Child continues to knock out his action sequences with flair, but in The Enemy, he takes time to depict the piecemeal construction of a criminal investigation. He also spends energy on the hero’s relationship with his mother and brother, an effort that further fills in Reacher’s background and will surely please long-time fans of the character. It’s true, Child throws in some clichéd elements to this otherwise first-rate story. But most reviewers easily looked past that flaw. “After reading these books for so many years, I’m not easily kept in the dark,” claims the St. Petersburg Times, “so it’s always fun when I’m still guessing toward the end.”


