Persuader is the seventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It is written in the first person.
This book was the basis for season three of the Reacher TV series. It premiered February 20, 2025 on Amazon Prime Video.
Plot
Jack Reacher finds himself in an unofficial collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration to take down Zachary Beck, a man believed to be involved in drug smuggling while pretending to be in the business of selling oriental carpets. To execute their plan, they orchestrate a kidnapping attempt involving Zachary's son, Richard Beck. In a moment of fear and uncertainty, Richard turns to Reacher for help, asking him to return him safely to his home.
To get closer to Zachary Beck, Reacher gains his confidence by working as his bodyguard. This strategy allows him to infiltrate Zachary's world. While undercover, Reacher takes out a few of Zachary's henchmen to keep his true identity safe. During this process, he discovers that he wasn't the only undercover agent on a mission to monitor Zachary Beck. It becomes clear that the housemaid was an ATF agent, working to gather proof of arms smuggling against Zachary. Reacher must attempt to prevent an attack on Zachary while maintaining his undercover role.
The DEA realizes they were wrong about the type of business Zachary was engaged in and attempts to extract Reacher from the situation. However, Reacher is determined to remain undercover. His primary motive for participating in the operation is to confront Francis Xavier Quinn, a former Military Intelligence officer from Reacher's past. Quinn had committed a horrific crime a decade earlier, brutally killing and disfiguring a female military police officer, Dominique Kohl, who worked under Reacher when he commanded the 110th.
Reacher initially thought that Quinn was dead following their last confrontation, but he discovered that this belief was wrong when he unexpectedly saw Quinn in a public place. Quinn, having renamed himself Frank Xavier, has become the boss of Zachary Beck, who is involved in a highly profitable international gun-running business. It turns out that Zachary was coerced into working for Quinn, and his family had been harassed by bodyguards assigned by Quinn after a staged attack.
Reacher eventually manages to rescue Richard, his mother Elizabeth, and Teresa Daniels (the DEA's undercover agent) from Quinn and Zachary, killing Quinn in doing so, before parting ways with Duffy.
Characters
- Jack Reacher: Former military policeman, known for his resourcefulness and capacity for justice.
- Zachary Beck: Owner of Bizarre Bazaar, an oriental rug importer in Portland, Maine.
- Richard Beck: Zachary's son.
- Elizabeth Beck: Zachary's wife.
- John Chapman Duke: Head of Zachary's security team.
- Paul "Paulie" Masserella: Gate guard at the Beck estate.
- Angel Doll: Member of Zachary's security team.
- Francis Xavier Quinn / Frank Xavier: Former Army Intelligence officer.
- Susan Duffy: Drug Enforcement Administration Agent leading an investigation into Zachary Beck.
- Steven Eliot: Drug Enforcement Administration Agent.
- Terry Villanueva: Drug Enforcement Administration Agent.
- Dominique Kohl: First Sergeant, U.S. Army Military Police.
- Teresa Daniels (Teresa Justice): Drug Enforcement Administration Agent.
- Harley: Member of Zachary's security team.
- Emily Smith: Operations manager at Bizarre Bazaar.
- The Maid: Undercover ATF Agent.
- The Mechanic: One of Duke's men.
Critical reception
Leslie Doran of The Denver Post said that the novel had a "gripping and suspenseful opening" and that "for returning Reacher fans...beginning scenes will cause extra suspense". Patrick Anderson of The Washington Post described it as "a skillful blend of sex, violence, sadism, weaponry, spies, smuggling, revenge, deception, suspense and nonstop action", though he also notes that the novel has "several premises that are hard to swallow". After a short description of how quickly he read through the earlier books in the series after reading Persuader, Dale Jones of The Gazette simply stated "You might say I liked it".
The Crime Writers' Association nominated the book for the 2003 Steel Dagger Award for best thriller novel first published in the UK.
References
External links
- Official website — United Kingdom
- Official website — United States
