Without Fail is the sixth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published by Putnam in 2002. It is narrated in the third person.
Description[]
One Secret Service mandate is to protect the Vice President; they’re the best at doing just that. Or so they think. When Reacher is hired to test their assumption, he doesn’t know he’s not the only one after the VP. But the killers who want the VP dead don’t know about Reacher either, and that may be their only mistake.
Plot[]
Jack Reacher arrives in Atlantic City, New Jersey from California after hitching a ride with a couple of aging musicians. He is approached there by M.E. (Mary Ellen) Froelich, a beautiful agent from the U.S. Secret Service who has managed to track him down. She has a special request for him. Someone is sending threatening letters to the Vice President-Elect and she wants Reacher to help her evaluate the best methods to protect him.
She wants Reacher to speculate on how he would go about killing him. Countering those methods would help her considerably in her job of providing protection. Reacher deduces that there has already been an attempt on the Vice President-Elect, and that Froelich really wants Reacher to test her security measures. Reacher accepts the challenge and enlists his former Army colleague Frances Neagley to help carry out the mission. Together, they find many holes in the security. Reacher and Neagley decide to continue to support Froelich's team by attempting to find the ones responsible before they can carry out the assassination. While working together, Reacher and Froelich begin a relationship, but Reacher realizes she is still in love with his deceased brother, Joe, who was her colleague in the Secret Service.
After Froelich is killed by a bullet meant for her protectee, Reacher swears vengeance against the still unknown attackers. Reacher and Neagley track the killers to Grace, Wyoming where they meet with Reacher's special brand of justice.
Appearances[]
Characters[]
- Jack Reacher
- M. E. Froelich - Secret Service, 35, Head of the VP Protection Detail.
- Frances Neagley - Former Master Sergeant, U.S. Army and member of Reacher's old 110th MP Special Investigations Unit .
- Brook Armstrong - Vice President-elect
- Mr. Stuyvesant - Secret Service, Head of Protection Details and Froelich's boss.
- Agent Bannon - FBI Special Agent
- Agent Nendick - Secret Service, In charge of video surveillance.
- Andretti - Had his thumb removed to be used as a "stamp" on the envelopes sent to Armstrong.
- Bruce Armstrong - Murdered as a warning to Brook Armstrong.
- Brian Armstrong - Murdered as a warning to Brook Armstrong.
- Agent Crosetti - Secret Service
- Richard Wilson - Police Officer from a small town south of Boise, ID.
- Peter Wilson - Police Officer from a small town south of Boise, ID.
- Joe Reacher (mentioned)
Locations[]
- United States
- Washington, DC
- New Jersey
- Atlantic City
- North Dakota
- Bismarck
- Wyoming
- Grace
Weapons[]
Organizations[]
- United States Secret Service
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- United States Senate
- Bismarck Police Department
Vehicles[]
Events[]
Miscellanea[]
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