Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child

I've always hated ATM cards.  I've had one a time or two in my life, but after I was married I put the kibosh on them real fast because Richard never brought home receipts and he never tracked anything.  I was constantly transferring funds to cover the shortfall that consistently showed up in our accounts caused by Richard's spending.  One day after arriving home from work I told Richard that I needed to see his ATM card.  He gave it to me without hesitation, and I took a pair of scissors to it and chopped it up into little tiny pieces.  I then gave him some cash and told him that his life with an ATM card was now officially over.  Hey, you can think I'm harsh all you want, but I do the finances in our household.  He was draining us dry.  I had to do something.  So, why bring this up in a book review?  Easy.  In book eleven of the Jack Reacher novels, Reacher uses an ATM card for the very fist time.  Although I'm secretly happy that Richard loves the Reacher novels now that he's met Lee Child, I'm secretly hoping he never makes it to book eleven for fear that he will want his ATM card back.  After all, if Jack Reacher can have an ATM card then Richard will think he should have one too. 

In Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child, Reacher is still the same Reacher I've always known.  The only real difference is that he has an ATM card now and he also carries his passport with him along with his never forgotten folding toothbrush.  After discovering an unusual amount of money being transferred into his account, Reacher deciphers the hidden meaning and finds that there has been trouble brewing with some of the guys in the old unit.  In fact, four of them are dead.  Their bodies have been found in the California desert, and the forensics show that, while still alive, they were dropped from a helicopter from the height of three thousand feet.  Reacher meets up with the rest of the old unit; Frances Neagley, Dave O'Donnell, and Karla Dixon, and together they set out to find the people responsible for the death of their friends.

In the story you'll meet a terrorist that has made a deal to secure 650 missiles, see first hand how the bond of a military unit extends beyond death, wish you had paid more attention in math class, never look at a P.O. Box at the Post Office again without thinking of Reacher, and sit in disbelief when you read what happens to Reacher's toothbrush.  I'm still in shock over it. Honestly, when I read about the toothbrush incident I was so upset I called the culprits responsible, well...I can't type it here for fear of offending.  Let's just say it was a naughty word that started with the letter b and ended with the letter s.   My response was right on the money since Reacher used the same word to describe them as I did. 

I've always known Jack Reacher was a numbers guys, but even I had to laugh out loud when reading how Reacher would come up with a number to use as a computer password. "...I'd probably write out my birthday, month, day, year, and find the nearest prime number...Actually that would be a problem, because there would be two equally close, one exactly seven less and one exactly seven more.  So I guess I'd use the square root instead, rounded to three decimal points.  Ignore the decimal point, that would give me six numbers, all different."  Neagley's response was classic, and I couldn't have agreed more.  In fact, I'm still shaking my head and giggling just thinking about the look that must have been on Neagley's face as he recited this mathematical solution to her. For me, a computer password is whatever happens to pop into my head when the computer tells me it's time to change it.  At work, I have so many different programs requiring passwords that it would be impossible for anyone to crack them.  Well, people that know me really well might be able to figure them all out.  But still, the square root rounded to three decimals?  It's safe to assume that my mind doesn't work like that! 

You can find more information about Lee Child and the Jack Reacher novels on Lee Child's webiste: http://leechild.com/. 

I'm currently finishing up Ten Degrees of Reckoning, by Hester Rumberg.  This is a true survival story that tells of the horrific ordeal that the Sleavin family encountered in 1993 when they set out to sail around the world.  It was highly recommended by an attorney at work.  I'll also be starting book twelve in the Reacher novels soon.  By the way- my blog posts showcasing my time in New York was a big hit.  I came home to Utah and had more than one  friend tell me they had started the series based on my intriguing blog posts.  Is that not the coolest?  So- I might have come across as a crazy lady after attending both book signings, but at least my  interest in Lee Child and my love for Jack Reacher have people discovering the series.  Eventually, I'll be able to have friends to discuss the books with.  If my plan works just right, I might even be able to persuade Mr. Child to make a trip to Utah.  See, I have plans...lots and lots of plans!