I have to say that I enjoy reading the books in the Reacher series, at least what I've read. I started with the Reacher number one novel and have reached number five. The stories are pretty good, although they aren't likely to win any literary prizes. However, the back story that the author devised for Reacher just doesn't make sense. It would have better if the author to spend a little more time thinking about how he got Reacher to be a nomad rather than the one he concocted.
Through out the five books the author has Reacher comparing a present situation to his Army days. He has Reacher going to boot camp, crawling through the mud in basic training, toting a duffel bag around, and frequently sleeping in a dormitory. He indicates that Reacher knew that when you brought your duffel bag in to the dormitory, you just selected a bed and put the bag on it proclaiming that it was his. The problem with all of that is the Reacher was a ring knocker. No West Point graduate ever did any of the things. They entered the army as officers and officers don't sleep in barracks, go to boot camp or move your gear in a duffel bag. Every base has Officers Quarters for transients, that is a long way from being a barracks. If the single officer is assigned to a base he lives in officer country at the BOQ where he has a private room as a minimum. The author would have been better to have Reacher be an enlisted man, who did do all the things he talks about. Of course a married officer would have a house, usually on the base, which the army pays for. They can live off base and the army gives them a living allowance, an option many married officers take.
The reason for Reacher leaving the Army is also far fetched, to say the least. The Army did some downsizing after the Vietnam war, but no officer with a good record who wore the ring was ever let go. In fact the Army wanted to hold on those people badly. Reacher was supposed to be a very good officer, reaching the rank of Major early, so he would not, in any way, be pressured out of the Army.
The author has Reacher's father, who was some king of officer, moving himself and his family around frequently. It was indicated that they moved every few months, and with no warning. I don't know what kind of army Reacher's father was in, but it wasn't the US Army. To start with, it is typical for a tour of duty on any base to be for a period of about 4 years. If their job required going to a forward base, or installation for short period of times, like a month of so, they didn't take their family with them. The family stayed at the home base. The army would not pay for the movement of an officer and his entire household from base to base every few months. It just wouldn't make sense. The army officer corp, especially the West Point guys are like a big family. They look out for each other.
Now let's talk about Reacher as a person. In the first novel, the author describes him as 6 ft 5 in and weighing 220 pounds. He also indicates that he is not only tall, but he is big. Just a darn minute. Someone with those measurements would be described more accurately as Tall and Slim, if not down right skinny. In the each book the author puts weight on Reacher. By novel number 5 he weighs in at 250 pounds. That is more like it. But, even then he would not be described as Tall and Heavy. Look at some of the athletes that are that tall and their weight. Rob Gronkowski of the Patriots is 6 ft 6 in tall and weighs 265 pounds. Antonio Gates of the Chargers is 6 ft 4 in and weighs 255 pounds. I don't think you would call either one heavy. Reachers height and weight is consistent with a forward in professional basketball or a tight end in football. He would not be large in the sense of being described as Heavy.
The choice of a career with the military police for a West Point graduate is kind of strange. That certainly is not the way to put stars on your shoulders. I would bet, I didn't do any research, that you would not find a single ring knocker in the military police, unless it's on temporary assignment. It would be viewed as a dead end job for West Point graduate.
RobertK
John JP Kelleher III