James Penney S New Identity Guy Walks Into A Bar

Here are two Jack Reacher stories first published together in ebook form, now also included in the new Jack Reacher story collection No Middle Name. James Penney's New Identity: In the dry desert of Southern California, James Penney is laid off from the plant after seventeen loyal years of service. With the threat of the bank repossessing his treasured red Firebird, he goes on the run. But why are the cops so hot on his trail? And who is the tall military policeman, built like a weightlifter, who offers him a ride? Guy Walks Into Bar: Just a few minutes before the terrifying opening of Gone Tomorrow, Jack Reacher stops at a bar in lower Manhattan for a late night beer and some music, His eyes are drawn to a rich young Russian girl and her bodyguard. Is she in danger? Who are those two suspicious-looking guys sitting at separate tables, watching her? These two short stories are part of the Storycuts series.

From a New York Times–bestseller, a thriller short story about a Vietnam veteran on the run who receives help from a young military cop named Jack Reacher. Before Jack Reacher became the seminal, nomadic hero he is today and #1 New York Times–bestselling writer Lee Child reached his current iconic literary stature, there was James Penney, who we meet in this intense thriller short. Penney was originally envisioned as a character in Child’s second Jack Reacher tale, Die Trying. Though an interesting character, Penney was ultimately excised during the editing process and readers didn’t have the pleasure of meeting him. Now he’s been resurrected in a tale that features a brief glimpse of Jack Reacher’s early career. Don’t miss this heart-pumping tale of suspense! /DIV

The clue-puzzle, legal thriller, and classic whodunit are just a few of the subgenres within the widely popular crime fiction genre. However, despite its popularity among readers, the crime short story genre has yet to be fully explored by scholars. This book offers a deep-dive into crime short stories written by a wide range of authors, tracing the history and evolution of the crime short story. The book offers an accessible and original examination of crime short stories, focusing on compelling themes such as miscarriage of justice, feminism, environmental crime and toxic masculinity.

THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING JACK REACHER SERIES THAT INSPIRED TWO MAJOR MOTION PICTURES AND THE STREAMING SERIES REACHER The ultimate Jack Reacher experience: a thrilling new novella and eleven previously published stories, together for the first time in one pulse-pounding collection from Lee Child. No Middle Name begins with “Too Much Time,” a brand-new work of short fiction that finds Reacher in a hollowed-out town in Maine, where he witnesses a random bag-snatching but sees much more than a simple crime. “Small Wars” takes readers back to 1989, when Reacher is an MP assigned to solve the brutal murder of a young officer found along an isolated forest road in Georgia—and whose killer may be hiding in plain sight. In “Not a Drill,” Reacher tries to take some downtime, but a pleasant hike in Maine turns into a walk on the wild side—and perhaps something far more sinister. “High Heat” time-hops to 1977, when Reacher is a teenager in sweltering New York City during a sudden blackout that awakens the dark side of the city that never sleeps. Okinawa is the setting of “Second Son,” which reveals the pivotal moment when young Reacher’s sharp “lizard brain” becomes just as important as his muscle. In “Deep Down,” Reacher tracks down a spy by matching wits with four formidable females—three of whom are clean, but the fourth may prove fatal. Rounding out the collection are “Guy Walks into a Bar,” “James Penney’s New Identity,” “Everyone Talks,” “The Picture of the Lonely Diner,” “Maybe They Have a Tradition,” and “No Room at the Motel.” No suitcase. No destination. No middle name. No matter how far Reacher travels off the beaten path, trouble always finds him. Feel bad for trouble. Praise for No Middle Name “Captivating . . . classic [Lee] Child . . . This volume demonstrates what his fans already know: he’s a born storyteller and an astute observer.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Lee Child, like his creation, always knows exactly what he’s doing—and he does it well. Time in his company is never wasted.”—Evening Standard

Before Jack Reacher became the seminal, nomadic hero he is today and No. 1 New York Times bestselling writer Lee Child reached his current iconic literary stature, there was James Penney, who we meet in this intense Thriller Short. Originally published in THRILLER: Stories to Keep You Up All Night, edited by James Patterson, in 2006. Penney was originally envisioned as a character in Child’s second Jack Reacher tale, Die Trying. Though an interesting character, Penney was ultimately excised during the editing process and readers didn’t have the pleasure of meeting him. Now he’s been resurrected in a tale that features a brief glimpse of Jack Reacher’s early career. Don’t miss this heart-pumping tale of suspense!

