The Sentinel (Child novel)

Last updated

The Sentinel
The Sentinel Twitter Screenshot.png
Promotional cover
AuthorLee Child and Andrew Child
LanguageEnglish
Series Jack Reacher
Release number
25
Genre Thriller novel
Publication date
October 2020
Pages351
ISBN 978-1-984-81846-1
Preceded by Blue Moon  
Followed by Better off Dead  

The Sentinel is the twenty-fifth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. [1] It is the first Jack Reacher book to be co-authored by James Grant and his younger brother Andrew Grant but published using their pen names of Lee Child and Andrew Child respectively. [1] [2] The book was released on 27 October 2020 in the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland by Delacorte Press and Bantam Press.

Contents

Plot

The Greyhound bus deposited Jack Reacher in Nashville just as midnight painted the sky a deep indigo. A sense of liberation washed over him, the weight of his recent travels finally lifted. He found refuge in a modest motel, the air thick with the broke off the stale cigarettes and disinfectant. Protect and honor has begun, a subtle unease began to coming in; a recurring face in the diner across the street, a lingering car parked down the alley, a persistent feeling of being watched. These small town up the lights into the pasture all the drop, hinted at a hidden presence, a silent charged.

Reacher's quiet arrival in Nashville was soon interrupted by an unexpected encounter with a man who identified himself as an insurance negotiator. This man, overly keen on driving Reacher to a remote town in Tennessee, sparked Reacher's inherent caution. His excessive interest in Reacher's travel plans, coupled with a strange intensity in his eyes, raised a red flag. The negotiator's eager and interested who felt manufactured, hinting at an ulterior motive, a hidden agenda that Reacher was determined to unravel, knowing that his relaxed arrival in Nashville may be far from the peaceful respite he had hoped for.

Reacher stepped off the bus into the quietude of a small Tennessee town, a place where time seemed to move at a slower pace. The town's tranquil facade hid underlying tensions, and Reacher quickly grasped the local power dynamics, sensing a simmering unease linked to a recently dismissed information technology manager named Rusty Rutherford. Whispers hinted at Rutherford's growing anger and a potential for turmoil.

At Fat Freddie's Diner, a greasy spoon central to the town's social fabric, Reacher encountered Rutherford himself. The man's raw frustration over his lost job was evident, an unsuspecting bitterness and resentment. Rutherford's words revealed a burning desire for vengeance, a clear indication of the trouble brewing beneath the surface of this seemingly peaceful town. The presence of a Nazi Brotherhood group in such a seemingly quaint town was jarring. Reacher's investigations unearthed unsettling connections between this hateful organization and authority, suggesting a deeper, more than success.

Rutherford, in a hushed tone, unveils a deeply hidden secret, illness that crime and illicit operations stretching beyond their quiet town. This conspiracy, he reveals, is far more extensive than Reacher could have imagined, putting him in immediate peril. Reacher quickly grasps the gravity of the situation, understanding that Rutherford's life is now in grave danger.

However, Reacher soon clutch on the guards a watchful presence surrounding Rutherford, a silent sentinel safeguarding the secret. While he suspects the Nazi Brotherhood's involvement, a more profound and influential force lurks beneath the surface, casting a shadow of doubt on his initial assumptions.

As Reacher digs deeper into the unraveling mystery, he encounters a barrage of attacks and threats. The Nazi Brotherhood and their ruthless enforcers and accountable risks and pursue him, aiming to silence his pursuit of the truth and prevent him from exposing their clandestine operation.

Reacher, driven by his unforgiving and determination and a touch of ruthlessness, master-plan into the heat, gradually finding the falling down has begun the secret's core – a connection to the Nazi Brotherhood and their illegal. The bodyguard breaks out of leads him down a bodyguard. Their choices become a race against time and danger by those involved.

Meanwhile, the FBI, recognizing the gravity of the situation, steps in to assist. Special Agent Wallwork and the skilled undercover agent, Natasha, arrive in town, attempting to collaborate with Reacher in unraveling the intricate truth and delivering swift justice to the perpetrators responsible for the unfolding the town.

