Book Review: The Midnight Line by Lee Child

The Midnight Line
Author: Lee Child
Publishing Date: 2017
Setting: The American Great Plains
Narrative Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Themes: Military Honor, Addiction, Gray Morality
Series Information: Book 22 (in publishing order) of the Jack Reacher series. It should be noted that the novels have limited cross-over and can be read in any order.

Subjective Length: A day or two

Score: A work of entertainment value The Jack Reacher series has become a mainstay of realistic adventure fiction. If you've enjoyed any of the previous entries in the series, The Midnight Line will not disappoint.

Controversial Themes
Addiction: This book handles the subject of addiction with surprising tact for a series built on the appeal of violence and action. It takes care to highlight the role that once-prevalent prescriptions have played in the current addiction epidemic, and seeks to shed light on the struggle of addicts.
Sexual Content: There are a few attempts at seduction by a married woman; as well as a sex scene that neither veers into completely obscure euphemism, nor graphic description. There is also a scene in which a woman's skirt rides up while she is being restrained.
Violence: The Jack Reacher series has always contained the heavy use of violence to drive the plot. This particular entry in the series has a little less than some of the others, but it is still noticeable.

**SPOILERS AHEAD***SPOILERS AHEAD***SPOILERS AHEAD***SPOILERS AHEAD**


The story opens with Reacher thinking back about the woman he left behind at the last town. He steps off of a bus for a stretch and spots a West Point graduate ring in a pawnshop window. Reacher examines the ring, buys it, and sets himself the goal of finding the original owner. The novel is intentionally vague about his motives, as Reacher himself expresses a little uncertainty as to what's calling him to get involved in this situation. It seems to be a mix of military honor, curiosity, a touch of what might be chivalry (he quickly identifies the ring as belonging to a woman), and perhaps projected guilt or regret from walking away from another woman only a day or so before.

His quest sends him back up the supply chain, from seller to seller, as he tracks down the woman in hard enough straits to sell something symbolic of so much hard work and effort.

This novel adds more likable and memorable side characters than many previous entries in the series; and really sold the cast well. The ending was less climactic than some others by the same author, but that seemed to underscore the quiet sadness in the themes of drug addiction. There is no grand showdown with two unstoppable juggernauts squaring off in battle; and the threat is not in powerful enemies, but in stealthy and unknown enemies.

There's also a good moment of seeing a character like Reacher --someone of quick decisions and solid resolve-- faced with a situation more nuanced than "find bad guy, kill bad guy". There are moral dilemmas presented here that enrich the experience.

Overall, not required reading, but a solid read. If anything in the "lone tough guy" genre piques your interest, then The Midnight Line will be a page-turner far too late into the night.

Happy reading, all.

Beastiary Supplemental: Slide-Rock Bolter

High in the mountains lives a massive beast. First seen by miners in the area, the creature came to be known as the slide-rock bolter.

This creature most resembles a whale. It hunts by gripping the mountainside with it's tail and lying in wait. The creature seeks out slopes of at least a 45° angle with a relatively clear vantage of the lands below. The slide-rock bolter drools a slick substance, which helps it to strike at its prey. When a suitable target passes into the beast's path, the beast releases its grip on the mountain and comes charging down the slope with its enormous maw agape to capture its prey. 

In combat, the beast is a one strike and gone type of predator. It has both high natural armor and a deep pool of hit points. Avoiding the attack would require a reflex save to jump out of the path of the creature's strike. 

The creatures are about 25 feet long at the end of adolescence, and can grow to around 60 feet if they live long enough and have access to substantial hunting grounds. 

Mature bolters can be more wary, and tend to avoid heavily armored parties that could be harder to digest; but may still attack when driven to hunger. Juvenile bolters on the other hand tend to strike at any movement. This can expose them to attack, and, in fact, while several bounties on young bolters have been collected over the years, older members of the species are almost never brought low by adventurers. 

Bolter-territory is recognizable by once-well-trod paths that have been allowed to grow over. An absence of local tribes, packs, and herds can mark dangerous areas as well. However, small birds and rodents do not tend to leave the area, as they are too small to draw attention from something the size of a bolter. 

Best of luck on those desolate mountain paths, and happy gaming, all. 

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