So, I know Reacher told me where he was headed originally in this book, but honestly, the guy wanders so much that I've stopped paying attention to locations until I know he's landed in the locale where the book is actually going to be taking place. In 61 Hours, Reacher finds himself stranded in Bolton, South Dakota after the tour bus he hitched a ride on slips and slides into a ditch. It's winter time in the middle of nowhere. There's a blizzard blowing into town. It's cold...really, really cold. Like 20 below zero cold! Have you ever been in 20 below zero weather? I have. It was my freshman year in college and it dropped to 60 below with the wind chill. The college didn't close for the day, so like everyone else, I put on my clothes and headed to class. I made it as far as the street corner from my apartment....maybe 300 feet. That's when I fainted. Anyway, where were we? That's right...Bolton, South Dakota. The bus crash causes Reacher to take up residence with Deputy Chief Andrew Peterson where he learns that an elderly woman, Janet Salter, is in danger because of her insistence on testifying against drug dealers that have taken up residence at an abandoned military post in Bolton. They aren't small time drug dealers. These guys have ties to a very short, but brutal Mexican cartel member named Plato. Reacher soon becomes acquainted with Janet, and knowing that Plato wants her silenced, Reacher is determined to do whatever is necessary to provide protection for her.
In this story you'll see Reacher strike up a telephone friendship with Major Susan Turner, watch him develop a mother/son relationship with Janet Salter, learn that he was part of a government experiment when he was six, learn how to balance while walking on the ice, put a bullet in the head of the Chief of Police, and scramble to escape a fiery ending that will leave you screaming, "NOOOOOOOO!" "NOOOOOOO!" "NOOOOOOO!" After that, you'll read through the last five pages of the book with no mention of Reacher, and find out that Major Susan Turner is being deployed to Afghanistan. What? Wait a second. What happened to Reacher? Hmmm. I guess I'll have to read the next book to find out!