Reacher, Rutherford, and the FBI agents face off against the Nazi Brotherhood and their allies in a killing down. The secret is revealed, and the truth is exposed, leading to a decisive battle for justice. Reacher helps bring the guilty to justice, but he knows that the fight for truth and justice is never truly over. He leaves the small town, satisfied with his contribution, and moves on to the next time, forever a silent sentinel against injustice.

Characters

Reception

Publishers Weekly as an "action thriller." It follows Jack Reacher, a drifter with a military background, as he becomes entangled in a dangerous conspiracy within the U.S. Army. Reacher's unwavering determination and astute observational skills make him a compelling protagonist, propelling the narrative forward with relentless pace and a palpable sense of danger. Child masterfully crafts a suspenseful plot, leaving readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Tennessean</i> Daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee

The Tennessean is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, which also owns several smaller community newspapers in Middle Tennessee, including The Dickson Herald, the Gallatin News-Examiner, the Hendersonville Star-News, the Fairview Observer, and the Ashland City Times. Its circulation area overlaps those of the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle and The Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, two other independent Gannett papers. The company publishes several specialty publications, including Nashville Lifestyles magazine.

The conspiracy thriller is a subgenre of thriller fiction. The protagonists of conspiracy thrillers are often journalists or amateur investigators who find themselves pulling on a small thread which unravels a vast conspiracy that ultimately goes "all the way to the top." The complexities of historical fact are recast as a morality play in which bad people cause bad events, and good people identify and defeat them. Conspiracies are often played out as "man-in-peril" stories, or yield quest narratives similar to those found in whodunits and detective stories.

The Special Intelligence Service was a covert counterintelligence branch of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) located in South America during World War II. It was established to monitor the activities of Nazi and pro-Nazi groups in Central and South America. The organization was a forerunner to the Central Intelligence Agency.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been a staple of American popular culture since its christening in 1935. That year also marked the beginning of the popular "G-Man" phenomenon that helped establish the Bureau's image, beginning with the aptly titled James Cagney movie, G Men. Although the detective novel and other police-related entertainment had long enthralled audiences, the FBI itself can take some of the credit for its media prominence. J. Edgar Hoover, the Bureau's "patriarch", took an active interest to ensure that it was not only well represented in the media, but also that the FBI was depicted in a heroic, positive light and that the message, "crime doesn't pay", was blatantly conveyed to audiences. The context, naturally, has changed profoundly since the 1930s "war on crime", and especially so since Hoover's death in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morris Childs</span> Ukrainian-American activist

Morris H. Childs was a Ukrainian-American political activist and American Communist Party functionary who became a Soviet espionage agent (1929) and then a double agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (1952) until leaving both services by 1982. Beginning in 1958, Childs acted as a secret courier on behalf of the American party, briefing Soviet officials on political affairs in the American party and carrying funds to support the American Communist movement from Moscow to New York City, reporting details all the while to his FBI handlers. Over the course of two decades of activity in this role, Childs played a major part in the transfer of more than $28 million in Soviet subsidies to the American movement. For his activity as a courier on behalf of the Soviet government, Childs was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in 1975. His work as a spy for the American intelligence community was recognized in 1987 when Childs was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan.

<i>Stone Cold</i> (1991 film) 1991 film by Craig R. Baxley

Stone Cold is a 1991 action film directed by Craig R. Baxley, starring American football star Brian Bosworth in his acting debut. The film's story centers on a biker gang that tries to assassinate the district attorney and free one of their members who is on his trial for the murder. The film performed poorly at the box office, grossing $9 million on its $25 million budget.

<i>Killing Floor</i> (novel) 1997 debut novel by Lee Child

Killing Floor is the debut novel by Lee Child, first published in 1997 by Putnam. The book won the Anthony Award and Barry Award for best first novel. Set in the fictional town of Margrave, Georgia it follows Jack Reacher in his first thriller book. It is written in the first person.

<i>Die Trying</i> (novel) Novel by Lee Child

Die Trying is the second novel in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in 1998 by Bantam Press in the UK and by Putnam in the US. It is written in the third person.

