Echo Burning by Lee Child

Finished this a week ago, published 2001, 582 pages, paperback,  book sale special another wonderful Jack Reacher novel.  This one has Reacher in Texas not knowing where he is going when he gets a ride from Carmen Greer who is heading back home to Pecos, actually Echo.  So since he's not ever been there he rides along, besides rides were not as easy to catch, more hesitancy about hitchhikers.  It seems Carmen, of Mexican descent,  is an abused wife whose husband is in an established family.  Some of her story turns out to be not so true such as her background and other discrepancies.  There is certain discrimination against the Mexicans in this Texas backwater town.  But Reacher is intrigued and will stick around to sort out the truth and help her as he can.   As suspected nothing is as it seems and there are twists all through the novel. 

Carmen is not all truthful about herself but she does have a young daughter, Ellie,  whom she cannot leave and so she is stuck in with the Greer family and her husband, Sloop, until  she takes a shot and kills Sloop.  Or does she.  The brother, Bobby is Reacher's prime suspect target but it will turn out to be not so.  Ultimately, Sloop is dead, Carmen is in jail and yet Reacher stays on to help.  He finds Alice, a young do gooder legal aid type Family services  attorney to help Carmen who has no financial resources and can expect zilch from the Greer family.  . But Carmen is refusing help.  This will all challenge Reacher and  cause him to look deeper..  Oh and there is a professional hit team involved.  Some of the description of the deceptive professionals is more excellent writing by Lee Child. 

Reacher is quoting Ben Franklin, so he claims when he says things like,  on page 502, "3 can keep a secret iof  2 are dead"  Not so sure Franklin ever said that.  Might be Reacher character stretching things a bit.  

This is clearly another 5 ***** novel. 

Back cover

Page 1 

Page 12 is describing the professional hit team in one setting, notice the reference "they looked like the branch office of a photocopier company on its way to a sales convention."   

 I continue to be a huge fan of this character, Jack Reacher and the author Lee Child.  Fortunately I still have several others of the older books to read.