The Hard Way: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child (2006, Hardcover)

Synopsis
In his 10th pulse-racing adventure, maverick investigator Jack Reacher agrees to help find the kidnapped wife and stepchild of former Army colonel Edward Lane, who runs a security firm staffed by ex-special service soldiers from various military branches. The more he learns about Lane (e.g., his previous wife died in a kidnapping gone sour), the less Reacher likes him, and the more Reacher understands just how dangerous a commission he's accepted.

Key Details
Author:	Lee Child
Language:	English
Publisher:	Delacorte Pr
Series:	Jack Reacher
Format:	Hardcover
ISBN-10:	0385336691
ISBN-13:	9780385336697

Size
Length:	371 pages
Thickness:	1.2 in
Weight:	22.4 oz

Publisher's Note
In Lee Child's new thriller, ex-military cop Reacher sees more than most people would...and because of that, he's thrust into an explosive situation that's about to blow up in his face. For the only way to find the truth - and save two innocent lives - is to do it the way Jack Reacher does it best: the hard way.
Jack Reacher was alone, the way he liked it, soaking up the hot, electric New York City night, watching a man cross the street to a parked Mercedes and drive it away. The car contained one million dollars in ransom money. And Edward Lane, the man who paid it, will pay even more to get his family back. Lane runs a highly illegal soldiers-for-hire operation. He will use any amount of money and any tool to find his beautiful wife and child. And then he'll turn Jack Reacher loose with a vengeance - because Reacher is the best man hunter in the world.
On the trail of a vicious kidnapper, Reacher is learning the chilling secrets of his employer's pastand of a horrific drama in the heart of a nasty little war. He's beginning to realize that Edward Lane is hiding something. Something dirty. Something big. But Reacher also knows this: hes already in way too deep to stop now.

Jack Reacher comes to the aid of Edward Lane, the head of an illegal soldiers-for-hire operation, who enlists Reacher's assistance to find and stop a kidnapper who has abducted Lane's wife and child.

Industry Reviews
The great thing about the Reacher novels is that time and again they achieve an almost perfect balance between police procedural and tactical military thriller....And while there's no denying that the Reacher books are formulaic masculine fantasies, it seems pointless to fault a concoction composed of such electrifying elements." --Rating: B+
(05/19/2006)

"[O]ne of...[Reacher's] most challenging--and thoroughly engrossing--adventures to date....The inevitable showdown...ranks as one of Child's most thrilling finales." (starred review)
(03/27/2006)

"[S]lick, swift, sexy thriller....Quintessential Child...preposterous as always, but oh, how those pages keep turning."
(04/01/2006)

"Nine red-hot books ago, Lee Child concocted the rough, tough Superman of the crime-busting genre, as smart and charismatic as he is unbeatable. And then Mr. Child broke the mold....[THE HARD WAY] is one more labyrinthine story that takes off like a shot: as usual, Mr. Child has you at hello."
(05/11/2006)