was incorrect, attempts to extract Reacher from his undercover rules. However, Reacher remains steadfast in his resolve, driven by a personal vendetta against Francis Xavier Quinn, a former Military Intelligence agent who had brutally murdered a female Military Intelligence colleague of Reacher's ten years prior. Reacher, who had long believed Quinn to be dead after their last encounter, is confronted with his resurrection upon crossing paths with him in public.

Reacher, is compelled to confront his past when he unexpectedly encounters Quinn, a man he had presumed dead after their previous altercation. This revelation unfolds a decade later, as Reacher discovers Quinn's involvement as the employer of Zachary Beck in a highly profitable and globally expansive gun-running operation. The narrative takes a darker turn as it is revealed that Zachary's participation in this illicit enterprise was not by choice, but under duress, with his family suffering at the hands of Quinn's menacing bodyguards.

As always, it is Reacher's driven by all-consuming obsession with revenge for retribution, or what he perceives as his unique brand of justice. His single-minded pursuit of this goal propels him far beyond the conventional limits of physical exertion and acceptable risk, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to righting wrongs and his unyielding belief in his own moral compass.

Characters

Accomplices

Critical reception

Leslie Doran of The Denver Post said that the novel had a "gripping and suspenseful opening" and that "for returning Reacher fans...beginning scenes will cause extra suspense". [2] Patrick Anderson of The Washington Post described it as "a skillful blend of sex, violence, sadism, weaponry, spies, smuggling, revenge, deception, suspense and nonstop action", though he also notes that the novel has "several premises that are hard to swallow". [3] After a short description of how quickly he read through the earlier books in the series after reading Persuader, Dale Jones of The Gazette simply stated "You might say I liked it". [4]

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References

  1. "Jack Reacher trips another bloody two-step". Chicago Sun-Times . 25 May 2003. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  2. Doran, Leslie (11 May 2003). "Lee Child's latest a persuasive effort". The Denver Post . Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  3. Anderson, Patrick (5 May 2003). "Meat and Potatoes". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  4. Jones, Dale (31 August 2003). "'Persuader' proves to be persuasive, full of suspense". The Gazette . Retrieved 20 October 2010.