When you mess with Reacher’s people, you don’t need luck. You need a will.
This might honestly be my favorite Reacher book so far. Bad Luck and Trouble gives us the closest look yet at Reacher as a leader, not just a wandering force of nature. Finding out he once commanded an eight-person Special Investigations team made his usual “drift into town, break bones, leave” persona feel downright civilized.
Then comes the SOS from one of his old teammates, a classic Reacher breadcrumb via his bank account of all things, and suddenly four of his people are missing. It’s personal, it’s ugly, and he handles it with that uniquely Reacher blend of logic, loyalty, and “if you hurt my people, I will ruin your whole life before breakfast.”
The team dynamic was fantastic. Watching the remaining three come together with him again felt like slipping into a well-worn jacket. They’re all competent, sharp, and quietly funny. Compared to the bad guys, Reacher is bigger, stronger, madder, and absolutely not in the mood. Angry Reacher is a sight to behold...and by “sight,” I mean “a path of destroyed villains shaped like a man.”
Bad Luck and Trouble hits that sweet spot of action, loyalty, and cold, calculated payback. It shows Reacher at his most human and his most fearsome, proving that the only thing more dangerous than Reacher alone is Reacher with a team he loves like family. If this is the direction the series is headed, I'm going to buckle up because I’m absolutely here for the ride.
