This is the first Reacher novel that didn’t keep me awake. And that says everything.
Personal is the first Reacher novel that literally put me to sleep. Not figuratively. Literally. I woke up wondering if I’d missed something important, only to realize… probably not. This is supposedly a personal case for Reacher, but the emotional stakes never land. We’re told it matters; we’re never shown why. His fixation on his partner’s pills felt forced and oddly out of character. The international espionage angle drags, the tension fizzles, and Reacher, usually sharp as a blade, feels dulled. If this was meant to be personal, it forgot to make me care.