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • THE BLOCKBUSTER JACK REACHER SERIES THAT INSPIRED TWO MAJOR MOTION PICTURES AND THE STREAMING SERIES REACHER “High-powered, intricately wrought suspense.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times New York City. Two in the morning. A subway car heading uptown. Jack Reacher, plus five other passengers. Four are okay. The fifth isn’t. And if you think Reacher isn’t going to get involved . . . then you don’t know Jack. Susan Mark, the fifth passenger, had a big secret, and her plain little life was being watched in Washington, and California, and Afghanistan—by dozens of people with one thing in common: They’re all lying to Reacher. A little. A lot. Or just enough to get him killed. A race has begun through the streets of Manhattan, a maze crowded with violent, skilled soldiers on all sides of a shadow war. For Jack Reacher, a man who trusts no one and likes it that way, the finish line comes when you finally get face-to-face and look your worst enemy in the eye. “Propulsive . . . [Child is] an expert at ratcheting up tension.”—Los Angeles Times “Hold on tight. . . . This novel will give you whiplash as you rabidly turn pages. . . . May be [Lee Child’s] best.”—USA Today

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In this eBook exclusive short story from Lee Child, Jack Reacher is again on the move. But even a pleasant hike on a beautiful summer day turns into a walk on the wild side . . . and perhaps something far more sinister. Don’t miss a gripping preview of Lee Child’s highly anticipated new Jack Reacher novel, Personal! Jack Reacher is on the road, hitching a ride with some earnest young Canadians who are planning a hike through some of the last unspoiled wilderness in North America in the dense forests of Maine. They part ways after sharing a hot meal, and Reacher checks out a quiet town surrounded by countryside serene enough to cool even his raging wanderlust. But not for long. First the trail is suddenly and inexplicably closed. Then the military police show up in force. Maybe it’s a drill. Or maybe it’s trouble—the kind of trouble that always finds Reacher, no matter how far he travels off the beaten path. Praise for Lee Child and his Jack Reacher novels “Welcome to the relentless world of Jack Reacher and his impressive tendency to be in the wrong place at the right time. . . . Child has created an iconic character that other thriller writers try to emulate but don’t come close to matching.”—Associated Press “The Reacher novels are easily the best thriller series going.”—NPR “Child is a superb craftsman of suspense.”—Entertainment Weekly “The truth about Reacher gets better and better.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times “If you’re a thriller fan and you’re not reading the Reacher series, you’re not a thriller fan.”—Chicago Tribune “[A] feverishly thrilling series . . . With Child, you can always count on furious action.”—The Miami Herald “Irresistible Reacher remains just about the best butt-kicker in thriller-lit.”—Kirkus Reviews

In thriller master Lee Child’s exclusive eBook short story, Jack Reacher must track down a spy in soldier’s clothing—by matching wits with four formidable females. Three are clean—but the fourth may prove fatal. Includes a thrilling preview of Lee Child’s hotly anticipated Jack Reacher novel, A Wanted Man! Summoned by Military Intelligence to Washington, D.C., Reacher is sent undercover. The assignment that awaits him: The army is meeting with its Capitol Hill paymasters for classified talks on a new, state-of-the-art sniper rifle for U.S. forces. But vital details about the weapon are leaking—straight from the Capitol and probably into the hands of unidentified foreign arms dealers. The prospect of any and every terrorist, mercenary, or dictator’s militia getting their hands on the latest superior firepower is unthinkable. That’s where Reacher comes in. His task: infiltrate the top-secret proceedings and smoke out the mole. His target: a quartet of high-powered Army political liaison officers—all of them fast-track women on their way to the top. According to his bosses, it’s a zero-danger mission. No need to draw a gun . . . just chat over drinks. But Reacher knows that things are rarely what they seem. And he’s learned the hard way never to underestimate an opponent. Or four. Lessons that will come in handy when he starts digging for the truth—and gets his hands a lot dirtier than he expected. “Child is a superb craftsman of suspense.”—Entertainment Weekly “The truth about Reacher gets better and better.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times