<i>The Visitor</i> (Child novel) 2000 novel by Lee Child

The Visitor is the fourth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in 2000 by Bantam Press in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the book was released under the title Running Blind. It is written in the second and third person. In the novel, retired Army military police officer Jack Reacher must race against time to catch a sophisticated serial killer who is murdering a group of female soldiers, but leaving no forensic evidence.

<i>Without Fail</i> The sixth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child

Without Fail is the sixth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published by Putnam in 2002. It is written in the third person. In the novel, retired military police officer Jack Reacher is asked by the Secret Service to help track down assassins who are threatening the Vice President-Elect.

<i>Agent 13: The Invisible Empire</i> 1986 book by Flint Dille

The Invisible Empire is the first of the short series of fast-paced, action-based adventure of Agent 13: The Midnight Avenger, written by Flint Dille and David Marconi in a style reminiscent of popular 1930s pulps.

Joaquín "Jack" García is a Cuban-American retired FBI agent, best known for his undercover work infiltrating the Gambino crime family in New York City. García is regarded as one of the most successful and prolific undercover agents in the history of the FBI.

<i>A Wanted Man</i> 2012 book by Lee Child

A Wanted Man is the seventeenth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published on 30 August 2012 in the United Kingdom, Australia, & New Zealand and on 11 September 2012 in the USA & Canada. A Wanted Man won the "Thriller & Crime Novel of the Year" award by the National Book Awards.

Episode 8 (<i>Twin Peaks</i>) 1st episode of the 2nd season of Twin Peaks

"Episode 8", also known as "May the Giant Be with You", is the first episode of the second season of the American mystery television series Twin Peaks. The episode was written by series co-creators David Lynch and Mark Frost, and directed by Lynch. It features series regulars Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Ray Wise and Richard Beymer; and guest stars Grace Zabriskie as Sarah Palmer, Chris Mulkey as Hank Jennings, Miguel Ferrer as Albert Rosenfield, Don S. Davis as Major Garland Briggs, and Victoria Catlin as Blackie O'Reilly.

Jack Philip Barsky is a German-American author, IT specialist and former sleeper agent of the KGB who spied on the United States from 1978 to 1988. Exposed after the Cold War, Barsky became a resource for U.S. counterintelligence agencies and was allowed to remain in the United States. His autobiography, Deep Undercover, was published in 2017, and he frequently speaks on his experiences and as an expert on espionage.

<i>Imperium</i> (2016 film) 2016 American crime thriller film

Imperium is a 2016 American crime thriller film starring Daniel Radcliffe as an FBI agent who goes undercover to investigate American white supremacists. The film also stars Toni Collette, Tracy Letts, Nestor Carbonell, and Sam Trammell. It was written and directed by Daniel Ragussis from a story by former FBI agent Michael German. The film's title is taken from the 1948 fascist book of the same name, which appears briefly in the movie.

<i>Night School</i> (novel) 2016 novel by Lee Child

Night School is a 2016 novel by Lee Child. This is the twenty-first book in the Jack Reacher series. It is written in the third person.

Jack Reacher is a series of novels, novellas and short stories by British author Jim Grant under the pen name Lee Child. As of January 2022, the series includes 28 books and a short story collection. The book series chronicles the adventures of Jack Reacher, a former major in the United States Army Military Police Corps now a drifter, roaming the United States taking odd jobs and investigating suspicious and frequently dangerous situations, some of which are of a personal nature. The Reacher series has maintained a schedule of one book per year, except for 2010, when two installments were published.

<i>The Day Shall Come</i> Film directed by Chris Morris

The Day Shall Come is a 2019 comedy film directed by Chris Morris and written by Morris and Jesse Armstrong. It stars Marchánt Davis, Anna Kendrick, Danielle Brooks and Denis O'Hare. The film satirises a number of real-life FBI sting operations including the Liberty City Seven.

References

  1. 1 2 Page, Benedicte (18 January 2020). "Lee Child to pass Jack Reacher baton to his younger brother". The Bookseller. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  2. "Jack Reacher author Lee Child passes writing baton to brother". BBC News. 18 January 2020.
  3. "The Sentinel". Publishers Weekly . 16 November 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024.