No Plan B

Chapter 1

The meeting was held in a room with no windows.

The room was rectangular and it had no windows because it had no external walls. It was contained within a larger, square room. And the square room was contained within an even larger octagonal room. Together this nest of rooms formed the command hub of Unit S2 at the Minerva Correctional Facility in Winson, Mississippi. Along with its sister segregation unit, S1, it was the most secure place in the complex. It was laid out with walls like the concentric rings of a medieval castle. Designed to be impregnable. From the outside, even if attacked by the most determined rescuers. And from the inside, even during the most extreme riot.

The safety aspect was welcome but the reason the hub had been chosen for this meeting was its seclusion. The opportunity it offered for complete secrecy. Because the rest of Unit S2 was vacant. There were no guards. No admin staff. And none of its 120 isolation cells were in use. They weren t needed. Not with the way the prison was run under its current management. The progressive approach was a cause of great pride. And great PR.

There were six men in the room, and this was the third covert meeting they d held there in the last week. The men were spread out around a long, narrow table and there were two spare chairs pushed back against a blank, white wall. The furniture was made of bright blue polycarbonate. Each piece was cast in a single mold, leaving no joins or seams. The shape and material made the items hard to break. The color made it hard to conceal any parts that did somehow get smashed off. It was practical. But not very comfortable. And all left over from the previous administration.

Three of the men were wearing suits. Bruno Hix, Minerva s Chief Executive and joint founder, at the head of the table. Damon Brockman, Chief Operating Officer and the other joint founder, to Hix s right. And Curtis Riverdale, the prison s warden, next to Brockman. The

Lee Child and Andrew Child

Praise for No Plan B

The Child brothers keep powering along, and their collaboration is bringing a new energy to the beloved Jack Reacher series (which is also flush with new fans in the wake of the hit adaptation). No Plan B has all the staples we ve come to appreciate: a smalltown, arrived to seemingly at random, but soon Reacher finds a conspiracy unfolding, as a series of accidental deaths have something more sinister behind them. Reacher, naturally, will apply brutal reason (and other brutal forces) to find his way into the depths of this small town s corrupt soul. CrimeReads

No Plan B is one of the best Reacher books in years. TheRealBookSpy

Who could ask for more? Publishers Weekly

Fans who come for the action . . . will not be disappointed. . . . A grimly efficient addition to the Reacher canon. Kirkus Reviews

No Plan B is not to be missed. It is a perfectly plotted, fast-paced thriller, with bigger twists than ever before. It s no wonder Jack Reacher is everyone s favorite rebel hero. Karin Slaughter

Lee and Andrew Child nail it again with No Plan B. Richard Osman
 
The world s favorite hero packs an even harder punch than ever. Peter James



Praise for the Jack Reacher series

The truth about Reacher gets better and better. . . . This series [is] utterly addictive. Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Jack Reacher is today s James Bond, a thriller hero we can t get enough of. I read every one as soon as it appears. Ken Follett

Reacher is the stuff of myth. . . . One of this century s most original, tantalizing pop-fiction heroes. The Washington Post

I m a fan. James Patterson

The Reacher novels are easily the best thriller series going. NPR

Reacher is a man for whom the phrase moral compass was invented: His code determines his direction. . . . You need Jack